Journal

Journal (August 29th) What is your favorite English

word? Why? What do you know about the

history of the English language? What are some interesting

features of the English language? Why is it difficult for adults to

learn the English language?ALL JOURNALS MUST BE ½ PAGE IN

LENGTH (1/3 for college-ruled)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

By Mr. Chambers & Mr. Chauvin

The Celts The Celts were a civilization that spanned

much of Western Europe throughout antiquity.

They still exist today in regions of Ireland, Spain, France, and Wales.

The Celts Cont. The Celts’ religion was run by Druids, they

believed in Animism (non-human things have spirits such as animals, plants, rocks…etc.), human sacrifice, and reincarnation.

We get very few words from them.

The Romans The Romans came in 55 B.C. and, led by

Julius Caesar, the highly organized Roman legions annihilated the Celts and conquered most of the Britons (the name of the Celtic tribe in Britain).

The Anglo-Saxons As the Roman Empire slowly disintegrated they

left Briton after 500 years, leaving behind their modernizations of baths, aqueducts, roads, bridges…etc. but not much in the way of language.

The Celts did not get much of a break, only a few decades later (449 AD) the Anglo-Saxons invaded.

The Anglo-Saxons Cont. The Anglo-Saxons brought the Anglisc (or

Anglish) language with them, where we get our modern word for English.

This is a Germanic language and is the basis for what we speak today, though much of our vocabulary comes from different sources such as French and Norse.

The Anglo-Saxonswere German tribes,you might view modernEnglish people as German descendants!

St. Augustine of Canterbury

Brought Christianity to England in 597 AD.

Changed forever the culture and religion of the region.

Christianity brought Latin and Greek roots to the English language.

Many of the Latin words we use come from this transformation, NOT from the Roman occupation.

Journal Discuss how foreign non-British

influences have affected our language and culture.

Include influences we’ve discussed so far (Celtic, Roman, German) as well as ones we will discuss today (Norse, French) and any others you can think of (Chinese, Russian, Egyptian…etc.).

The Vikings From 800-1050 A.D. the Vikings invaded and

brought the Norse language. Alfred the Great saved the English language

by defeating Viking attacks and establishing English libraries.

Many Norse words still exist in everyday use:

husband, anger, hell, skill, berserk, trust, weak…etc.

The French William the Conqueror brought the French

language with him when he invaded England in 1066 A.D. in what was called the Norman Conquest.

It became the official language, and English became the language of the lower classes.

The French Cont. The Legacy of the French: Over 10,000

English words are French in origin. That’s more vocabulary from French than Old and Middle English combined!

During French rule, the French words became polite and English words became “vulgar”. Examples: guts vs. intestines, sweat vs. perspire

The French took English wives, which contributed to the downfall of the French language.

The English English makes a comeback and sticks

around for good this time after English victories over the French during the 100 Years War.

English long bowmen defeated French feudal knights in battles which inspired English nationalism and independence.

The Bubonic Plague (Black Death) ended the feudal system.

Countries NOT Invaded by the British

Where do our words

come from?

French + Latin = 58%

German/Norse = 26%

Greek = 6%

Timeline of the English Language Before 55 BC – Celts in Briton, almost no

influence 55 BC – 410 AD – Roman rule, very little

influence 449 AD – Anglo-Saxons become permanent

settlers of the island, give us our Germanic structure and a significant contribution to our vocabulary

597 AD – St. Augustine and Christianity bring Latin and Greek into our vocabulary

800–1050 AD – Viking invasions bring many Norse words into everyday use

1066 AD – William the Conqueror and the Normans bring French to England, which eventually fades but leaves behind much of our vocabulary

Sample Origins basket (Celtic) doe (Celtic) god = good (Old English) oft = often (Old English) color (Latin) focus (Latin) anger (Norse) trust (Norse) deux = deuce (French) energie = energy (French)

Guess the Origin cross (Celtic) fidelity (Latin) solitude (French) bog (Celtic) democracy (French) free (Old English) technique (French)

make (Old English) awe (Norse) justice (French) ugly (Norse) anniversary (Latin) vanity (Latin) acorn (Old English) deluxe (French) word (Old English) vocabulary (French)

Journal What are the benefits and

drawbacks of our language having so many origins, so much variation, and so much diversity?

Also, what are the benefits and drawbacks of having a language that evolves so rapidly over time?