1. History of The English Language: Old English and beyond
Based on Crystal, chaps 2, 3 and 4
Power Point presentation developed by Alan Firth – adapted by Andrew Fish

2. The English Language Is unique in its geographical spread and scope
In its role as the global ‘lingua franca’ (‘contact language’)
In its dominance in scholarship and science, diplomacy and politics, trade, entertainment (movies, popular music, television), tourism
Has special (‘virtual second language’) status in Denmark

3. A key aspect of lg is VARIATION
Temporal
Regional
Social
Personal

4. Temporal variation
Time affects a lg, both in the long term and short term
Lg change is a major research topic, many books and research articles in journals
It is an inevitable and continuing process (though often people do not like this fact! Decay? Or progress?)
Like all lgs, English has clearly changed across the centuries
Long term: gradual but quite dramatic changes in grammar, lexis, phonology (sounds), orthography.
Distinct periods: Old English, Middle English, Elizabethan English, Modern English

5. Short term: lg changes in life time of persons: e. g
Short term: lg changes in life time of persons: e.g. early childhood, adolescence, phases of adulthood; generational changes

6. Linguistic roots
English is part of the Indo-European language group (443 lgs, 3 billion speakers),
includes most of the major language families of Europe and western Asia, which belong to a single superfamily. Contemporary languages in this superfamily include Bengali, English, French, German, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish (each with more than 100 million native speakers), as well as numerous smaller national or minority languages.
part of the West Germanic branch. Its closest linguistic relations are Frisian, Flemish, Dutch. Danish is part of the North Germanic branch.

9. Emergence ...
English began to emerge as a distinct language in approximately 700 AD. It emerged from the gradual occupation of England by Angles, Jutes and Saxons in the period AD. During this period these related languages supplanted the Celto-Romano languages and developed gradually into a distinct language (Old English) in its own right

10. Dialects ... the early years
No single standard language existed at this time
Four distinct dialects, which reflected the origins of the new settlers
Northumbrian
Mercian
Kentish
West Saxon
They were, more or less, mutually intelligible

11. Age of learning ..
First Christian missionaries arrived in AD 597 (Augustine)
Rapid growth of monasteries, and writing, using the latin alphabet
First Englisc texts began to appear in ca. AD 700 (Old English)
AD 731, The Venerable Bede (Jarrow) wrote the Ecclesiastical History - in Latin

12. Beowulf
English (Old English) first appeared in writing in approx. 800 AD
‘Beowulf’, an anonymously-written poem, is regarded as one of the first pieces of literature in (Old) English

13. The Vikings AD 787 - first Viking raid
Within decades, controlled most of the east of England
AD 886 Treaty of Wedmore (Danelaw), Chester (north west) to London (south east)
Linguistic impact was great: large number of Danish settlements (-by, -thorpe, -thwaite, -toft), family names (ending in ‘son’), everyday words, grammar (loss of inflections, verb ‘to be’, pronunciation

14. The Norman Conquest
Old English becoming well established (King Alfred) in writing (Winchester)
Invasion of 1066, Viking stock, speaking Old Northern French
Importation of French words (power, learning, bureaucracy)

15. Answer these questions
What are the ‘Indo-European’ languages?
Explain where English belongs on the Indo-European language ‘family tree’
What was happening in ‘Britain’, language-wise, before the arrival of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes?
What is the ‘ash’, ‘wynn’, ‘thorn’, and ‘that’?
Explain the past tense of the verb ‘be’ in OE
What are the characteristics of the OE pronoun system?
How can modern English verbs be traced back to OE?