Old, Middle, and Modern English

The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes, the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD.

The history of the English language is divided into 3 main parts:

1. Old English (449-1100 AD) What was written during this time period?

Part of Beowulf, a poem written in Old English.

2. Middle English (1100-1500 AD) What was written during this time period? The Canterbury Tales

An example of Middle English by Chaucer.

3. Modern English (1500-present day) Who wrote during this time period? Shakespeare

Hamlet's famous "To be, or not to be" lines, written in Early Modern English by Shakespeare.

The change between the different periods took hundreds of years and spelling and pronunciation were the primary changes between the way that English was spoken and written.

Now, listen to the Lord’s Prayer and see if you can understand it. Old English Version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blDM-ibezJQ Middle English Version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM2THezuzlI

“The Lord’s Prayer” Our Father, who art in Heaven, hollowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

This is how it remains today. When the Romans left England, their alphabet had only 26 sounds. When the Anglo-Saxons took over, their combined languages had 66 sounds, for the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet. This is how it remains today.

Now—there are many sounds for one letter Now—there are many sounds for one letter. For example, there are 7 sounds for the letter “O”. Pot Hoarse Took Noise Boot Toe

English was once considered slang. Although, many people spoke English at home, Latin was used in school and French was used in Parliament.

In fact, although most of English is influence by German, we can see the influence of outside language on Modern English today. Examples of French words that we use today: Genre, Prince, Government Examples of Latin words that we use today: Bishop, Mass, Angel Examples of Norse words that we use today: Cake, Sister

BEFORE written English, very few people spoke it. It originate from small Anglo-Norse tribes. TODAY—How many people do you think speak English worldwide?

History of English in 10 minutes Short film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rexKqvgPVuA

LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT THE TIME A Brief Chronology of the English Language YEAR EVENT WHY IT’S IMPORTANT LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT THE TIME 43 AD Romans invade Britain, beginning of Roman rule Influence of outside language Celtic 436-449 Romans leave Britain, German invaders settle 450-480 Earliest known Old English inscriptions First record of spoken language in written form Old English

LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT THE TIME YEAR EVENT WHY IT’S IMPORTANT LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT THE TIME 1000 AD “Beowulf”, the oldest manuscript in the English language, was written Story showed written grammatical rules of the spoken language Old English 1150 Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle English Records of spoken language in written form, we are able to see how language was changing Middle English 1348 English replaces Latin in most schools English was becoming more popular

LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT THE TIME YEAR EVENT WHY IT’S IMPORTANT LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT THE TIME 1604 Table Alphabeticall, the first English dictionary, is published Set standards for written English Modern English 1828 Webster publishes his American English dictionary