The History of English - Part 1

Old English to Modern English

The English language can be split roughly into the following date boundaries:

Old English 450-1150 (For example, the Old English poem, Beowulf)

Middle English 1150-1500 (For example, Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales)

Early Modern 1500-1750 (For example, Shakespeare)

Modern 1750- present day

Origins of English

The English language is Germanic in origin, although over half of its words have derived from contact with the Latin and French languages and some from Scandinavian influence. English has spread across the globe and is now the first language of over 50 countries and the world’s most commonly spoken second language.

The British Isles have been inhabited for over 50,000 years. Knowledge of the British languages during this earlier time in British history is limited, however, it was the arrival of the Celts some 3000 years ago that saw the development of the languages in Britain that we can trace today. This Celtic influence on British language is still evident in modern times in the Welsh spoken in Wales and the Gaelic spoken in Scotland and in Ireland. The British Isles was inhabited by Celtic and Roman peoples before the arrival of the Germanic tribes who brought with them the language that developed into what we call English.

Modern English is very different from Old English, although they are separated by only 1500 years. Although Latin held a strong influence throughout the Roman’s rule, the language of English officially started in 449 with the arrival of these Germanic tribes. The words ‘English’ and 'England' derive from one of these tribes, the ‘Angles’.

Changing English

The English language has undergone many changes and developments over the centuries. There are two main reasons for language change or evolution: socio-historical reasons and linguistic reasons. Socio-historical reasons for change are external in influence, such as the effects of migration; linguistic reasons for change in language are those developments that happen naturally over time. Indeed, the English language is continually developing as new generations use words differently from previous generations; new vocabulary arrives and words change their meaning. This development in language can be seen with English where ‘ham’ in Old English became ‘home’ in Modern English.

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