History of the English Language

Early English

• Roman Occupation 55 B.C.-410 A.D.

• Anglo-Saxon and Viking Invasions 410 – 1066 A.D.

• The Norman Invasion (The Battle of Hastings) in 1066 A.D.

• LATIN

• GERMAN(IC)

• FRENCH

• 1

• 2

• 3

Modern English (1485-Present)

• Modern English began around the 16th century (late 15th century).
• Early Modern English (1485-1800)
• (Late) Modern English (1800-Present)
• Why did it change?

Modern English: Early Modern English (1485-1800)

• Why did it change?
• (1) Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter.

Modern English: Early Modern English (1485-1800)

• Why did it change?
• (2) Other things that helped the evolution from Middle English to Modern English:
• New words and phrases
• Resulted from…
• Increased contact with many peoples from around the world
• The Renaissance of Classical learning
• Standardization of language, dialect, spelling, grammar
• Resulted from…
• Invention of printing
• Mass availability of books
• Increased literacy
• Dialect of London standardized by publishing houses located there
• Publication of the 1st English Dictionary (1604)

Modern English: Early Modern English (1485-1800)

• Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English.

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

Modern English

• Although Modern English began around the 16th Century, like all languages it is still changing.
• One change occurred when the th of some verb forms became s (loveth, loves: hath, has).
• Auxiliary verbs also changed (he is risen, he has risen).