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Old English
Old English (Englisc, Ænglisc), also called Anglo-Saxon, is
an early form of the English language that was spoken and
written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern
Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid12th century.
The following passage is from the time of about 800 A.D.:
Faeder ure thu the eart on heofonum, si thin nama gehalgod.
Tobecume thin rice. Gewurthe thin willa on earthan swa
swa on heofonum.
Middle English
• Middle English is the name given by historical linguists to the diverse
forms of the English language in use between the late 11th century and
about 1470, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based
English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the
introduction of the printing press into England by William Caxton in
the late 1470s.
• The same phrase is written as it would have appeared at the time of
(1320 – 1384).
Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halwid be thi name; thi kyngdom cumme
to; be thi wille don as in heuen and in erthe; gif to us this day ouer
breed oure substaunce; and forgeue uo us oure dettis as we forgeue to
oure dettours….
Modern English
• Here is the same passage as it appeared in 1611 or about the time of
Shakespeare. Modern English begins to appear at this time.
• Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed 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…
Present Language
• Our present language is roughly half Germanic and half Romance
(Latin and French).
• There are over 7,000 different languages spoken in the world today
and nearly half of them are in danger of extinction.
• Here are some phrases from endangered languages:
Kwetamalsi means “now you know how it feels!” in Lenape
(Oklahoma)
Di’nisbaa means “I’m in the process of driving a vehicle into
something and getting stuck” in Navajo (Oklahoma)
Aimerpok means “to visit and expect food” in Aleut (Australia)
Outdated Terms
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Stool pigeon
Grodey!
Sound off
Groovy
Gag me with a spoon
Pass the buck
Rad
Give me air