Download The Basics History of the English Language – External

The Basics History of the English Language – External Influences:
ALPHABET
Semitic writing [Phoenician] started the use of many consonants.
Greeks adopted Phoenician with changes & additions.
Ionic alphabet (Roman) became the Greek standard.
Romans adopted Greek with changes & additions.
In the early Middle Ages,
Celts used runes [ “secret”],
&
Irish monks used “Insular Hand”(Roman).
Norman Conquest { French }
LANGUAGE
Celts – earliest Britannians
Picts & Scots – bullies who attacked the peaceful Celts
Rome wouldn’t help.
449- arrival of first germanic sea warriors to help Celts—
They helped... then shamelessly took over the island.
449 = Beginning of Old English period
6th century – Rome sent St. Augustine to straighten out those pagans & convert them
to Christianity.
Then –
A Second Wave of Vikings
878 – King Alfred began unification-Resulting in assimilation and 4 major dialects.
1066- Norman Conquest { French }
Middle English =
OE [ germanic ]
Latin [ Rome ]
French [ Normandy ]
= trilingualism
15th century
Death of Chaucer
[Phonetic changes
&
Respellings
=
Confusion]
1700s
Revolution
order
reform
OED
Prescriptive grammar
Early Modern English
1800s
Modern English
2000
Present Day English