The History of English for College Students or Advanced High School Students

Attention logophiles: here is a history of English!

1. In the beginning… English originally came from an Indo-European language , the source of which is unknown. These languages came from this source: Latin, French, Spanish, Slavic, Russian, Celtic, Irish, German, Dutch, Enlgish , Sanskrit, Italian. The people who originally spoke this language lived in Mesopotamia.

2. The English Language The Oxford English Dictionary lists 500,000 words. German has 185,000. French has fewer than 100,000.

3. Major Influences German Tribes – Angles, Saxons, Jutes Latin and Greek Danish French

4. Major Events Celts first inhabited England some time after 4500 BC Romans invaded England in 55 BC German tribes, Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded during the fifth century AD – much of Celtic language pushed into Wales, Scotland, and Ireland Romans brought Christianity in 597 AD – spoke Latin; Latin, Greek and Hebrew became languages of education and religion Viking invasion 750-1050 – similar languages, rules simplified Norman French conquered England in 1066 – ruling class spoke French, commoners English

5. Winston Churchill in 1940 used almost all simple old English in the lines from this speech: “We shall fight on the beaches; she shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. ” Only the word “surrender” is of French origin.