The History of English

Caxton introduces the printing press

Samuel Johnson

Try to put these events in order. Caxton introduces the printing press. Norman invasion of England. Samuel Johnson's dictionary. Germanic invasions of Roman Britain. Viking raids and Danish invasions. English is used at court again. St Augustine introduces Christianity. Listen to the lecture and check your answers. Write down the dates. Example Germanic invasions - around 449 AD

Why did English become the official language again in the 15th century? a because of great writers like Chaucer b because of the printing press c because it was used by the ruling classes What changed in the 16th and 17th centuries? a English pronunciation b English grammar c English vocabulary In which way is English different from other European languages? a it was standardised a lot later b it has a lot of scientific words c it does not have an official academy What has been the most important influence on English in the last few years? a the old empire (e.g. India/Australia) b the United States c Europe (e.g. France) Listen to eight people talking. Try to identify their accents. Use the clues in the text to help you. Accents: Standard English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, London (cockney), Manchester, Birmingham, West Country (SW England) Work in pairs. Answer these questions. How has your language changed in the last few years? 2 What differences are there between the dialects of different cities and regions? 3 How do you think your Language will change in the future? Discuss your answers with the class. 1

Listen again and choose the best answer. Why are there so few Celtic words in English? a the Saxon invasion took a long time b the Celts and Saxons did not mix c the two languages were too similar What impact did Christianity have on English? a it changed the grammar b it introduced new words c it influenced pronunciation Why is it difficult to understand old Anglo-Saxon? a most of the words were different b the spelling was different c the grammar was unusual Why did the Danish invasions influence English grammar? a Danish grammar was different from Anglo-Saxon b the two languages were similar so they mixed and simplified c new Danish endings appeared on some words What happened after the Norman Conquest? a English disappeared for a long time b French became the most important language c English was the language of culture