Some Scandinavian words that probably

entered the language at this time:

Crawl, drag, dregs, freckle, gasp, glitter,
harbour, meek, muck, , ransack, reindeer,
scowl, sister, stack, steak, thrust, weak,
widow
History
Language
Development
Words
Interesting
Facts
From 449 AD, the Angles, Saxons, and
Jutes begin to arrive to the British
provinces and aggressively set up home.
Cornish, Welsh and Cumbric languages develop. The Celtic
culture doesnt stand a chance in a land ruled by Anglo
Saxons.
The Anglo Saxons prefer to use their
own tongue and its runic script.
Christian missionaries begin to arrive in 597. They bring a huge Latin
vocabulary, and produce manuscripts. They sow the first seeds of
literacy, had to adapt the Latin alphabet to suit Old English sounds.
Four major dialects emerge in England: Northumbrian; Mercian; West
Saxon in the south and west; and Kentish in the south east.
The Anglo-Saxons were a pagan race
and traces still remain in the names of
four days of the week: Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
They commemorate the gods Tiw,
Woden, Thor and Woden's wife, Frig.
Religion
Angel, bishop, chalice,
deacon, font, martyr, Mass
Everyday vocabulary
cucumber, kettle,
kitchen, lentil, oyster,
paper, plant, purple,
street
History
Language
Development
Words
Interesting
Facts
The Vikings, ferocious Danes, rule most
of eastern England, until the Anglo
Saxons strike back in 878.
The Danes suddenly find themselves restricted to an area
called the Danelaw But the Danes retaliate, and by 980, a
series of fresh assaults brings the rest of England under the
rule of the Danes. Danish dominance lasts until 1042.
The Danes language exerts influence
on Old English. Many place names in
England have Scandinavian origins.
For example, '-by' in names (Rugby and Grimsby means farm or
town); '-thorpe' means village (Althorpe and Linthorpe); and '-
thwaite means isolated area (Braithwaite and Langthwaite).
Many Scandinavian personal names come from this time, and some
very common words both, same, get, give, take - enter the
language, as do regular English pronouns like they, them, their.
Kenning: poetic device in which an
unusual compound expression replaces
a conventional word.
The Anglo Saxons Invasions
449 A.D.
The Viking Raids Begin
787
The sea was often called a sail road
or whale-way.
Modern kennings include karate juice
for alcohol, lie detector for mother
and the beautiful game for football.






























History
Language
Development
Words
Interesting
Facts
In 1066, William of Normandy invades
England, ushering in a new social and
linguistic era. But manuscripts continue
to be written in Old English as late as
1100.
French is rapidly established as the language of power and
officialdom. But English is far too entrenched and continues
to be used by the majority of people. With Latin the language
of the church and of education, England becomes a truly
trilingual country.
English continues to evolve,
particularly in grammar. Word order
becomes increasingly important in
conveying the meaning of a sentence,
rather than the traditional use of
special word endings.

Clever new constructions enter the language, such as the auxiliary
verbs had and shall [had made, shall go]
Spelling and pronunciation begin to shift too. Distinctive Old English
characters begin to die out.
Most of the Anglo-Norman Kings were
unable to communicate at all in English
though it is said some used it for
swearing.
The Resurgence of
English
1200 1400
History
Language
Development
Interesting
Facts
The 12th century witnesses a renewed
interest in Latin, Greek, and Arabic,
which in turn spawns numerous
English translations. There is an
increase in literacy. Universities are
established at Oxford and Cambridge.
The influence of French declines until it is spoken only at
court, by the aristocracy and by the well-educated clergy.
Children of the nobility, who formerly spoke English as a
second language, begin to adopt it as their mother tongue.
English usurps French as the language
of power. French continues as the
language of the law, while Latin
dominates in education and the
Church.
French has already had an immense impact, with 10,000 of its words
entering the language during the 14th century. Hundreds of Old
English words disappear, but many others survive alongside their
French and Latin equivalent, each endowed with a slightly different
meaning: for example, ask (Old English), question (French),
interrogate (Latin).
'When Adam delved and Eve span
Who was then a gentleman?'

Rhyme originated in the 14th
century. It gives a simple message
of equality.
The Norman Conquest
1066
Religion
Abbey, cathedral, communion,
confess, crucifix, miracle, saint,
sermon

Administration
Chancellor, liberty, mayor,
parliament

Law
Bail, evidence, heir,
judge, jury, justice,
summons, verdict
Military
Army, battle, captain, defend,
garrison, navy, retreat, siege, soldier
Words Fashion
Diamond, jewel, pearl, petticoat
Food and drink
Bacon, biscuit, feast, grape,
mutton.

General
Action, chess, dance,
foreign, forest, mountain
Learning and art
Art, geometry, grammar, medicine,
painting, poet, romance






























The Invention of the
Printing Press
1476
History
Language
Development
Interesting
Facts
The arrival of the printing press is a
major step towards a standard writing
system and initiates an enormous
boom in the production of printed
resources in English.
Books are now more affordable, and the spread of literacy
suddenly makes publishing a profitable business. Over 20,000
titles appear following the setting up of Englands first
printing press by William Caxton in 1476.
The Great Vowel Shift takes place
during the 15th century. Many words
come to be pronounced more like they
are today.
The dialect of the East Midlands begins to establish itself as a form of
standard English. Spelling also becomes more standardized and the
pace of grammatical change slows down.
'Golf' is recorded in Scots English
from the 15th century; It is thought
to have Dutch origins - 'colf' being
the name of the club used in
striking games of the time.
The
Renaissance
1500 - 1650
History
Language
Development
Interesting
Facts
The Renaissance sparks fresh interest in
the classical languages and their
literature.
The union of the English and Scottish crowns sees the first
publication of an authorized English translation of the Bible
in 1611, named for the monarch who made it all possible,
King James I of England (and VI of Scotland). The first folio
of Shakespeares plays is published in 1623.
This is a time of great invention in the
language.

Some writers see the introduction of new Greek and Latin terms as
an enrichment of the language, while enthusiasts for native English
words condemn the newfangled additions as inkhorn terms.
Many new words are created by the addition of prefixes; suffixes; and
by cobbling together compounds.
Many modern day idioms can be found
in the King James Bible of 1611: my
brother's keeper, a man after his own
heart, how the mighty are fallen, can a
leopard change his spots, rule with a
rod of iron
Words
Latin words entering English
during the 15th century
Conspiracy, contempt, incarnate,
intellect, lunatic, mechanical,
ornate, prosecute, spacious,
temperate
Scottish English
becomes a highly
distinctive dialect, with
many local words and
constructions
Words Religion
Crucifix, charity, clergy, virgin
Food and drink
Appetite, fry, lettuce, oyster, toast
General
Adventure, blue, bucket,
ceiling, certain, spaniel,
wardrobe
Learning and art
Beauty, medicine, romance, sculpture,
story






























The Colonization of the
New World
1600s
History
Language
Development
Interesting
Facts
In the late 16th century, Walter
Raleighs expeditions lead to the first
settlement in America, at Chesapeake
Bay in 1607.
The Elizabethan age witnesses the rapid geographical
expansion of English in the New World, with colonists
arriving in droves. Immigrants from across the world rapidly
follow, flooding the language with new words from a variety
of nationalities.
In 1604, Robert Cawdrey's A Table
Alphabeticall, listing the meanings of
over 2,500 'hard words', is published.
It is the first English dictionary.
Across the Atlantic, the deluge of settlers from all over the British Isles
influences the development of different American accents.
Many so-called Americanisms today are actually remnants of Middle
English that crossed the Atlantic at this time: for example, 'I guess' for
'I think', 'gotten' for 'got', 'mad' for 'angry', 'fall' for 'autumn'.
By the middle of the 17th century,
thou was disappearing from standard
usage, but it was being kept alive in
everyday life by members of the
emerging Society of Friends, or
Quakers.
The Age of the
Lexicographer
1600 1800
History
Language
Development
Interesting
Facts
The seeds of English are planted across
the globe during the 18th century, as
British colonial claims are established
in India, Australia, New Zealand,
Canada and South Africa.
This is also the age of great discoveries in medicine,
astronomy, mathematics, biology, chemistry, botany,
geography and engineering.
There is a lexicography craze,
following the publication of Nathaniel
Baileys Universal Etymological
English Dictionary in 1721 and
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the
English Language in 1755.
In the field of grammar, Robert Lowths Short Introduction to English
Grammar of 1762 and Lindley Murrays English Grammar of 1794
quickly become standard works, enormously influencing education in
Britain and the USA.
Johnson's definition of oats, which
featured in his Dictionary,
Oats - a grain, which in England is
generally given to horses, but in
Scotland, supports the people.
Words
Food
Avocado, muffin, pate, vanilla,
mincemeat, pasta, salmagundi,
yoghurt

Science
Anaesthesia, antiseptic,
fallopian, fauna,
hydrogen, molecule,
nitrogen
Words
Italian
Espresso, mafia, pasta,
pizza
Indian languages
Chipmunk, hickory, moccasin,
moose, racoon, skunk
Spanish
Bonanza, canyon, coyote, lasso,
mustang

French
Chowder, cent, poker, saloon

















The Industrial
Revolution
1760 1830
449 A.D.
History
Language
Development
Interesting
Facts
During the 19th century, Britain
becomes the world's leading industrial
and trading nation.
The consequences of this Industrial Revolution lead to
major developments in the sciences and technology,
spearheaded by a generation of British entrepreneurs and
inventors.
There is a need for words to describe
the latest developments and concepts
in science and technology.
A project is begun in 1884 to compile a New English Dictionary,
which will eventually become the Oxford English Dictionary. In
America, the need to define the identity of the new nation results in
Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language.
The works of Dickens, Scott and Twain introduce a wider range of
spoken and non-standard English into written expression.
The 20th century gives rise to many
terms relating to the state of
inebriation:
tanked - 1905, jingled - 1908, hooted -
1915, illuminated - 1926, busted -
1928, crashed - 1950
The Present Day:
English Goes
Global
History
Language
Development
Interesting
Facts
The 20th century sees the British
Empire slowly fall apart, but several
major developments ensure its language
nonetheless thrives.
The British Broadcasting Corporation is established in 1922,
broadcasting first to the Empire, then the Commonwealth
from 1931.
In the twentieth century, English
emerges as a world language,
universally embraced across the globe.
Local variations of the language appear. There are also moves to
standardise English used in key areas of communication such as air
traffic control (Air Speak) and maritime travel (Sea Speak).
The advent of the Internet massively increases exposure to a wide
range of English styles and linguistic experimentation. New
technology results in idiosyncratic varieties of English, such as the
text speak invented by mobile phone users communicating via SMS.
The longest nonsense word
appears in James Joyce's
Finnegans Wake (1939), and
describes Tom Finnegan's fall
from a ladder:
Bothallchoractorschumminaround
gansumuminarumdrumstrumtrum
inahumptadumptawaultopoofoolo
oderuamaunsturnup
Words
Chemistry
Tellurium, sodium, platinum,
caffeine, chloroform, cocaine,
argon

Physics
Centigrade, altimeter, joule, watt,
electron

General
Petrology, taxonomy,
palaeontology, ethnology,
gynaecology
Biology
Photosynthesis, bacterium, symbiosis,
mitosis, chromosome

Words
Some words which have
entered the language in the
course of the 20th and 21st
centuries.
Jazz, supermarket, suit,
cappuccino, hippie, 1958 -
disco, microchip, third world,
punk, fashionist, dotcom, text
messaging, Google, Sudoku.
The electronic revolution begins in 1972 with the sending of
the first network email. The creation of the world wide web
in 1991 diversifies communication much of it in English -
on an unprecedented scale.