The English Language

English belong to the same family of languages, called Germanic, as German, Dutch, Danish,
Norwegian and Swedish.
On the other hand Germanic is a member of the larger family of Indo-European languages to which
belong also Latin, Greek, Celtic, the Slavic languages, Albanian, Armenian and a few other languages.
That means that English and Romanian are related as both of them are of Indo-European origin.
English appeared as a distinct language only after the Anglo-Saxon Germanic tribes (Angles and
Saxons) conquered England and settled in it, in the 5 th and 6th centuries A.D. At that time it was known
as Britannia (Britain) and it had been a Roman province for more than 350 years. It was inhabited by a
Celtic people called Britanni (Britons), who were exterminated or who withdrew to small western
parts of Britain.
In the late 8th century the Vikings, who spoke Danish, came from Denmark, and soon conquered a part
of eastern and northern England leaving permanent marks on English. That is why many of the most
common words were borrowed from the old Danish language of the Vikings.
In the year 1066, the Normans, - a Danish people that had settled first in France, in Normandy, where
they had adopted the French language conquered England, and after that the English borrowed from
them a large number of French words which we easily recognize in contemporary English.
On the other hand as Latin was the language of learning in western Europe, during the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance, and a good part of English literature was written in French, between 1200 and
1500, English borrowed, little by little, a great number of Latin words, too.
The result was that the present-day vocabulary of the English people is almost half Germanic and half
French and Latin.
But the words that form the essential and most commonly used vocabulary of English, as well as its
grammar, are, by far, Germanic, which obviously shows that English is a Germanic language.

Activities (Level: Intermediate):

Vocabulary:
1.Read the text and explain in your notebook the words in bold. (10 min)
2.Choose 4 of the words and make sentences with them. (5 min)
Comprehension:
3.Read the text again and answer the following questions. (10 min)
a) Which are the Germanic languages?
b) Why is English related to Romanian?
c) Who are the Normans?
d) Which are the languages that influenced English the most?
Grammar practice: Past Simple (10 min)
4. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets:
a) The Vikings, who are the ancestors of the English people, ........ (to speak) Danish.
b) The Latins .......... (to influence) the formation of the English language.

c) Most of the common words .... (to be) borrowed from the old Danish language of the
Vikings.
d) After settling first in France, in Normandy, the Normans ..... (to establish) in England.
e) During the Middle Ages, the English writers ...... (to write) their literature in French.
f) The English ....... (to borrow) a lot of words from the French, words that are easily
recognized in contemporary English.
Game: Work in pairs.
5.You and your partner have got some cards with information about the Norman Conquest, but you do
not have the same information. Ask and answer questions to complete the sentences:
Student A
The Duke of Normandy, known as William the Conqueror, nor became ______________ (what?),
establishing a new Anglo-Norman state. England became a strong country under military rule. Castles
appeared ___________ (where?) to enforce Norman rule. England has never been invaded since 1066,
William was _______________ (what kind?); he destroyed many villages to make sure that English
people did not rebel. _____________ (whose?) power was absolute and the language of new rulers,
Norman-French, has had a lasting effect on English.
Student B
___________ (who?) now became King of England, establishing a new Anglo-Norman state. England
became __________ (what?). Castles appeared all over England to enforce Norman rule.
__________(has...?) been invaded since 1066.
William was a harsh ruler: he destroyed many villages _________ (what for?). The Norman's power
was absolute and the language of new rulers, Norman-French, has had a lasting effect on English.

My adapted version is beneficial for the students because I chose different, and more interesting
activities. Even if the text is dull and not at all attractive for students, I tried to introduce a grammar
practice exercise, a game that might seem interesting to them, and also a comprehension quiz and some
word explanation. I also changed the understanding words exercise in the book with a more friendly
approach, where students will explain the terms with their own words.