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How did it come to be the English language?

The English language was introduced into Britain by the Anglo- Saxons when they invaded the island in the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries from Europe. It was different from modern English as we know it, as all languages change through the centuries, but the words these people brought over become the basis of English. New words have been added even since then, as new ideas, institutions and inventions were adopted and the words for them needed.

When St. Augustine brought Christianity to England in the 6th century, he brought too, a set of Latin, and Greek words connected with region – words such as altar, nun and creed. The Norsemen from Scandinavia who invaded England in the 9th and 10th centuries spoke a branch of the Germanic language related to the language of the original Anglo-Saxon settlers; it is probable that the two people could understand each other, and the Norsemen introduced many new worlds into language. Some of these took the place of older English words of the same meaning: sky, leg, knife, egg and follow are example of words introduced at this time. When the Normans came from France in the year 1066, they introduced a host of French words dealing with law and government, the church , hunting and chivalry – words such as attorney, assize, saint and feudal. When Caxton first began to print in the English language, he choose books such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales written in the dialect of the southeast of England and this had enormous influence on the language spoken in other parts of the country.

When the revival of learning influenced England in the 16th century, more Latin words poured in_ words such as operate and horticulture. And as Englishmen began to sail round the world to found colonies in distant lands and came into touch with distant people, so they brought back words from everywhere.

When new sciences came into being during the last century, many new words needed to be invented to describe the new ideas, such as telegram and psychology. Today the English of the old world is much influenced by the English of the new world and the U.S.A has sent across the Atlantic in its films and plays many new words to describe the things and situations that began over.