History of the English Language
The modern English language developed in England from a group of
regional dialects, following the Invasion of Germanic tribes from
Denmark, Jutland and Northern Holland. Prior to the Germanic
invasion around the 5th century AD, most of Britain spoke a Celtic
language. As the invading forces pressed on, the Celtic speakers
were forced North and West into Wales, Scotland and Ireland and
south in to Cornwall, where the language eventually developed in to
Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and Cornish.
The Old English language developed in to different dialects in
different areas of England the main variants being Northumbrian in
the North, Mercian in the Midlands, West Saxon in the South and
West, and Kentish in the Southeast.
Old English was further influenced by the invading Viking tribes
in the 8th Century, who brought their Norse language to the North
of England. The Norse influence can still be heard today in the
Yorkshire dialect with terms such as laike/leck (to play), dale
(valley) and gawp (to stare) all derived from Old Norse. Old
English remained the language of England until shortly after the
Norman conquest of 1066 AD.
Norman Conquest
William the Conqueror invaded England and took the throne in1066
AD and the new ruling elite of England spoke a dialect of Old
French. For a time there was a sort of language class system in
England where the ruling Normans spoke their Old French dialect and
the common people spoke Old English. Evidence of this can be seen
in the words used in English for cow and the meat of a cow. Beef
was only eaten by the ruling classes hence the similarity of the
French boeuf, whilst the common farmers who looked after the
animals called them 'cows', derived from Old English.
The two languages survived side by side until English once again
became the dominant language around the 14th Century when, King
Edward III became the first ever King to address Parliament in
English in 1362.
Early Modern English
What is widely regarded as modern English developed in two
stages, Early Modern English and Late Modern English. From the
early 15th century, the English came in to contact with more and
more people from around the word, this as well as the classical
Renaissance, led to an influx of new words to the English
language.
The invention of the printing press meant books became cheaper
and more accessible. This brought a standardization of spelling and
grammar to the language for the first time, with the dialect of
London becoming the standard. The entire works of Shakespeare were
written in Early Modern English and the first English dictionary
was published during this period (1604).
Modern English
The Modern English we know today first emerged around the turn
of the 19th Century. The height of the British Empire and the
Industrial Revolution meant a massive increase in the number of
words in the language. Scientific discoveries and technological
developments all helped increase the vocabulary as well as many
borrowed foreign words from the Empire.
Different dialects of English developed over time in many former
colonies of the British Empire. There are distinct forms of the
English language now spoken in America, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, India and many other parts of the world.