A Brief History of the English Language
The Lord caused people to spread over the earth from Babel. (Genesis 11:9)
Key words
- Babel: the confusing sound of many people talking at the same time or using different languages
I couldn't hear the annoucement over the babel of voices.
- Derive from: to come from something
The English word "olive" is derived from the Latin word "oliva".
- Displace: to force something out of its usual or original position
The war threatens to displace large numbers of people.
- Emerge: to appear by coming out of something or out from behind something
She emerged from the sea.
- Lingua Franca: a language used for communication between groups of people who speak different languages
The international business community sees English as a lingua franca.
Read the article to find the answers
- Where was the earliest example of writing found?
- Why was the Tower of Babel built?
- Who spoke Old English?
- When did Modern English start to emerge?
Origins
Most European languages share a common ancestor that linguists call Indo-European. The very earliest examples of writing can be traced back to ancient Sumeria, the earliest known civilisation, between India and Europe, the site of Babylon and the Tower of Babel.
In the story of the Tower of Babel, people originally had one language. God told them to "multiply and fill the earth". But mankind, chose to rebel and stay together in one place. They built a city with a tall tower, thinking it would be a fortress against any natural or supernatural attempt to scatter them throughout the world. In response, God confused their language so that they could not understand each other. They stopped building the city, separated and migrated around the world.
English is a very diverse language, with influences from many different language families. It has roots in the Germanic languages, but has also incorporated elements from the Romance languages (Latin and French), Celtic, Norse and Greek, among others. English has also borrowed words from languages all over the world, such as 'safari' from Swahili.
The history of English is usually divided into three periods: Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), Middle English and Modern English.
Old English
The Anglo-Saxons settled in the British Isles from the mid-5th century and came to dominate most of southern Britain. Their language displaced the previously dominant Celtic languages.
Middle English
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Old English was replaced by Anglo-Norman as the language of the upper classes. In Britain, Old Norman developed into Anglo-Norman. Many Norman and French loanwords entered the local language during this period, particularly in vocabulary related to the church, the court system and government. Middle English was spoken until the late 15th century.
Modern English
Early modern English was the language used by William Shakespeare and contained many more Latin and Greek words as the Bible became more widely available. The modern English we use today began to emerge in the late 17th century.
Lingua Franca
English was spread throughout the world with British colonisation, the efforts of English-speaking Christian missionaries, the globalisation of trade and technology, and the influence of the United States. In the second half of the 20th century, English became the global lingua franca, the common language for business, and the exchange of scientific and technological information.
Discussion questions
- Do you have any questions about any of the vocabulary or grammar in this article?
- What are the roots of your native language?
- What foreign words have been adopted into your language?
- What do you use English for mostly?
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