Where English Came From

Origins of the
English Language
Written records of
English have been
preserved for about
1,300 years. Much
earlier, however, a
people living in the
east, near the
Caspian Sea, spoke
a language that was
to become English.
Proto-Indo-European
• The earliest family of languages made
up of most of the languages of Europe,
Iran, India, and other parts of Asia.
• Proto= “the first or earliest form of
something”
Indo-European Languages
Proto-Indo-European
people traveled and
settled in parts of
Turkey, Iran, India, and
most of Europe. Their
languages changed into
what we now call Persian, Hindi, Armenian,
Greek, Russian, Polish,
Irish, Italian, French,
Spanish, German,
English, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, and
most of the languages
of Europe and India.
Timeline of Language in England
People Group
307 B.C.-1 A.D.Celts/Britons
Language
Celtic
C. 50 A.D. Romans
Latin
449 A.D.- Angles & Saxons
Danish
Scandinavian
Timeline of Language in England
People Group
597 A.D.
Roman Missionaries
Language
Latin
Latin words borrowed from Roman soldiers:
mile, street, wall, wine, cheese, butter,
dish
After conversion to Christianity, these words
were added to vocabulary: school, candle,
alter, paper, circle
Timeline of Language in England
People Group
793 A.D.- Vikings
Language
Norse/ Scandinavian
Words borrowed from Vikings: get, give, hit,
kick, law, sister, skirt, sky, take, window,
they, their, them
Timeline of Language in England
People Group
849-899 A.D.
Alfred the Great
Language
Saxon
(Old English)
Words from Old English/Anglo-Saxon:
Heart (heorte), foot (fot), head (heafod),
day (dæg), year (gear), father (fæder),
mother (moder), son (sunu), daughter
(dohtor), name (nama), east (east)
Anglo- Saxon Roots
Roo t
ber
Roo t Meaning
carry
Tod ay's Word s
bear, berth, borne, burden
bre w
ferment
brew, brewery, bread
de ar
valued
dear, early, darling
dri nk
swallow
drink, drank, drunk
h el
sanctuary
Hell, hellish, helmet , hall, place of protection
kn o-
skill
know, knowledge, knew
lik-
sim ilar, to be pleased with
like, liken, likeness. Likely
s pel l
recite
spell, spelling, gospel
s wer-
swear, p roclaim
answer, forswear, swear, sworn
tru-
faithful
truth, true, troth, betrothed, truly
ward
guard, protect
ward, wardrobe, homeward, warden
Timeline of Language in England
People Group
Language
1066 A.D.
French
William the
Conqueror
(Normans)
Words from borrowed from French:
abjure, abstain, account, beverage, blank,
blanket, bonnet, calendar, cancel, canon,
found
Beowulf Manuscript
Hwæt! Wé Gárdena in géardagum
Listen! We --of the Spear Danes the days of yore,
þéodcyninga þrym gefrúnon·
of those clan-kings– heard of their glory.
hú ðá æþelingas ellen fremedon.
how those nobles performed courageous deeds.
Oft Scyld Scéfing sceaþena þréatum
Often Scyld Scaef’s son, from enemy hosts
monegum maégþum meodosetla oftéah·
from many peoples seized mead-benches;
egsode Eorle syððan aérest wearð
and terrorised the fearsome Herudli after first he was
féasceaft funden hé þæs frófre gebád·
found helpless and destitute, he then knew recompense for that:-
wéox under wolcnum· weorðmyndum þáh
he waxed under the clouds, throve in honours,
oð þæt him aéghwylc þára ymbsittendra
until to him each of the bordering tribes
ofer hronráde hýran scolde,
beyond the whale-road had to submit,
gomban gyldan· þæt wæs gód cyning.
and yield tribute:- that was a good king!

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