History of the English Language

U’ll have the opportunity to
Get involved into the English History Studies
Listen to 8 lectures
Show your ability to think and develop ideas at 9 practice classes
Cope with Multiple choice tests
Take a Credit at the end of the Course (IF YOU WISH)

References
The Academy GlobalNet
Verba L. History of the English Language. – Vinnytsa: Nova knyha, 2004.
Касьянова. Історія англійської мови –Х: ВІ ВВ МВС України, 2005.
Аракин В.А. Очерки по истории английского языка, Москва, 1955.
Аракин В.А. История английского языка. – Москва, 2003
Бруннер К. История английского языка. – Москва, 1955
Иванова И.П., Беляева Т.М.. Хрестоматия по истории английского языка - Л., Просвещение, 1980.
Иванова И.П., Чахоян Л.П. История английского языка. – М.,1976.
Костюченко Ю.П. Історія англійської мови. - К.: Радянська школа, 1963.
Смирницкий А.И. История английского языка - М.: Издательство Московского Университета, 1965.
Смирницкий А.И. Хрестоматия по истории английского языка с VII по XVII в. - Москва, 1953.
Ilyish B. History of the English Language. – Leningrad, 1973
Rastorguyeva T.A. A History of English. – Moscow, 1983.

Welcome!

Lecture 1.1
The Subject Matter of the Course
Periods in the English Language Development
Old English Period
- historical background

1. The Subject Matter of the Course

History of the English language studies
the rise and development of English,
its structure and peculiarities in the old days,
its similarity to other languages of the same family and
its unique, specific features.

Why should u study the History of English?!?

Why should u study the History of English?!?

Why do we have
pet - pets & child - children?
to like – liked and to cut – cut – cut?
busy & bus?
fancy & phantasy? chorus & choir? sir & senior? three & trio? eat, eatable & edible?
e [i:] & a [ei]?
host & hostile?
Rules and exceptions will fit into a certain system when you know the history.

SYNCRONY
DIACHRONY

SYNCRONY
DIACHRONY
The study of a language as a system of interrelated phenomena at any given point in time.
The study of change or development in a linguistic system over a period of time.

Our plan for this term:
We are going to
have a close look at
the major stages of development of the language,
the influence of various linguistic and non-linguistic factors on the language and,
try and formulate what makes this language, once a language of one of the many not very significant European communities, now almost a Lingua Franca, a means of communication on the global scale however willing or unwilling should the peoples and politicians be to admit it.

Language Families

Indo-European Family:
Indo-Iranian group
Greek group
Italic (Latin) group
Celtic group
Germanic group (480 million speakers)
Baltic group
Slavic group (250 million speakers)
Armenian group
Albanian group

Indo-European Family:
Indo-Iranian group
Greek group
Italic (Latin) group
Celtic group
Germanic group
Baltic group
Slavic group (250 million speakers)
Armenian group
Albanian group
Western branch
Northern (Scandinavian) branch
Eastern branch

Indo-European Family:
Indo-Iranian group
Greek group
Italic (Latin) group
Celtic group
Germanic group
Baltic group
Slavic group (250 million speakers)
Armenian group
Albanian group
Western branch
English, Frisian; Dutch, Afrikaans, Northern German; Franconian, German, Eastern Franconian, Southern Franconian, Bavarian, Alemannic, Yiddish (Ashkenazi) and Pensilfaanisch (Amish in USA)
Northern (Scandinavian) branch
Icelandic, Norwegian, Faroese; Danish, Swedish
Eastern branch (extinct)
Burgundian, Gothic, Vandalic, Crimean Gothic

The roots of English:
originally the dialects of a comparatively small number of related tribes that migrated from the continent onto the British isles,
the dialects of the Indo-European family - synthetic, inflected language with:
a well-developed system of noun forms,
a rather poorly represented system of verbal categories,
with free word order and
a vocabulary that consisted almost entirely of words of native origin.

2. Periods in the English Language Development

ANCIENT HISTORY OF BRITAIN
THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS
The Iberians 3000 B.C.
The Scots, the Picts 2000 B.C.
The Gaels 700 B.C.
The Celts The Britons 500 B.C.
The Belgae 100 B.C.
The Roman Conquest:
J.Caesar 55 B.C.
Claudius 43 A.D.
The Anglo-Saxon Conquest:
Hengest and Horsa 449 A.D.

The beginnings of the English language are traced back to year 449, when coming to help their Celtic ally, two Germanic chieftains, Hengist and Horsa, brought their belligerent tribesmen to the Isles.

So starting as a language separated from the rest of the Germanic linguistic area, English has been functioning for more than a millennium and a half; and there can be traced several periods within its history.

PERIODIZATION OF THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

3. The Old English Period

The Old English Period, in our study is the period from the fifth up to mid-eleventh century.

It is characterised by
language in the form of several dialects (7 kingdoms that existed on the island);
the vocabulary of each of them is comparatively homogeneous (words of native origin (Indo-European, Germanic and specifically English);
a ramified system of endings, hence relatively free word order;
Common Indo-European traits (double negation or formation of impersonal sentences);
noticeable drift of the sound system away from other Germanic languages;

The BACKGROUND against which the English language was forming included long years of pre-written functioning of the language.
Very soon the remnants of the Celtic population were subjugated, or ousted into the outskirts of the Isles - to the North (Scotland), or to the West (Cornwall and Wales).
The invaders-”peacekeepers” felt comfortable on the new territory.

OLD ENGLISH KINGDOMS AND DIALECTS

HEPTARCHY
7TH-8TH centuries

HEPTARCHY
7TH-8TH centuries
Supremacy at different times:
Kent,
Mercia
Northumbria

Extant documents written in the language date from about 700 to about 1100, but the great bulk of written material represents the speech from about 900 to 1050.
The language was represented in writing in four dialects: Northumbrian, Mercian, Kentish, and West-Saxon.
The dominance of the West-Saxon literature during the period demonstrates the political and artistic vitality of the kingdom of West Saxons (Wessex).
West-Saxon literature is the ancestor of nearly all English literature, but the West-Saxon language is not.

Introduction of Christianity

Introduction of Christianity
Pope Gregory the Great sent a mission to the Isles
since 597 Christianity comes into the life of the islanders
BUT the Romans were Christians by the times they left Great Britain, and so were the Celts.

Week Days Loan Translation

Introduction of Christianity
England received the Latin alphabet and educated people.
It brought monasteries with their schools and chronicles.
Now the English history was written by the Englishmen themselves, in their own language.
Now translation as a kind of intellectual activity came into the life of Englishmen.

King Alfred the Great (of Wessex)
the Wedmore peace treaty of 878
Danelaw
This treaty allowed a relatively stable period in the development of the rest of the country; more than that, the very personality of Alfred seems to be one of the most prominent educators of the nation.

King Alfred the Great (of Wessex)
implementation of literacy among the free well-to-do people;
promoted learning languages;
the first libraries in England.
Much of what is now is available in Old English was created or preserved thanks to Alfred the Great.

Dialects

Runic Alphabet (Gothic)

Anglo-Saxon Runes

Old English Alphabet

First English Inscriptions
Ash Gilton (Kent) gilt silver sword pommel, 6th c.;
Chessel Down I (Isle of Wight), 6th c.;
Chessel Down II (Isle of Wight) silver plate (attached to the scabbard mouthpiece of a ring-sword), early 6th
Boarley (Kent) copper disc-brooch, ca. 600;
Harford (Norfolk) brooch, ca. 650; luda:gibœtæsigilæ "Luda repaired the brooch"
West Heslerton (North Yorkshire) copper cruciform brooch, early 6th c.; neim
Loveden Hill (Lincolnshire) urn; 5th to 6th c.; reading uncertain, maybe sïþæbæd þiuw hlaw "the grave of Siþæbæd the maid"
Spong Hill (Norfolk), three cremation urns, 5th c.; decorated with identical runic stamps,
Kent II coins (some 30 items), 7th century; reading pada
Kent III, IV silver sceattas, ca. 600; reading æpa and epa
Suffolk gold shillings (three items), ca. 660; stamped with desaiona
Caistor-by-Norwich astragalus, 5th c.; possibly a Scandinavian import, in Elder Futhark transliteration reading raïhan "roe"
Watchfield (Oxfordshire) copper fittings, 6th c.; Elder Futhark reading hariboki:wusa (with a probably already fronted to æ)
Wakerley (Northamptonshire) copper brooch, 6th c.; buhui
Dover (Kent) brooch, ca. 600; þd bli / bkk
Upper Thames Valley gold coins (four items), 620s; benu:tigoii; benu:+:tidi
complete alphabet
Willoughby-on-the-Wolds (Nottinghamshire) copper bowl, ca. 600; a
Cleatham (South Humbershire) copper bowl, ca. 600; […]edih
Sandwich/Richborough (Kent) stone, 650 or earlier; […]ahabu[…]i, perhaps *ræhæbul "stag"
Whitby I (Yorkshire) jet spindle whorl; ueu
Selsey (West Sussex) gold plates, 6th to 8th c.; brnrn / anmu
St. Cuthbert's coffin (Durham), dated to 698
Whitby II (Yorkshire) bone comb, 7th c.; [dæ]us mæus godaluwalu dohelipæ cy[ i.e. deus meus, god aluwaldo, helpæ Cy… "my god, almighty god, help Cy…" (Cynewulf "my god, almighty god, help Cy…" (Cynewulf or a similar personal name; compare also names of God in Old English poetry.)
the Franks casket; 7th c.
zoomorphic silver-gilt knife mount, discovered in the River Thames near Westminster Bridge (late 8th c.): .
the Ruthwell Cross; 8th c., the inscription may be partly a modern reconstruction
the Brandon antler piece, wohs wildum deoræ an "[this] grew on a wild animal"; 9th century.[2]
Kingmoor Ring
the Seax of Beagnoth; 9th c. (also known as the Thames scramasax); the only complete alphabet

The Ruthwell Cross
is a stone Anglo-Saxonis a stone Anglo-Saxon crossis a stone Anglo-Saxon cross probably dating from the 8th century, when Ruthwellis a stone Anglo-Saxon cross probably dating from the 8th century, when Ruthwell was part of the Anglo-Saxonis a stone Anglo-Saxon cross probably dating from the 8th century, when Ruthwell was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbriais a stone Anglo-Saxon cross probably dating from the 8th century, when Ruthwell was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria; it is now in Scotland.

The Ruthwell Cross

Franks casket
The Franks Casket (or the Auzon Runic Casket) is a small Anglo-Saxon) is a small Anglo-Saxon whalebone) is a small Anglo-Saxon whalebone chest from the seventh century, now in the British Museum.