THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Summary:
This is an article in which the writer tells us that English is not the language that has always been spoken in the British Isles, nor is it the only language that is spoken there. It is originally a foreign language that was brought to these Isles by foreign invaders. These invaders were two Germanic tribes, the Angles and the Saxons. They lived in Northern Germany and spoke different dialects of the same language. From these dialects descended the form of the English language that is known as Anglo-Saxon or old English. It remained the language of English from A.D. 450 to A.D. 1150. Later on two further invasions completely changed and modified the old English and turned it in the course of three hundred years into a compound language, which we call Middle English. Middle English had been a mixture of different regional dialects up to the fifteenth Century. However, the written English of literature, journalism, public affairs and commerce has for centuries been almost uniform. An Englishman’s speech can tell us where he was born and brought up, but if he is well educated his writing will not betray him. What we call standard English comes down from a dialed of Middle English usually known as the Late London Dialect, that is, the English spoken in London in the second half of the Fourteenth Century. This was called the Late London Dialect because this period approaches the end of the Middle English period. By the middle of the Fifteenth Century, English had developed so far towards the language we know today that could be classified as Modern English.
The English spoken in and around London come be the standard model for the whole country. The court and the King’s government need the London dialect. Since London was the largest city and port in Britain, its language became very popular in the sphere of commerce and trade. At first language was just spoken, but later on two writers Chaucer and Gower developed it and made it popular as a written language.
As there was no further foreign invasion, the language further developed under its own impetus. There were no further changes in the language, so Middle English merged into the early Modern English of Shakespeare’s age and into the language we spoke now.
Anglo-Saxon is now dead language, but a good deal of its vocabulary has survived in one form or another to the present day. Many of the commonest words in Modern English are Anglo-Saxon origin. Nearly all the strong verb; most of the prepositions and conjunctions are also of
Anglo-Saxon origin. English language has also remained under French influence for a long time. French is basically a Latin Language. Hence the majority of English words are of Latin Origin.
A language is always moving and developing. But these changes are slow in moving and developing. But these changes are slow in advanced time because the invention of printing and the spread of education have fixed its traditional usages. The only change is a large increase in vocabulary. It has borrowed various words from other languages. For example, the word Admiral is derived from the Compound Arabic words Amir-ul-bahr meaning ‘chief of the sea’. Similarly many other English words have been borrowed from other languages.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Q.1 When was Anglo-Saxon spoken in England?
Ans. Anglo-Saxon was spoken in England from A.D. 450 to A.D. 1150.
Q.2 Why is Anglo-Saxon not like Modern English?
Ans. The reason that Anglo-Saxon is not like Modern English is that there were two more foreign invasions on British. The invaders were Normans from Denmark and Normans from Normandy in France. The result of these visions was that old English was changed into Middle English.
Q.3 What happened to the language as a result of the Norman Conquest?
Ans. As a result of the Norman Conquest, old English was greatly modified and was turned in the course of the next three centuries into a compound language called Middle English.
Q.4 Which countries form part of the British Isles?
Ans. England Wales and Scotland form part of the British Isles.
Q.5 Which other languages are spoken in Britain today?
Ans. In addition to English some other languages are also spoken in Britain. For example, Welsh is spoken in Wales and Gaelio in Scotland. Another Celtic dialect used to be spoken in the south west corner of England but it became extinct about 200 years ago.
Q.6 Why is not English spoken as a first language in part of Wales and Scotland?
Ans. English is not spoken as a first language in Wales and Scotland, because the Anglo-Saxon after conquering England could not penetrate into remote parts of Britain. The result was that English language was never implanted in those parts.
Q.7 Why does language tend to change more rapidly in a primitive Society than in an advanced one?
Ans. In an advanced society, the invention of printing and the spread of education fix the traditional usage of words and phrases so the speed of change is slow. But in the primitive society that is not the case. Hence the changes take place rapidly.
Q.8 What kinds of words in Modern English are derived from Anglo-Saxon?
Ans. Most of the commonest words in Modern English are Anglo-Saxon in origin; for instance nouns like father, mother, food, drink, bed, hunger, all strong verbs; most of the prepositions and conjunctions.
Q.9 Why does English have such a large vocabulary?
Ans. English has large vocabulary, because it has borrowed several words from different language such as German, French, Latin and Greek. It can, therefore, be rightly said that the majority of English vocabulary is of Latin origin. Similarly it has also derived some words from Arabia and Dutch.
Q.10 What is the origin of the word “Yacht”?
Ans. Yacht is a Dutch word, which accounts for its uncommon spelling. The first Yacht was given by the Dutch to King Charles II as a wedding present in 1662. The name is derived from the Dutch word for hunting. Yachts were so named for their speed.