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Origins of the English Language

Origins of the English Language. Anglo-Saxon Period Time Line. 500 BC Celts of Britain 55 BCE Romans (led by Julius Caesar) invaded and drove the Celts to the west and north 409 CE Romans left. Celt rule again. 449 CE Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded. 800 CE Danes and Vikings invaded.

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Origins of the English Language

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  1. Origins of the English Language

  2. Anglo-Saxon Period Time Line 500 BC Celts of Britain 55 BCE Romans (led by Julius Caesar) invaded and drove the Celts to the west and north 409 CE Romans left. Celt rule again. 449 CE Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded. 800 CE Danes and Vikings invaded. 1066 CE French warriors called Normansdefeated the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings.

  3. The Celtic Heroes • All the Britons dye their bodies with blue color, and this gives them a more terrifying appearance in battle. They wear their hair long, and shave the whole of their bodies except the head and upper lip.

  4. Celts • A magical world. The religion was a form of animism, from the Latin word “spirit”. They saw spirits everywhere (rivers, trees, stones, ponds,etc.) They worshiped nature and their priests were called Druids. • Legends are full of strong women, fantastic animals, passionate love affairs, and fabulous adventures. • This mythology influence English and Irish writers to this day. • There was little influence left of the Celtic languages after the invasions of many more groups. • Arthur was a Celtic war chief that was defeated by the Anglo-Saxons.

  5. Stonehenge Some think that Stonehenge was used by the Druids for religious rites having to do with the lunar and solar cycles.

  6. The Romans: The Great Administrators In 55 BCE an invasion was led by Julius Caesar.

  7. Administrative Genius • Armies that prevented invasions. • Built a network of roads and walls. • Provided a centralized government with rules, laws, consequences, etc. • Brought trade with the rest of Europe. • Christianity would become a unifying force. • Old Celtic religions began to vanish.

  8. By 409, they had evacuated their troops from Britain, leaving roads, walls, villas, and great public baths, but no central government. Without Roman control, Britain was weak, and that made the island ripe for a series of successful invasions by non-Christian people from the Germanic regions of Continental Europe. There was little influence on the language.

  9. The Anglo-Saxons and the Jutes • In the middle of the fifth century, the invaders come from Germany and Denmark across the North Sea.

  10. Anglo-Saxon influences • They drove the native Britons to the north and to the west and settled the greater portion of Britain. • They were pagan. • Their language was dominant. That language is Old English. • The land became known as “Anglo-land”. • They were not politically unified until…

  11. KingAlfred of Wessex (r 871-899) • Led the Anglo-Saxons in a unified army against invading Vikings. The reemergence of Christianity in Britain from the continental missionaries and the Irish monasteries also helped unite Britain.

  12. Warrior Gods • Religion had many commonalities with Norse/Scandinavian mythology. • God of death, poetry, and magic was Woden (Wednesday). • God of thunder and lightning was Thunor (Thursday). • On the whole the Anglo-Saxons were more concerned with ethics than with mysticism • Virtues of bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship.

  13. The Bards • The communal hall provided space for storytellers. • The bards were on the same level as warriors. • Creating poetry was as important as fighting, hunting, farming, or loving. • Recited poetic stories (oral tradition) • Later written down by Christian monks. • The greatest Anglo-Saxon epic is Beowulf.

  14. TheNorman Invasion • William, duke of Normandy, invades Anglo-Saxon England. • The Battle of Hastings in 1066 establishes William as king and unifies England • Official language of the court was French • This is where the Latin influence originates

  15. The Indo-European Languages • English is derived from the German branch • Has major influences from Latin and Greek among others • Influences come from trade, immigration, and war

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