Where has the english language been for the past 1,500 years, who has been using it, what habits has it acquired, and why does it refuse to stand still. Give yourself a couple of minutes to complete this multiplechoice quiz. In the early works, the structure and rules of english grammar were based on those of latin. The written and spoke language of london began to spread to the entire country, and with the influence of printing press, london english began to flourish. Eight of the best books about the english language. Celts inhabit much of europe, and beginning to colonize the british isles. This is a very intelligent book, written with deep knowledge and humor. The industrial revolution and the rise of the british empire during the 18th, 19th and early 20thcentury saw the expansion of the english language.
The history of the english bible truth according to. How is it that english has such a huge vocabulary, larger than any other language on earth. From chaucer to the twentieth century as want to read. If you went back in time to the 1800s and 1700s, youd probably still be okay. As the british library charts the evolution of english in a new major exhibition, author michael rosen gives a brief history of a language that has. William the conqueror, 1066 manuscript created 1150. The 1,600 years of english existence have been witness to. This book seeks a better understanding of the sociocultural and ideological factors that influence english study in japan and studyabroad contexts such as universitybound high schools, femaledominant english classes at college, esl schools in canada, and private or universityaffiliated esl progr. Spoken by about 470 million people throughout the world, english is the official language of about 45 nations. Each chapter has a different linguistic focus pronunciation, grammar, spelling, swearing. The history of english grammars begins late in the sixteenth century with the pamphlet for grammar by william bullokar. It originated in england and is the dominant language of the u. Speaking american a history of english in the united.
At what point in history would you not be able to understand the english language. Explore the s the british library the british library. History of the english language acts as an excellent laymans introduction to the origins of one of the most common languages on the planet, demonstrating how dialect changes over time, and. I got this book with the expectation that it would be about the evolution of language, i. The first phase is from the beginning of the 15c to the end of 18th c. A short history of the english language linguaenglish blog. The third and modern stage is from the beginning of the 20th c to the present age. How the english language has evolved like a living. Here is a list of important dates in the development of the english language.
This book seeks a better understanding of the sociocultural and ideological factors that influence english study in japan and studyabroad contexts such as universitybound high schools, femaledominant english classes at college, esl schools in canada, and private or universityaffiliated esl programs in singapore and malaysia. English language, a west germanic language of the indoeuropean language family that is closely related to frisian, german, and dutch languages. Things might have been different if this book were available then. Late old english 10th to 11th century can be considered the final phase of the old english language which was brought about by the norman invasion of england. The history of english how the english language went. For many years the evolution of language has been seen as a disreputable topic, mired in fanciful just so stories about language origins. English language, member of the west germanic group of the germanic subfamily of the indoeuropean family of languages see germanic languages. We grit our teeth in frustration with what the past hides.
His books on the english language include mother tongue and troublesome words. How language came into being has intrigued many great minds, including charles darwin, but it is also a question that we can all understand and ponder. The book is organized in halfcentury segments around influential centers. At last, an entertaining and readable book that presents the most current views on language and its evolution. The story of american english is one of eternal rises and falls in reputation, and bailey, the author of several books on english, traces our assorted ways of speaking across the country. The old english period is considered to have evolved into the middle english period some time after the norman conquest of 1066, when the language came to be influenced significantly by the new ruling classs language, old norman. A more modern approach, incorporating phonology, was introduced in the nineteenth century. The advances and discoveries in science and technology during the industrial revolution saw a need for new words, phrases, and concepts to describe these ideas and inventions. The evolution of english language learners in japan on.
How english evolved into a global language bbc news. The evolution of english vocabulary there just seems to. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Brysons text takes us from the earliest days of humankind, discussing, in witty style, the evolution of language, and the peculiarities of particular tongues and cultures. English belongs to the indoeuropean family of languages and is therefore related to most other languages spoken in europe and western asia from iceland to india. The evolution of human language is thus one of the most signi. Guy deutscher is an erudite and entertaining guide through the paradoxes and complexities of language evolution. The printing press also gave a standard and an identity to english language. The romans, who had controlled england for centuries, had withdrawn their troops and most of their colonists by the early 400s. Chesapeake bay 16001650, boston 16501700, charleston 17001750. Among other things it aims at explaining the relationships that exist between language and mental evolution, social evolution and cultural evolution. English is a west germanic language that originated from anglofrisian dialects brought to britain in the mid 5th to 7th centuries ad by anglosaxon migrants from what is now northwest germany, southern denmark and the netherlands. Coverdale finished translating the old testament, and in. From language trivia books to overviews and histories of the english language, there are many informative and engaging books.
Joan bybee, professor of linguistics, university of new mexico thoroughly enjoyable. The most accessible books about the english language the best nonfiction books are often the most accessible, at least if youre a keen amateur or enthusiast rather than a specialist. The best books on the history and diversity of language. This period ended with the consequential evolution of the english language towards early middle english.
Thus, the first complete english bible was printed on, and is october 4, 1535. How americanisms are killing the english language bbc. The digitisation of the worlds books reveals how the popularity of english words and phrases has evolved since the 16th century. He traces its journey during british imperialism to america, australia, india, the west indies. The evolution of spoken english began from the fifth century, with waves of attack and eventual occupation by the angles, saxons, jutes and frisians. Please tell us more about dying words this book is a history of world languages which focuses on the small languages that make up about 96% of all spoken languages but are spoken by only about 4% of the worlds population. In the course of thinking about language and its evolution, we inevitably introspect and examine the very process of thought itself. How english evolved into a modern language january 01, 20 a portrait of william shakespeare is pictured in london, painted in 1610 and is believed to be the only surviving picture of william. The evolution of the english language by max loach, school director at st george international the english language has come a long way over the ages, from old english to the modern version we use today. James augustus henry murray 1837 1915 and his brilliant editorial collegium. A wideranging account of american english, richard baileys speaking american investigates the history and continuing evolution of our language from the sixteenth century to the present. After world war i, when americans were in a patriotic and antiforeign mood, the state of illinois went so far as to pass an act making the official language of the state the american language. The circum stances in which latin was read out meant that simultaneous translationwas a frequent requirement, and a latin text could be read out in english,or indeed in welsh. The history of english language vocabulary english.
The selection of events is my own, and the dates are approximate in some cases, but it gives at least some idea of the timescales involved, and puts the developments into some sort of perspective. How the english language has evolved like a living creature. One is bound to learn quite a bit from the contents of the book. The anglosaxons settled in the british isles from the mid5th century and came to dominate the bulk of southern great britain. Their intermingling created a new germanic language. The evolution of english words and phrases since 1520. It was during this period that the english language. Publishing books became noticeable occupation and books written english were more popular than books in latin. They spoke the same west germanic tongue but with different dialects. Some linguists think of language as a living thing. A book released this year claims that americanisms will have completely absorbed the english language by 2120. The evolution of the american language continued into the 20th century, as well as the american pride. Mcwhorter is a professor at columbia university, political commentator, and linguist.