English Language History: Origins and Families

Origins of the English Language

• The English language belongs to the Indo-European family, which is the largest language family in the world with 46% of the world population speaking Indo-European languages.
• There are 440 living Indo-European languages, and the family goes back to a hypothetical language called Proto-Indo-European, spoken between 4,500 and 2,500 B.C.E. in present-day Ukraine.

Indo-European Language Family

• The Indo-European language family includes:
  • Albanian
  • Armenian
  • Balto-Slavic (e.g., Latvian, Polish, Bulgarian, Russian)
  • Celtic (e.g., Welsh, Breton)
  • Germanic
  • Hellenic (e.g., Greek, Tsakonian Greek)
  • Indo-Iranian (e.g., Hindi, Punjabi, Persian, Pashto)
  • Italic (e.g., Latin)

Germanic Language Family

• The Germanic language family includes:
  • North Germanic (e.g., Swedish, Danish)
  • East Germanic (e.g., Gothic)
  • West Germanic (e.g., English, German, Dutch)

West Germanic Language Family

• The West Germanic language family includes:
  • Low Franconian (e.g., Dutch, Limburgish, Afrikaans)
  • Central German (e.g., Luxembourgish)
  • Upper German (e.g., Standard German)
  • Anglo-Frisian (e.g., English, Frisian, Scots)

History of the English Language

• The English language has evolved through three stages:
  • Old English (6th-11th century)
  • Middle English (11th-15th century)
  • Modern English (15th century-present day)
• The English language was influenced by the Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vikings, and Normans.

Pre-Celtic Britain

• The first permanent settlements in Britain date back to 6,000 years ago.

Celts and Romans

• The Celts brought their culture to Britain around 1,000 B.C.
• The Romans invaded Britain in 43 C.E. and built Hadrian's Wall.
• The Romans withdrew from Britain by 410 C.E.

Anglo-Saxon Invasions

• The Anglo-Saxon invasions of the British Islands occurred from the 5th to 7th century C.E.
• Germanic tribes from mainland Europe, including the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, invaded Britain.
• The Anglo-Saxon invasions led to the formation of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, including Wessex, Mercia, Sussex, and Northumbria.

Old English and Middle English

• The Anglo-Saxon language, Old English, was spoken from the 6th to 11th century.
• Old English evolved into Middle English (11th-15th century) through the influence of Anglo-Norman.
• The most remarkable Middle English document is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

From Middle to Modern English

• The Great Vowel Shift occurred in the 15th century, making English sound more like modern-day English.
• The invention of printing in the 16th century led to the spread of ideas and the need for a standardized language.
• The King James Bible was published in 1611, and William Shakespeare's works contributed to the development of Modern English.

Explore the origins of the English language, including its Indo-European roots and the main language families of the world. Learn about the Afro-Asiatic, Austronesian, Niger-Congo, and Sino-Tibetan families and their speaker populations.