LECTURE 2

THE BEGINNING OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PLAN1. People Who were the ancient inhabitants of Britain? The Roman conquest of Britain Germanic invaders of Britain

2. Early politics Kingdoms of the Germanic tribes in Britain How did Christianity spread in England? Anglo-Saxon Social Organisation

3. Language Periods in the history of the English language and their brief

characteristics What is Old English? Why learn Old English? Old English dialects

Who were the ancient Who were the ancient inhabitants of Britain?inhabitants of Britain?

• England has been inhabited for at least 50,000 years, although the repeated Ice Ages made much of Britain uninhabitable for extended periods until as recently as 20,000 years ago. Stone Age hunter-gatherers eventually gave way to farmers and permanent settlements, with an advanced megalithic civilization arising in western England some 4,000 years ago. It was replaced around 1,500 years later by Celtic tribes migrating from Western and continental Europe, mainly from France. These tribes were known collectively as "Britons“.

The CelticThe Celtictribestribes

the Britons the Scotts the Picts

Celtic British place-namesCeltic British place-names

London, Dumbarton, York, London, Dumbarton, York, Dorchester, Dover and Dorchester, Dover and ColchesterColchester

place-name elements Brythonic in place-name elements Brythonic in origin: origin: bre-, bal-bre-, bal-, and , and -dun-dun for hills, for hills, carrcarr for a high rocky place, for a high rocky place, coombcoomb for a small deep valley.for a small deep valley.

Welsh legacy of their meaning for Welsh legacy of their meaning for England England "Lloegr""Lloegr" translated as "lost translated as "lost lands".lands".

The Roman conquest of The Roman conquest of BritainBritain

•Julius Caesar's raid in 55 BCJulius Caesar's raid in 55 BC

•the Emperor Claudius' the Emperor Claudius' conquest in the following conquest in the following century (in the 1st century century (in the 1st century B.C.)B.C.)

Influence of Roman Influence of Roman civilizationcivilization

The Romans brought to 'barbarian' Britain The Romans brought to 'barbarian' Britain

their administration, their way of life and their administration, their way of life and their language:their language:

• built London (Londinium) built London (Londinium) • founded military settlements or camps founded military settlements or camps

('castra' surviving in some place-names: ('castra' surviving in some place-names: MANCHESTER, LANCASTER, etc.); MANCHESTER, LANCASTER, etc.);

• built their famous Roman roads; built their famous Roman roads; • set up towns for the retired soldiers or set up towns for the retired soldiers or

'colonies'(surviving as part of place- 'colonies'(surviving as part of place- names: COLCHESTER, LINCOLN). names: COLCHESTER, LINCOLN).

Germanic invaders of BritainGermanic invaders of Britain

The invaders fell into three The invaders fell into three main groups: the Jutes, the main groups: the Jutes, the Saxons, and the Angles. Saxons, and the Angles.

An OE monastic scholar Bede An OE monastic scholar Bede the Venerable (about 673-the Venerable (about 673-735) who wrote the first 735) who wrote the first history of Britain, tells a history of Britain, tells a popular legend about the popular legend about the origin of the Englishorigin of the English

Kingdoms of the Germanic tribes in Britain

1. Kent,2. Sussex,3. Essex,4. Wessex,5. Mercia,6. East Anglia,7. Northumbria, which consisted of two regions, Bernicia and Deira.

How did Christianity spread How did Christianity spread in England? in England?

• In 597 Pope Gregory I sent a mission to England In 597 Pope Gregory I sent a mission to England in order to spread Christianity among the in order to spread Christianity among the Germanic conquerors and to include England Germanic conquerors and to include England into the sphere of his political influence. into the sphere of his political influence.

• Christianity also penetrated into England from Christianity also penetrated into England from Ireland, which had not been invaded by Ireland, which had not been invaded by Germanic tribes. Irish monks had great Germanic tribes. Irish monks had great influence in Northumbria under king Oswine influence in Northumbria under king Oswine (642-670). (642-670).

• In the 7th century Christianity spread all over In the 7th century Christianity spread all over England. England.

The Anglo-Saxon communityThe Anglo-Saxon community

The young son of a Gebur farmer

The young boy's Grandfather and pregnant Aunty

The boy's Father and Mother

His elder brother examines his new shield whilst his Grandfather takes his neighbour to set some traps.

Anglo-Saxon Social OrganisationAnglo-Saxon Social Organisationwitenagemot

high council

Eoldermenthe ruling nobility

æðelings king and princes

bishops and archbishops Church aristocracy

ceorls, independent landed householdersgeneat,

freemen kotsetla, and farmers gebur

Ðegnsthe backbone of the

Anglo-Saxon army

ðeow slaves or bondsmen

Periods in the history of Periods in the history of EnglishEnglish

OLD ENGLISHOLD ENGLISH - from the 5th century - from the 5th century to the end of the 11th (the dates of to the end of the 11th (the dates of its end range from 1066 to 1150) ;its end range from 1066 to 1150) ;

MIDDLE ENGLISHMIDDLE ENGLISH - from the 12th to - from the 12th to the 15th century (1475); the 15th century (1475);

NEW ENGLISHNEW ENGLISH - the English of the - the English of the last six centuries: last six centuries: Early New EnglishEarly New English from the 15th century to the 17th, up from the 15th century to the 17th, up to the age of Shakespeare and to the age of Shakespeare and Modern EnglishModern English..

Henry Sweet’s classificationHenry Sweet’s classification

– OE - OE - the period of full endingsthe period of full endings. This means that . This means that any vowel may be found in an unstressed any vowel may be found in an unstressed ending: ending: SINʒ AN SINʒ AN 'sing‘,'sing‘, SUNU SUNU 'son' 'son'

– ME - ME - the period of levelled endingsthe period of levelled endings. . SINGEN, SINGEN, SUNE,(SUNE,(also speltalso spelt SONE). SONE).

– NE - NE - the period of lost endingsthe period of lost endings: : sing, sonsing, son..

What is Old English? What is Old English?

OE represents the stage of Old Germanic OE represents the stage of Old Germanic dialects in the history of English; common dialects in the history of English; common Germanic features then still prevailed over Germanic features then still prevailed over its newly developed individual its newly developed individual characteristics. Most of our records of the characteristics. Most of our records of the Old English language date from the period Old English language date from the period between about 875 and about 1100between about 875 and about 1100

Why learn Old English? Why learn Old English?

If youIf you►have curiosity about the past, have curiosity about the past, ► interest in language, interest in language, ►taste for experiencing cultures that are taste for experiencing cultures that are

different from your own, different from your own, ►find stretching your mind to meet new find stretching your mind to meet new

challenges pleasant, challenges pleasant, then you will then you will almost certainly be happy with this almost certainly be happy with this course.course.

Old English dialectsOld English dialects The 4 main dialects in OE wereThe 4 main dialects in OE were::

West SaxonWest Saxon,, or the Wessex dialect, the principal or the Wessex dialect, the principal dialect of the Saxon group.dialect of the Saxon group.

Kentish dialectKentish dialect,, spoken in Kent. It had developed spoken in Kent. It had developed from the speech of the Jutes. from the speech of the Jutes.

MercianMercian,, spoken in the kingdom of Mercia; this spoken in the kingdom of Mercia; this dialect had developed from the tongue of the dialect had developed from the tongue of the Angels. Angels.

NorthumbrianNorthumbrian,, another Anglian dialect, spoken to another Anglian dialect, spoken to the north of the Humber river. the north of the Humber river.

The Northumbrian dialect is The Northumbrian dialect is

represented by:represented by:

Bede the Venerable's

DYING SONG.

the runic texts of the Ruthwell

Cross.

West SaxonWest Saxon

The statues of The statues of

King Alfred the GreatKing Alfred the Great

Old English kingdoms and Old English kingdoms and dialectsdialectsTribeTribe Tribal Tribal

dialectdialect KingdomKingdom OE dialectOE dialect

The JutesThe Jutes JutishJutish KentKent KentishKentish

The The FrisiansFrisians

FrisianFrisian KentKent KentishKentish

The The Saxons Saxons

SaxonSaxon EssexEssex

WessexWessex

SussexSussex

WessexWessex

The AnglesThe Angles AnglianAnglian MerciaMercia

NorthumbriaNorthumbria

MercianMercian

NorthumbrianNorthumbrian