The history of the English language dates back as far as 430 AD, when a mix of groups or tribes resided in Britain, and each spoke different variations of a Germanic language. As the residents gradually colonized the country, the various kingdoms were, in turn, dominated by the Anglo Saxons. The language which emerged as a result of this domination became known as Englisc, now commonly referred to as the "Old English."
Though it is hard to put an exact date on the birth of the English language, it appears that the first distinguishing features of English started among four dialects: Northumbrian, Mercian, West Saxon, and Kentish. While around 85% of Old English allegedly died out over time, some common words in the English dictionary are directly linked to this dialect.
Below you will find a brief timeline presenting some of the meaningful milestones in the evolution of the English language as we know it today. Let's go back a few years!
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English Language Origins: The very early 1000s
Although much of the above is speculation run by historians and ancient gossip, there are a few things we can be sure of. For example, the first recorded conversation in English, a dialogue between a teacher and a student about learning Latin, was written down in the Eynsham Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, in England, around 1010. The purpose of the text was to be a teaching aid for students in monastic establishments.
Shortly after, around 1020, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle was created to put together valuable manuscript records that represented the primary source for the early history of England. These manuscripts revealed that many words that we use today come from the Old North Germanic language, mainly used by the Danish and Norwegian Vikings. Words such as "take," "dirt," and "they," and names with "Thorpe" are also derived from this era.
The twelfth century marked a fundamental shift in the Old English language. During the 1100s, a collection of current sermons were translated from Latin to English, with a more modern pattern and rhythm. Linguists refer to this transition as Middle English.
Throughout the 1300s, we see new writing pieces emerging, like a medieval encyclopedia and the first culinary manuscript. In contrast, the 1400s brings us the acclaimed Geoffrey Chaucer, a poet from the Middle Age who played a critical role in shaping English literature through epic poems such as The Canterbury Tales (1478). Thanks to his contribution to literature in England, he was an influential character, and many writers followed him. And it's even said that his legacy created an excellent literary standard of English.
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Middle English: The Mid/the Late-1000s
In the early 1500s, we saw the first bible printed in English by William Tyndale, an English biblical translator, humanist, and Protestant martyr. With his translations into English, Tyndale felt it was the first time that locals were able to read or hear words from the bible that they could understand. And quite surprisingly, some of his phrases are still used in the English language today, including "eat, drink and be merry," "the apple of his eye," "signs of the times," and not forgetting "broken-hearted."
The 1600s were, as we now know, a significant milestone for English Literature, thanks to William Shakespeare, one of the most renowned English poets of all times. Shakespeare's famous plays, such as Hamlet, were one of the first-known texts to explore the human mind and contemplate our existence, bringing one of the most famous phrases, "To be or not to be." Shakespeare, who had a robust word bank, was one of the oldest authors to use as many words and phrases as he did, which are still in existence today. His expressions and how he conveyed emotions were somewhat contemporary when considering how much of the text we can relate to in this day and age.
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The 1700s welcomed well-known author Horace Walpole and poet William Blake. Meanwhile, the early 1800s introduced William Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott, Coleridge, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Robert Browning, and Emily Bronte, among many others. Some might say that this was a pivotal century concerning literature. It was also the first time that a collection of nursery rhymes was written down, although telling folk stories to children was already an established tradition. Interestingly, some rhymes have been adapted, including "Polly Put The Kettle On."
The Modern English Language
The 1900s were once again a time of significant change and acceleration, facing urbanization, industrialization, and new scientific discoveries. However, the main changes in language were the revolution in printing technology and the increased focus on literacy levels within education. Around this time, society also recognized the need to record different English language dialects and record words on paper. During this era, the phonograph was invented – a great way of preserving history.
Yet, this was the century when the British empire was at its height, covering twenty percent of the world's land and 400 million people. The English language began to evolve with new words introduced from North America and India and brand new terminology coming from the scientific world.
Linguists believe that very little changed between English during the 1800s and the twentieth century. However, technological and scientific advances have played a very influential role in developing the English language. Therefore, they are critical changes that occur as a consequence of digitalization.
The rate of words increasing over the years shows that language has significantly grown by more than 70 percent since 1950. In contrast, it only grew by a tenth percent in the previous half-century. More recently, researchers at Harvard University and Google Company found that the English language was expanding by 8,500 words a year in this new millennium and has, as such, doubled in size in the last century. But nearly half of the new words are not included in any dictionary and are dubbed lexical "dark matter."
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Writers who have changed the English Language forever
The truth is that language cannot evolve without influencing factors. While technology and science have supported the growth of our language in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, before that, it would have been writers affecting the evolution of the English language.
Before being influenced 24/7 by social media, writers were the real influencers having a significant role in society. They provided an escape from real life with their romantic stories and taught people a broad view of the real world. People would, therefore, hold on to their every word, literally. So if a prominent writer was writing about a new, unheard word in their work, people would stop, listen and add this to their vocabulary. Now, let's look at the most influential writers in our past!
William Shakespeare [1564-1616]
William Shakespeare is, without doubt, the most famous and most studied of all English writers. Surely everyone, even children as young as primary school age, can admit to reading one of his works. Proof that he has influenced the English language is that so many of his works have been turned into theatre shows and famous Hollywood Films, sometimes more than once over.
Shakespeare was the first example of a celebrity way back when. His work captured a particular moment in history, writing mainly about culture, economy, love, betrayal, family, politics, and much more, all of which are still relatable today in many ways. Shakespeare's language has seeped into our everyday speech. For instance, he coined "the green-eyed monster" to describe envy, and "to be or not to be' is one of his famous lines."
Some of Shakespeare's everyday phrases are:
- "Break the ice" or get to know someone.
- "Wear my heart upon my sleeve" or show one's feelings openly.
- "All of a sudden" is a poetic way of saying suddenly.
- "A heart of gold" refers to an extraordinarily kind and helpful person.
- "Devil incarnate" means to be evil.
- "To come full circle" means to complete something.
- "All that glitters is not gold" means that just because something or someone is nice on the outside, it doesn't mean it is true on the inside.
- "Love is blind" means literally that love is blind, and people cannot see the shortcomings of their lovers.
John Milton [1608-1674]
John Milton is considered the most significant English writer after William Shakespeare. His epic Paradise Lost, classical tragedy Samson Agonistes, and pastoral elegy Lycidas are recognized as some of the greatest poems in English literature. John Milton's Paradise Lost, written around 40 years after the death of William Shakespeare, is undoubtedly one of English literature's most outstanding achievements and a perfect example of how he contributed to the enrichment of the English language.
He used everything in his literary toolbox to tell a story: syntax, rhythm, imagery, sound, adjectives, setting the scene, and expectations. Milton doesn't write lines of poetry: he grows the story out of words, and the reader doesn't feel like they are reading words on a page; instead, they feel transported to the unfolding story.
William Blake [1757-1827]
Born in London, Blake was believed to be the only true poet to respond to Milton's great work above – and some may say he did better with his vivid and energized writing. So full of life were his thoughts, Blake would often illustrate and engrave his poems. And this, funnily enough, is his outstanding contribution to the English language: he was one of the first people to aim to make language visible and alive through his use of words and imagery. He also introduced the "free verse," a type of verse with no strict rhyme or meter.
Samuel Beckett [1906-1989]
Samuel Beckett was an Irish novelist, playwright, and poet that tackled some serious subject matter (including death, decay, waiting, despair, and so on) with great humor and delicate angles arranged in clever prose. His works may be short, but they are incredibly moving and poetic. Beckett is most known for his play "En attendant Godot" ("Waiting for Godot"). Like most of his works after 1947, the play was first written in French.
The Ongoing Popularity Of Spoken English Worldwide
Famous writers such as Shakespeare not only had success in their home country, but almost every country across the world has come into contact with their works. Many of these will have studied the texts in their original intended language, showing that the words are too powerful in their natural form to be translated or retold.
People often talk about English as a global language or "lingua franca." With more than 350 million people worldwide speaking English as a first language and more than 430 million speaking it as a second language, there are English speakers in most countries around the world. English is spoken officially in 57 countries worldwide (three in Europe, fourteen in America, five in Asia, twenty-one in Africa, and fourteen in Oceania).
People often call English the international language of business. Most multinational companies require a certain degree of English proficiency from potential employees, so more and more people are learning English every day. Suppose you want to learn about the latest developments and discoveries. In that case, you'll read about them in journals and research reports published in English, no matter whether the scientists who wrote them are from China or Norway. Furthermore, much of the technical terminology and scientific papers are in English. English also opens doors in the academic world. Western universities are attracting more and more visiting scholars, students, and professors worldwide, and their common working language is English.
Journalists and writers worldwide find an excellent command of English to be an increasingly valuable and even necessary skill. Even if you're writing your articles and doing interviews in your language, you can get background material from international wire services and papers and magazines worldwide if you have an excellent English level.
The Future Of the English Language
As we have mentioned, several external factors can influence and change language even if they appear only to be a trend. When the Internet was invented, no one could have imagined how much it took off a few years later and how it would impact our lives.
This early stage of digitalization brought about a range of new terms and trends, particularly electronic mail or "email" and instant messaging, also known as "IM." These new, fast ways of communicating suddenly made a need for shortened language apparent, and several abbreviations emerged.
Over time, we have become accustomed to these forms of Internet language, often incorporating them into everyday speech. "LOL," for example, which stands for "laughing out loud," is a term that we now use in a sentence to describe an emotion despite its purpose of describing a physical action. Do you think spelling skills and the English language have fallen over time? Find out what the 21st century has in store for our spelling!
Similarly, you do not have to go far to hear people saying "OMG" or "DM me" your details. Is spelling correctly still a vital skill in light of today's abbreviated language? We are sure that there is no doubt about this, especially when speaking from a professional or academic point of view.
With 400 million people speaking English as their native language and a further 700 million or more speaking it as their second language, there are many different forms of the language today. British English is now a minority which is unprecedented in the history of this language! And well, obviously, we cannot fail to mention the richness of Canadian English here!
If language is a reflection of culture, then our younger generations being brought up on technology have the potential to influence English beyond recognition. With so many people adapting their versions of English across the globe, a considerable proportion of the planet must already be speaking enriched versions of English mixed with other languages. Could we, therefore, be looking at a transition to one universal language in the future? Could the increasingly popular emojis or emoticons become embedded in our everyday language? Emojis are somewhat open to interpretation, as with any language (if they can collectively be called a language). This only the future will tell us.
We can assure that English is a living language since it has native inhabitants, but it is also under constant cultural, sociological, and structural changes. Nevertheless, there is value to be had in daily writing exercises to improve the correct use of English.
Language is always adapted with society and culture at the forefront, so will it ever be possible for the English language, or any other language for that matter, to become universal? As we have seen, no one can predict where language will go next since this is constantly changing like everything in life. But we can expect stages of development to accelerate much quicker than ever before, thanks to the equally fast-moving worlds of science and technology, which have such a strong influence over our society and culture.
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Are you Interested in improving in English?
After being inspired by the English language's wonders and complexities, you are sure you want to improve your English. But are you feeling a bit confused about where to start? Do you need to prepare yourself better to obtain the IELTS? Do you want to improve your grammar because you feel like you have used a lot of emojis lately? Did you get the inspiration to improve your poetic writing?
It doesn't matter what reasons you have to improve your English! If you were looking for a sign to start, this is the right time to do it! Trust us; you won't regret it!
Today you can find many options to improve your English or any language that comes to mind, adapted to your budget and needs. The Internet gives us excellent virtual tools that make it easy for you to learn English from anywhere in Canada. For example, you can check out some different English courses in Montreal or find an English course in Toronto, and discover the best English courses in Calgary!
The world of private classes and extracurricular support is broader than you imagine and can be adapted to whatever you are looking for. You can find a wide variety of face-to-face and online tutoring options that can be of great help in your academic and professional career.
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Whether you are looking for traditional face-to-face classes or online classes, at Superprof, you can discover excellent private teachers ready to offer you the best private tutoring services. For example, find top tips for writing great essays here! Your school teacher will be very proud of you!
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