A Companion to Our Literary Journey/The Evolution of the English Language
The Making of the English Language
[edit | edit source]THE ROMANS
[edit | edit source]In AD 410, the Roman Emperor Honorius left the island for good.
Yes, that remote territory was not worth the garrisons stationed there, while Rome was under attack and the empire was literally collapsing; The Romans were needed back home to defend the Italian peninsula.
Yes, they left the island but they also left their mark on it: they built new towns, they brought new plants and animals, and – most important- they set a new lifestyle, which included a more civilized sense of hygiene and social organization
Their way of managing the law, the administrative system and the army also made a dent on the language, despite the fact that the local populations proudly resisted the penetration of Latin, and only partially adopted the Roman lifestyle.
THE ANGLO-SAXONS
[edit | edit source]When the local population saw the back of the Romans, the island fell into disarray. Native tribes and foreign invaders were constantly on the warpath. Many of the Roman towns in Britain fell into ruin, as people relocated to the countryside.
Over time, the Anglo-Saxons took control of most of Britain, but… why did they come to Britain, in the first place?
1. Some Anglo-Saxons were warriors and thought that, once the Romans gone, the local populations would be easily subjugated.
2. Many Anglo-Saxons were not aggressive, though. They came peacefully, with the intent to farm new lands. Their homelands in Nothern Europe often flooded so it was tough to grow enough food back there.
3. Others wanted to explore new lands where they could settle down, and consequently brought with them tools, weapons and farm animals, and built villages with new homes.
The invaders did shape the way people communicated, especially on topics related to fighting, farming, everyday life and construction. Then, the different dialects they spoke started to mix, in what we now refer to as Ancient English, also including the input from the Scandinavian raiders, later on (see next paragraph).
THE VIKINGS
[edit | edit source]Many Viking raids took place around the end of the 8th century; Small wonder, as the Vikings were great sailors from Scandinavia in constant search of more hospitable territories where they might settle. This led to the beginning of a long struggle between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings for the control of Britain.
In the 9th century, the English king Alfred the Great stopped the Vikings from taking over all of England. He agreed to make peace and some Vikings settled down to live in their own area of eastern England, called the Danelaw.
The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings became neighbours in Britain, but they didn’t always get along peacefully. After Alfred the Great, the English kings gradually recaptured more and more land from the Vikings.
AND NOW…. LET’S FAST FORWARD TO THE NORMAN CONQUEST
[edit | edit source]William, Duke of Normandy was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day in 1066.
The influx on French was somehow expected in this period but the influx of Latin was a surprising factor for the language. Latin only partially penetrated the local dialects during the Roman times but the Normans managed to impose it in the XIth century, as the language of the law and administration, as well as the language of the Catholic religion.
The country and its culture changed for good: monasteries, abbeys, tribunals where places where Latin was spoken. The lords and their overlord spoke either French or Latin in their courts.