AngloSaxon Language Essay -- essays papers

AngloSaxon Language Nearly all knowledge of the English language before the seventh century is hypothetical. Most of this knowledge is based on later English documents and earlier documents in related languages (3). The English language of today represents many centuries of development. As a continuous process, the development of the English language began in England around the year 449 with the arrival of several Germanic tribes including: the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes (1, p.49). English, like all other languages, is subject to constant growth and decay (1). Many of the political and social events that have so profoundly affected the English people in their life have generally had an impact on their language (1). The evolution and developmental changes of Anglo-Saxon Language and Modern English have been characterized by three basic periods: Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. Old English was spoken and written in England during the early part of the Middle Ages, from about 600-1100 (2). The language’s earliest stage of development was known as Old English (OE) (3). The four main varieties of the language that were taken to Britain were: Kentish which was associated with the Jutes; West Saxon, from the Southern region, Wessex; Mercian, an Anglian dialect which was spoken in Mercia; and Northumbrian, one of the northernmost Anglian dialects (3). The â€Å"vocabulary expanded chiefly through compounding and derivation,† but there were also a few changes in meaning that contributed to this growth (3, p473). The first written form of the language was runic letters which was replaced by a modified version of the Roman alphabet during the Anglo-Saxon conversion to Christianity (3). Very little of OE cou... ...atus of reasonable importance among the world (1). Although â€Å"the Germanic dialects that migrated in the 5th century to Britain have expanded into a 20th century global common language,† the position that the language will occupy in the future is still uncertain (3p472). Bibliography: Works Cited Baugh, A.C. & Cable, T. (1987). A History of the English Language. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Lynch, J. (2002, January). History of the English Language. [Online]. Available Internet: dept.English.upenn.edu Directory: ~lynch/terms File: history McArthur, T. (1992). The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press. â€Å"Oxford English Dictionary.† (2002, January). History of the Dictionary. [Online]. Available Internet: www.oed.com Directory: public/inside File: history