The history of the English Lang.

Anya   Tue Aug 02, 2005 3:43 pm GMT
I have learnt that the Anglo Saxons settled in England and then the Vikings invaded bringing with them changes to the language so where the heck to the Romans and Celts fit in?
Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 3:55 pm GMT
Not an expert but,

The Celts lived on the Brittish isles before the Angles,Saxons and Jutes,(and a few other tribes) The Romans after the Celts.

Simply said:

Celts ---> Romans ---> Angles/Saxons/Jutes ---> Vikings. (the last 2 intermixed with eachother)
Anya   Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:08 pm GMT
I think you are an expert. I've read your posts!

And did the Anglo Saxons speak West Saxon and the Vikings a different, modified form of Old English?
Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:17 pm GMT
Now this is more my cup of tea,

The AngloSaxon spoke,believe it or not, AngloSaxon also known as Old English which looks like this:

'elund him be wurmanwræces cunnade,
anhydig eorlearfoþa dreag,
hæfde him to gesiþþesorge ond longaþ,
wintercealde wræce;wean oft onfond,
siþþan hine Niðhad onnede legde,
swoncre seonobendeon syllan monn.
Þæs ofereode,þisses swa mæg! '

Which in modern English means:

'Welund tasted misery among snakes.
The stout-hearted hero endured troubles
had sorrow and longing as his companions
cruelty cold as winter - he often found woe
Once Nithad laid restraints on him,
supple sinew-bonds on the better man.
That went by; so can this! '

As you can see the similarities are... overwhelming ;-)

The Vikings spoke a langauge called "Old Norse" which later split in Norwegian,Danish,Swedish,Icelandic (closest) and Faroese.
Anya   Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:29 pm GMT
Sander

How did you become so educated in this field??? I hope you will be here every day to answer my questions because you're better than my lecturers.
Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:41 pm GMT
You're making me blush ,these are only the basics really.Im a germanic language student.
LOL   Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:55 pm GMT
LOL. I think Anya and Sander are the same person

Don’t compliment yourself to much Sender ;-)
Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:00 pm GMT
LOL,Although I was suprised by the compliments too (so soon allready),I am not the same person as Anya.

If you don't believe me,ask *mjd for a IP check. ;)
Anya who is not Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:28 pm GMT
Well you see my South African lecturers dont know how to explain the history of the english language in a normal easy to follow fashion so having a fresh succinct opinion is really HELPFUL when one is as desperate as I am for the simple facts!!! I'm not over complimenting, I'm just grateful (2 Sander)!!!

I am a correspondence student and they give me all this technical crap to sort through I can't even see out my eyes and then they say:
"...trace the development and changes of the english language from 1500 years back to now... so I'm starting with the bloody Anglo Saxons and I'll be posting here till I reach the slang influences of the 21st century!
Anya   Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:31 pm GMT
Since this is your cup of tea

Can we conclude from the existing Old English records that there was a standard form of the language?
Trawick   Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:38 pm GMT
As I recall, though, didn't the Normans fit in there somewhere?
Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 6:28 pm GMT
=>Can we conclude from the existing Old English records that there was a standard form of the language? <=

Yes, there was a standart form ;the book of Beowulf is an excellent example.

=>As I recall, though, didn't the Normans fit in there somewhere?<=

Oh yes, the Normans (Mix of Vikings and Gauls who spoke Gallo-Roman) well as you know in 1066, William II of Normandy conquered England and replaced the AngloSaxon kings by those of Norman blood.The completely intermixed with the AngloSaxons.

Just for Trawich :) Ill adjust my rough timeline.

Celts ---> Romans ---> Angles/Saxons/Jutes ---> Vikings & Normans. (the last 3 intermixed with eachother)
Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 6:36 pm GMT
You said you're from South Africa? What's your native language?
anya   Tue Aug 02, 2005 7:01 pm GMT
English :)
Sander   Tue Aug 02, 2005 7:02 pm GMT
Ah well,never mind then :)