Old English - history, language and literature

    The origins of present day English, formally designated Modern English, are fascinating. They reside in Germanic languages of the first few centuries AD that were carried to Britain by Germanic tribes: Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. This process  began when Germanic warriors were raiding the coast of Britain as early as 360 AD. In 433 AD the Britons asked the Angles join them as mercenaries and help fight off attacks by the Picts of Scotland.


Latin, Celtic and other inputs
King Alfred and more ...
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The dominant language in Europe at the time of Old English development was Latin, and the vast majority of literate persons were Catholic clergy. Scribal monks spent long hours writing, preserving, and copying precious manuscripts. And of course Latin is the language of the Catholic mass, no matter that few in the audience could understand what was said. Old English was viewed as a 'vernacular language' - an inferior 'folk language' .Alfred the Great was a great supporter of Old English and spent considerable effort to preserve, foster and meld various dialects into a single coherent language. King Alfred unified the Anglo Saxon kingdoms in 878 and the dominance of his rule accorded the dialect of Wessex prominence. Alfred himself translated at least one important church book from Latin into English. Old English is spelled essentially as it is pronounced and maintains several distinct cases.

There was a great deal of Latin input into Old English via the literate clergy. Old English also adopted many Old Norse place names and much vocabulary that derived from the administration of the Danelaw in the Viking kingdoms that were established on the east coasts of Britain and Scotland. There are few Celtic loan words in OE, which indicates the severe cultural barriers between the indigenous Britons and Cymry (Welsh people) and invading Saxons. The Norman Conquest (Battle of Hastings - 1066 AD) marks the end of Old English and the beginning of Middle English as a great quantity of Latin, (Norman French) and other vocabulary was rapidly introduced into English.

Perhaps the three most famous Old English works are the epic poem Beowulf, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle (Bede) which records early English history and Caedmon's Hymn (Caedmon), a Church religious poem. Poetry, however, remained at the heart of Old English literature and provided a vehicle through which a more ancient Celtic symbolism can occasionally be glimpsed.

Learn More about the Old English language and Anglo Saxon England.

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