The History of Old English

The History of Old English

How the English language got it's startHow it soundsA comparison

Time Line

c. 450

Germanic Tribes Land

Tribes that entered Britain after the Romans left:AnglosSaxonsJutes

Christian Missionaries brought with them the Latin alaphabet and the Latin language, which Old English borrowed words such as fork, school, and paper from.

People to know:St. Augustine of CanterburyCaedmonAlfred the Great

The English langauge begins with the Romans leaving the British Isles in the early 5th century. Germanic tribes begin to arrive. These tribes give us the basics of the English langauge, with words such as house, woman and butter

597

Christian Missionaries Arrive

c. 800

Viking Arrival

871

c. 1100

Alfred the Great comes to power

Norman Conquest

Caedmon's Hymn, written between 658-680 is believed to be the oldest surviving Old English Text.

My name is Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings and established a firm monarchy in England. He advocated learning and structure for those under his rule.

Beowulf: Written anywhere from the 8th to 11th century, it is often cited as the most important work of Old English.

After learning about the history of Old English, I realized just how fluid our language is. Also, the diversity of our language and how it took words from the different tribes and cultures that reached England is interesting to me as a teacher. This impacts me as a teacher as it will help me show how language evolves, and how the words students are inventing and using nowadays may be part of history in future years.