What is English.docx

1、What is EnglishWhat is English?History of the English LanguageA short history of the origins and development of EnglishThe history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and

2、the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from En

3、glaland and their language was called Englisc - from which the words England and English are derived.Germanic invaders entered Britain on the east and south coasts in the 5th century.Old English (450-1100 AD)Part of Beowulf, a poem written in Old English.The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar la

4、nguages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not sound or look like English today. Native English speakers now would have great difficulty understanding Old English. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English

5、roots. The words be, strong and water, for example, derive from Old English. Old English was spoken until around 1100. Middle English (1100-1500)An example of Middle English by Chaucer.In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy (part of modern France), invaded and conquered England. The new

6、 conquerors (called the Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which became the language of the Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes. For a period there was a kind of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th ce

7、ntury English became dominant in Britain again, but with many French words added. This language is called Middle English. It was the language of the great poet Chaucer (c1340-1400), but it would still be difficult for native English speakers to understand today. Modern EnglishEarly Modern English (1

8、500-1800)Hamlets famous To be, or not to be lines, written in Early Modern English by Shakespeare.Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had

9、contact with many peoples from around the world. This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Prin

10、ting also brought standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London, where most publishing houses were, became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary was published.Late Modern English (1800-Present)The main difference between Early Modern English an

11、d Late Modern English is vocabulary. Late Modern English has many more words, arising from two principal factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution and technology created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire at its height covered one quarter of the earths surface, and the English lang

12、uage adopted foreign words from many countries.Varieties of EnglishFrom around 1600, the English colonization of North America resulted in the creation of a distinct American variety of English. Some English pronunciations and words froze when they reached America. In some ways, American English is

13、more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English is. Some expressions that the British call Americanisms are in fact original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain (for example trash for rubbish, loan as a verb instead of lend, and f

14、all for autumn; another example, frame-up, was re-imported into Britain through Hollywood gangster movies). Spanish also had an influence on American English (and subsequently British English), with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English

15、 through the settlement of the American West. French words (through Louisiana) and West African words (through the slave trade) also influenced American English (and so, to an extent, British English).Today, American English is particularly influential, due to the USAs dominance of cinema, televisio

16、n, popular music, trade and technology (including the Internet). But there are many other varieties of English around the world, including for example Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English, Indian English and Caribbean English.The Germanic Family of Languag

17、esEnglish is a member of the Germanic family of languages.Germanic is a branch of the Indo-European language family.A brief chronology of EnglishBC 55Roman invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar.Local inhabitants speak CeltishBC 43Roman invasion and occupation. Beginning of Roman rule of Britain.436Ro

18、man withdrawal from Britain complete.449Settlement of Britain by Germanic invaders begins450-480Earliest known Old English inscriptions.Old English1066William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invades and conquers England.c1150Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle English.Middle English1348English

19、 replaces Latin as the language of instruction in most schools.1362English replaces French as the language of law. English is used in Parliament for the first time.c1388Chaucer starts writing The Canterbury Tales.c1400The Great Vowel Shift begins.1476William Caxton establishes the first English prin

20、ting press.Early Modern English1564Shakespeare is born.1604Table Alphabeticall, the first English dictionary, is published.1607The first permanent English settlement in the New World (Jamestown) is established.1616Shakespeare dies.1623Shakespeares First Folio is published1702The first daily English-

21、language newspaper, The Daily Courant, is published in London.1755Samuel Johnson publishes his English dictionary.1776Thomas Jefferson writes the American Declaration of Independence.1782Britain abandons its American colonies.1828Webster publishes his American English dictionary.Late Modern English1

22、922The British Broadcasting Corporation is founded.1928The Oxford English Dictionary is published.Charles IWhen Charles I succeeded his father in 1625, friction with Parliament began at once. Charles believed in his divine right as king and struggled to control Parliament who resented his attempts a

23、t absolute rule. One of his first acts was to dissolve parliament in 1625, and again in 1626 after attempts to impeach the Duke of Buckingham over war against Spain and support of the French Huguenots. Charles forced an unpopular Ship Money tax to raise funds without the consent of Parliament. In 16

24、28 Charles was presented with the Petition of Right a declaration of the “rights and liberties of the subject, which he reluctantly agreed to. However, in 1629 he dissolved Parliament again, imprisoned its leaders and ruled without a Parliament from 1629 to 1640. His advisers Earl Strafford and Arch

25、bishop Laud persecuted the Puritans, and provoked the Presbyterian Scots Covenanters to revolt when Laud attempted to introduce the English Book of Common Prayer.The Short Parliament, which met April 1640, refused to grant money until grievances were redressed, and was dissolved after just 3 weeks.

26、The Scots then advanced into England and forced their own terms on Charles. The Long Parliament assembled under in November 1640 under John Pym, passed an Act that prevented it from being dissolved without its own consent. Laud and other ministers were imprisoned, and Strafford condemned to death. T

27、here was now direct confrontation between Charles and Parliament. After the failure of his attempt to arrest five parliamentary leaders on 4 January 1642, Charles, confident that he had substantial support among those who believed that Parliament was becoming too Puritanical and zealous, withdrew fr

28、om London, and on 22 August declared war on Parliament by raising his standard at Nottingham and beginning the English Civil War of 1642 to 1648.The changing face of the United Kingdom.The United Kingdomis a union of four territories or nations: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is a

29、 constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the Head of State.Devolution timelineMiddle Ages: In 1404, Wales briefly had its own parliament under Owain Glyndwr.TheLaws in Wales Acts, passed between 1535 and 1542, made Wales part of England.1603: The English and Scottish crowns united with th

30、e accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne, as James I.1707: The Treaty (or Act)of Union united the parliaments of England and Scotland to form a single parliament meeting in Westminster. The two nations formed The United Kingdom of Great Britain.1800: The Irish Parliament voted to jo

31、in theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain in the Act of Union(Ireland) - creating The United Kingdom of Great Britain andIreland.1886: A series of Bills to give Home Rule to Ireland were introduced at Westminster.1920: The fourth Home Rule Act was passed, effectivelycreating two states on the island of

32、Ireland. NorthernIrelandwas established in six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster and became an entity within the UK. 1921: Northern Irelands own parliament came into being. 1922: The Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland) was established. Northern Ireland chose to remain in the United Kingdom.1925: Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru, the National Party of Wales, was formed with the goal of securing, amongst other things,