The Beginnings of English
In which century did the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes cross the North Sea and settle in Britain?
Fifth century.
About how many years ago did the Old English period begin?
About 1,500 years ago.
What major event in 1066 brought French-speaking rulers to England?
The Norman Conquest.
Funny French people...
What written style did clerks in London begin using for official documents in the fifteenth century?
Chancery Standard.
What major historical period created a need for new words describing machines, discoveries, and scientific ideas?
Industrial Revolution.
What three groups of Germanic settlers helped form the foundation of Old English?
The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
What are the three stages scholars often use to divide Old English?
Primitive Old English, Early Old English, and Late Old English.
Which two languages, along with English, dominated government, law, religion, and education after the Norman Conquest?
French and Latin.
Who introduced the printing press to England in the late fifteenth century?
William Caxton.
Which two ancient languages were often used by scientists to build new terms?
Greek and Latin (ancient).
What languages were spoken by many people already living in Britain when the Germanic settlers arrived?
Celtic languages.
Which two writers are mentioned as important figures in Early Old English literature?
Cynewulf and Aldhelm.
What did English absorb from its contact with French and Latin?
Many new words and vocabulary.
What period of English developed from the late fifteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century?
Early Modern English.
What entity spread English through colonization while also bringing English into contact with languages around the world?
The British (Bri' 'ish)Empire.
What does the Old English term Engla land mean?
"The land of the Angles.”
Approximately what percentage of Old English vocabulary did Albert Baugh estimate is no longer in use?
85%.
Which dialect grew around London during the fourteenth century and became increasingly influential?
The East Midlands dialect.
Which famous English writer wrote during a period when the English language was changing quickly?
Shakespeare.
What two English words mentioned in the text entered English from languages spoken in India?
Shampoo and Cot.
What stage of English developed from the Germanic dialects spoken by the settlers in early medieval Britain?
Old English.
Contact with which language helped English rely more on word order and less on inflections?
Old Norse.
Speakers used fewer ______ ________ and relied more heavily on _______.
"case endings" and "syntax".
What settlement in Virginia was established by English settlers in the early seventeenth century and contributed to the development of American English?
Jamestown.
What continues to spread new English words quickly through online communities, social media, and global entertainment?
(New) Technology.