![]() ![]() It's not entirely clear what the dynamic was between the newcomers and the other groups, but in the end English (the language of the Angles and the Saxons) became the predominant language of Engla lond (the land of the Angles). They were called the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, and they were Germanic, so they were different culturally, ethnically, religiously, and linguistically from the Celts and Romans already settled there. So linguistically, there was a lot going on on that relatively small island!Īround the 5th century, several groups of people from northern Europe (modern-day Germany and Denmark especially) moved to the southern part of that island. (Not to mention many Celts would have been speaking Latin, too!) There would be speakers of Celtic languages, like the one that eventually became Welsh and Roman soldiers speaking one or more dialects of Latin. ![]() If we were to land in the southern part of what we now call England about 1,600 years ago, we'd be in a land of many small groups, kingdoms, and tribes and a complex linguistic landscape. And if you guessed that English did not come from England, you're also sort of right! If you guessed that English came from England, you're right – sort of. In the case of English, all of those things happened! Where did English come from? That might happen because the group moves and no longer has contact with their old neighbors, or because a new group of people comes into town with their own language, or because the group has a particular change in culture or experience that increases differences. It's almost never clear when a language "starts" or is "born," because people are always communicating – big language changes never happen from one day to the next! Instead, a new language is "born" more gradually, typically when some group's way of communicating grows more and more different from former group members. The story of English involves conquests and defeats, bilingualism and language contact, and a language that hungrily incorporates new words from every community it touches. But, is English a Romance language? I thought it had German roots? Where did English come from? ![]() I'm studying French and noticed a lot of similar words to English. So in honor of Shakespeare's birthday on April 26, let's take this week to learn a little bit more about English's fascinating evolution! Today’s question: Hello, learners! For all of you learning a new language that isn't English, you sure do have a lot of questions about. Welcome to another week of Dear Duolingo, an advice column just for language learners. ![]()
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