A summary of the settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans and then Norman French provides the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th century, when English reasserted its dominance after the decline of official French, until the 17th century when a 'standard' English evolved. It will be shown that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through the centuries, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally it will be proposed that present day worldwide English, is in a similar position to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, as now globally, and that this may lead to its decline as the main global language, due to increasing unintelligibility. The beginnings of English can be found in the occupation of England from the 5th century by tribes from the north and west of Germany who brought with them their 'indigenous dialects' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 1). The Oxford English Dictionary defines English as 'Of or related to the West Germanic language spoken in England and also used in many varieties throughout the world' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 7). In the 9th century invasion and settlement by Scandinavians, in the north of England had a marked effect on the language spoken there. These periods are known respectively, as Early and Later Old English (Beal, J. 2012, p. 50). In 886 AD Danelaw was established defining the area governed by the Danes in the north and east. The Norman invasion of 1066 AD began a period of two centuries in which French was the official language of England, resulting in the introduction of many words with French or Latin roots, such as 'bar... ... middle of paper ... ...glish in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 151-195. English: A Linguistic Tool Kit, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University. English in the World, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University. Hepworth, M. D. (2012), Tutorial Notes, '69214339 TMA01', Unpublished Work. Leith, D and Seargeant, P. (2012), 'A Colonial Language' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 101-149. North, S. (2012), 'English a Linguistic Toolkit' (U214, Worlds of English), Milton Keynes, The Open University. Seargeant, P. (2012), 'English in the World Today' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 5-47.
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(Victoria University Library data base – Nick Bentley ‘Re – writing Englishness imagining the nation in Julian Barnes’s England, England and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth’.)
King, Robert D. “Should English Be the Law?” 1996. The Presence of Others. Comp. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 90-102. Print.
Name three of the Germanic tribes that brought to England the dialects that make up the basis of the language we now call Old English.
Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams. An Introduction to Language. 8th ed. Boston: Thomson, 2007.
Stevenson, Angus. Oxford Dictionary of English. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Finegan, Edward,."Language :its structure and use" Edward Finegan, David Blair and Peter Collins. 2nd ed. N.S.W : Harcourt, Brace & Co., c1997
Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., Svartvik, J. (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, Essex: Longman Ltd.
The development of the English language was a combination of cultural, political, social and religious events that each playing their own part shaping the modern English language spoken today as a first language by 400 million people . As Baugh and Cable convey to us in A History of the English Language; ‘It understates matters to say that political, economic, and social forces influence a language’. Although it cannot be identified exactly when the inhabitants of Britain began to speak English, there are some sources that give an insight into the nature of the forces that played a role in its foundation such as: the four medieval manuscripts;
Ypsilandis, G.S. & Kantaridou, Z., (2007). English for Academic Purposes: Case Studies in Europe, Revista de Linguistica y Lenguas Aplicadas (2): 69-83.
To understand how English became the lingua franca for the world one must begin by understanding the colonization influence of the British Empire, beginning with the Americas in the early 1600’s. Once the language itself had been somewhat established in Great Britain, although not necessarily agreed upon, the next obvious step was to take the language and the culture to new parts of the world and colonize. The British Empire set out to the Americas in two vastly different manners, yet both had major influences on the language of what soon would become America.
North, S. (2012), 'English a Linguistic Toolkit' (U214, Worlds of English), Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Mollin, S., 2006. “English as a Lingua Franca: A New Variety in the New Expanding Circle?”, The Nordic Journal of English Studies 5(2), pp. 41-57. Available from
It can be seen that English has become a global language, which is determined by lots of factors like history, culture and daily usefulness. Because of these factors, the number of people who speak English is still increasing now. English, as a significant part of social life gradually exerted profound impacts on education, job hunting and international communication. Also, it provides the whole world with a chance to share ideas and communicate freely. We are quite curious to see the further development of English as a lingua franca in the