The History of the Development of English Vocabulary

王雪竹

Abstract：The thesis of the essay focuses on the most important past events that formed the English language，with particular attention to the development of native Germanic words and the introduction of a large number of foreign words from Latin，Greek and French.

Context

English is one of the most outstanding languages in the world.Many countries，which includes America.，UK，Australia，Canada，New Zealand，and Ireland，are native speakers of English.Over 20 million people can easily handle and understand.The United Nations and many various organizations have utilized English as a communication tool.This paper explains the history of English glossary.This essay pays specific attention to the development of the German-German vocabulary and why many Latin，Greek and French foreign languages ‘become English words.English is in the range of Indo-European language family（Barbara Finner）.English development can be separated into four periods：Old English，Archaic English，Early Modern English，and Early Modern English.Old English（500-1100 AD）.In the time of the fifth century，three western Germanic tribes which came from Jutland and southern Denmark，Anglo，Saxon，and Jut，invaded and seized the eastern region of the British Isles.They occupied most of the cities and led to the Germanic civilization，often called the Anglo-Saxon civilization.These tribes gave British names，languages ‘a(chǎn)nd cultures.Before the occupation of these tribes，the Celts were the actual citizens of England.After the occupation，Celtics were expelled from England and entered Scotland，Wales，Conwell and Ireland.During the reign of Alfred，only the south and west land were under the control of Anglo-Saxon.The Danish invasion and consequential colonization had a main impact on English，accompanied by many words being incorporated into English，especially in the Northern dialect.Alfred Lord encouraged people to learn English in his country.In the 6th century，English absorbs many words with/of Latin，and Latin is the commonly used language of the church.In the ninth，tenth and eleventh centuries，Norwegian Vikings and Danish Vikings had an important influence on English.At that time，many Northern Germanic languages ‘were entered in English.In the middle of the 9th century，numerous Nordic invaders settled in the north and east of England.At that time，many words beginning with SC and sk were imported from Scandinavian to English.Northern Germanic had a great effect on English and added basic vocabulary such as “ what”，“ they “ and “ them “ to English.Prague（2003）.Modern English words are not originated from old English words，but about one-fifth of known old English vocabulary have descendants.The epic “ Beowulf “ is one of the most essential works of Old English.In 1066，the conqueror of the Duke of Normandy William conquered England.When the conquest was over，the Norman kings as well as nobility spoke the old French dialect.Norman's conquest can be regarded as another attack by the Germans.However，this time is different.The Normans used to dominate a large area on the French north coast.Now they are French and accept French culture and French people.The language used at that time was French，not Germanic.This is the French Norman dialect，an upper class language，and English has lost its importance.As a consequence，a good deal of French vocabulary was diverted to English vocabulary.Medieval English ended in 1500 with the rise of modern English.Industrial English（1500-1800）.This is considered the most important time for / of British history for the resurgence，rejuvenation and regeneration of knowledge.During this period，many scholars translated Latin and Greek into English.Due to the increasing popularity and cultural level of books，many words with / of Latin and Greek have changed from Old English to Modern English.Late modern English（1800-present）.Modern English pronunciation，grammar and spelling are basically the same as modern English，but modern English vocabulary has augmented hugely as a result of diverse factors.Above all，new vocabulary was needed due to discoveries during the scientific and industrial revolution.Scholars extract new words such as "oxygen"，"nuclear"，and "protein" from Latin and Greek." After the 16th century，English has transmitted to? the whole world.British maritime empire and military language impact（especially afterwards）.Second，the British Empire occupied about a quarter of the earth during its heyday，as well as many countries absorbed English as a second foreign language.

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