The History of the English Language

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The History of the English Language
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Britain Before the Anglo-Saxons

• Early history was big battle scene
• Iberians brought stone-age weapons

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Arrival of the Celts

• 2 groups of Celts 800-600bc
• Brythons (Britons) Settled on largest island
  (Britain)
• Gaels Settled on 2nd largest (Ireland

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Celts Cont.

• Organized into clans
• Depended on Druids (pagan priests) to settle
  disputes
• Druids performed religious rituals and recited
  poems and myths

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The Roman Conquest

• Julius Caesar (55bc) hasty invasions - barely
  penetrated the island
• Claudius sent legions for true conquest (43ad)
• Camps grew into towns
• Paved roads
• Taught methods of warfare (not defense)
• Lasted 300 years

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The Anglo Saxon Conquest Who were they?

• Farmers
• Fishermen
• Rowed boats up rivers and conquered towns
• 3 groups
• Angles
• Saxons
• Jutes

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A-S Established highly organized tribes

• Ruled by a king
• King chosen by the witan (council of elders)
• 4 distinct classes
• Earls hereditary class of warlords
• Freemen could own land and sell things
  (included thanes, early barons, who were given
  status as reward for military service.
• Churls (serfs) servant who worked the land in
  exchange for military protection
• Thralls slaves, prisoners, convicts

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A-S continued

• Small kingdoms frequently fought, eventually
  seven larger kingdoms were formed.
• All of the intermingling created what is called
  Anglo-Saxon or OLD ENGLISH

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A-S Beliefs

• 4 Ideals
• Honor
• Warrior attitude
• Good will defeat evil
• Fate
• Pagan
• In the hands of fate

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Worshiped early Germanic gods

• Tiu god of war and sky
• Woden chief god
• Fria Wodens wife, goddess of the home
• Days of the week are named after them

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Dispersal of the Britons

• Fled to edge of island and beyond
• Wales hilly western region
• Ireland to join Gaels and back to Scotia
  (Scotland)
• Spoke Celtic languages

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The Coming of Christianity

• Romans brought Christianity in the 4th Century
• Celts brought it with them when they fled
• Went from Wales to Ireland
• Church thrived in Ireland and was eventually
  reintroduced in northern England by Columba in
  563
• Scotland accepted the faith as well as some
  Angles and Saxons

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Resurgence of the Roman Church

• St. Augustine brought RC to southern England in
  597
• Converted King Ethelbert and set up monastery in
  Canterbury
• By 650 all of England was RC
• The result was a kinder, gentler England

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Christianity and Literature

• Roman influence brought 2 things
• Education
• Written Literature
• Monks hand copied books called manuscripts
• Venerable Bede
• Wrote A History of the English Church and People
• Beowulf
• Epic poem (more later)

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Attack of the Danes

• AKA the Vikings
• Nasty- burned, plundered, raped, pillaged, burned
  manuscripts
• By 850 most of England was ruled by Vikings and
  called the Danelaw
• Only the Saxon kingdom of Wessex held strong

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Alfred The Great

• Only English King to be called The Great
• Established truce in 886
• Saxons took the South
• Danes took the North
• Reestablished education
• Translated Latin works into Anglo-Saxon

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Danish Contributions

• Brought brewing and mercantile trade to England.
• Had a fondness for law
• New Danish invaders actually conquered Saxons in
  10th century and witan was forced to chose a
  Danish King

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Edward and the Normans

• Throne was regained by Alfreds family
• Deeply religious (thus the name Confessor)
• His friendship with his cousin William weakened
  Saxon power and led to the Norman Conquest (next
  unit)

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A-S Lit

• 1st alphabet called runes
• Singers at celebrations were called scops and
  gleemen
• Accompanied by a harp and included a caesura
  (mid-line pause)
• Heroic poetry- recounts the achievements of
  warriors involved in great battles
• Elegiac poetry-sorrowful laments that mourn death
• Pagan elements remain such as wyrd, or an ominous
  fate

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Poets of the Christian Era

• Caedmon
• Cynewulf

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A-S Prose

• Bede wrote in Latin, but wrote of a unified
  England, thus the 1st of English prose
• Alcuin monk who wrote books on philosophy,
  religion, etc.
• All writing was linked to church because church
  gave education

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Alfred and his Successors

• AelfricMonk, 10th century wrote Homilies
• Wulfstan Archbishop wrote sermons in Old English

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The Beowulf Legend

• Epic A long heroic poem
• The National epic of England
• Author unknown
• first recited in the 6th century
• Composed in the 8th century
• Written down in the 11th century

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Beowulf Cont.

• Beowulf Pagan warrior known for his courage,
  strength, and dignity
• Poem includes many references to Christian ideas
  (11th century), but many A-S values
• Warrior society
• Dignity
• Bravery
• Prowess in battle
• Honor
• Fate

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The Epic of Beowulf

• Actually has three parts
• B vs. Grendel
• B vs. Grendels mother
• B vs. the dragon
• We will only read part I
• Includes Kenning
• Colorful indirect ways of saying something
• Sea whale path
• Battlesword play

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The Epic of Beowulf

• Theme
• Good vs. Evil
• Although evil is present in life, ultimately good
  will overcome evil.