The Origin of the English Language.
                     THE ORIGIN OF 
THE ENGLISH 
LANGUAGE
INTRODUCTION
• English language, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family that is 
closely related to the Frisian, German, and Dutch languages. 
• English originated in England and is the dominant language of the United States, the United 
Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and various island nations in the 
Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Source: www.britannica.com
ORIGIN
• According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the English language itself really took off with the 
invasion of Britain during the 5th century. 
• Three Germanic tribes, the Jutes, Saxons and Angles were seeking new lands to conquer, 
and crossed over from the North Sea. 
Source: www.britannica.com
OLD ENGLISH (5TH TO 11TH CENTURY)
• Prehistoric or Primitive (5th to 7th Century) – available literature or documentation referencing 
this period is not available aside from limited examples of Anglo-Saxon runes;
• Early Old English (7th to 10th Century) – this period contains some of the earliest documented 
evidence of the English language.
• Late Old English (10th to 11th Century) – can be considered the final phase of the Old English 
language which was brought about by the Norman invasion of England.
Source: www.britannica.com
EARLY MIDDLE ENGLISH
• This period has been attributed with the loss of case endings that ultimately resulted in 
inflection markers being replaced by more complex features of the language. 
• Case endings are “a suffix on an inflected noun, pronoun, or adjective that indicates its 
grammatical function.”
Source: www.britannica.com
LATE MIDDLE ENGLISH
• It was during the 14th century that a different dialect (known as the East-Midlands) began to 
develop around the London area. If one thinks about it, these clerks held enormous influence 
over the manner of influential communication, which ultimately shaped the foundations of Early 
Modern English.
Source: www.britannica.com
EARLY MODERN ENGLISH
• The changes in the English language during this period occurred from the 15th to mid-17th 
Century, and signified not only a change in pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar itself but 
also the start of the English Renaissance.
Source: www.britannica.com
LATE MODERN ENGLISH
• The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th and early 
20th-century saw the expansion of the English language.
• The advances and discoveries in science and technology during the Industrial Revolution saw 
a need for new words, phrases, and concepts to describe these ideas and inventions. 
Source: www.britannica.com
ENGLISH IN THE 21ST CENTURY
• If one endeavors to study various English language courses taught today, we would find 
almost no immediate similarities between Modern English and Old English. 
• English grammar has become exceedingly refined where perfect living examples would be that 
of the current British Royal Family. 
Source: www.britannica.com
Varieties of 
English
BRITISH ENGLISH
• The abbreviation RP (Received Pronunciation) denotes what is traditionally considered the 
standard accent of people living in London and the southeast of England and of other people 
elsewhere who speak in this way. 
• RP is the only British accent that has no specific geographical correlate: it is not possible, on 
hearing someone speak RP, to know which part of the United Kingdom he or she comes from.
Source: www.britannica.com
AMERICAN AND CANADIAN ENGLISH
• The dialect regions of the United States are most clearly marked along the Atlantic littoral, 
where the earlier settlements were made. Three dialects can be defined: Northern, Midland, 
and Southern. Each has its subdialects.
Source: www.britannica.com
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND 
ENGLISH
• Unlike Canada, Australia has no concentration of a European language other than English 
within its borders. There are still many Aboriginal languages, though they each are spoken by 
small numbers and their continued existence is threatened. 
Source: www.britannica.com