Old English

Old English (Ænglisc, Anglisc, Englisc, pronounced [ˈæŋɡliʃ]), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest historical form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th century, and the first Old English literary works date from the mid-7th century. After the Norman conquest of 1066, English was replaced, for a time, as the language of the upper classes by Anglo-Norman, a relative of French. This is regarded as marking the end of the Old English era, as during this period the English language was heavily influenced by Anglo-Norman, developing into a phase known now as Middle English.

History

Old English developed from a set of North Sea Germanic dialects originally spoken along the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony, Jutland, and Southern Sweden by Germanic tribes known as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. From the 5th century, the Anglo-Saxons settled Britain as the Roman economy and administration collapsed. By the 7th century, the Germanic language of the Anglo-Saxons became dominant in Britain, replacing the languages of Roman Britain (43–409 CE): Common Brittonic, a Celtic language, and Latin, brought to Britain by the Roman occupation.

Characteristics

Old English is a West Germanic language, developing out of Ingvaeonic (also known as North Sea Germanic) dialects from the 5th century. It came to be spoken over most of the territory of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which became the Kingdom of England. This included most of present-day England, as well as part of what is now southeastern Scotland, which for several centuries belonged to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria.

Literature

The most famous surviving work from the Old English period is the epic poem Beowulf, composed by an unknown poet.

See also

• History of the English language
• Middle English
• Anglo-Saxon literature

References

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Old English

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  Beowulf Kenning
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  Map of West Germanic circa 580 CE
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  Old Norse circa 900
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  Statue of Alfred the Great at Winchester
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  Old English Dialects
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  Her swutelað seo gecwydrædnes ðe
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  Anglo-Saxon Runes
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  Beowulf Cotton MS Vitellius A XV f. 132r