How English evolved into a global language

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12017753

As the British Library charts the evolution of English in a new major

exhibition, author Michael Rosen gives a brief history of a language that has
grown to world domination with phrases such as "cool" and "go to it".

The need for an international language has always existed. In the past it was about
religion and intellectual debate. With the technologies of today, it's about
communicating with others anywhere in the world in a matter of moments.

Two events, separated by nearly 400 years, show how this need has always been
present.

Firstly, sitting in front of me I have a copy of the celebrated book Utopia, by Sir

Thomas More. This particular edition is published in 1629 in Amsterdam, not in
English, not in Dutch, but in Latin.

The second event was a talk I recently had with a German scientist. He said that he
knew of scientific conferences taking place in Germany, where all the people
attending were German and yet the conference was conducted in English.

Pride

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The Latin of this edition of Utopia was a written code, though its most
accomplished users could adopt it to conduct intellectual and religious debate.

During the previous 1,300 years it had been the main language of the Western
Christian tradition - the language of prayer, hymn, sacred texts and religious
debate. It was also the language with which Renaissance scientists spoke to each
other.

However, this hold on religious and intellectual minds was broken by the rise of
national cultures. The peoples of the countries where Latin was being used, spoke
their own languages and dialects.

Once these came to be written down, more and more people started to ask their
churches and religious authorities to speak, write and deliver some, most, or all
religion in those local languages.

Two of the most famous texts to come out of this was the King James Bible (soon
to celebrate its 400th birthday) and Martin Luther's German Bible, from a little less
than 100 years earlier than the King James.

Part of this process to establish the power and influence of these local languages
was the effort to produce standardised forms for them, so that teachers, merchants,
lawyers, ministers of religion and politicians could write to and for each other in
ways that were instantly comprehensible.

This seemed then, and now, to require consistent ways of presenting the language
on the page - spelling and punctuation - and consistent ways of delivering the
grammar of the words and sentences.

As a result, standardised English writing became a powerful tool in the hands of

government, church and school in asking the peoples of the British Isles to see
themselves as one.

Esperanto

But nation went on speaking to nation in peace, war, trade, migration, religion and
the world of ideas. A lot of effort went into the production of foreign language
dictionaries, grammars and translations of important, or the most interesting books.

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Throughout this time one of the most significant events in the history of world
languages was happening: English-speaking soldiers, sailors and colonisers were
travelling to, and settling in countries right the way across the globe.

Only in the places that either kept their independence or where the Spanish,
Portuguese, French, and Dutch had done the same, was English not spoken.

If the 20th Century can be described as a savage flowering of the demands of

nationalism - including pride in national languages and literature - it also saw the
rise of utopian dreams about international co-operation as seen first by the League
of Nations and then the United Nations.

However, in these places it wasn't so much that nation spoke unto nation, as
interpreter spoke unto interpreter. In response, inventors of international languages
tried to bring about world peace with their inventions, the most famous of which is
Esperanto. It didn't catch on sufficiently for the world's politicians to need or want
to learn it.

Slowly, another international language emerged, spoken by diplomats, scientists,

artists, business people and many more. Benefiting from the legacy of the British
Empire, and the rise in influence of the most powerful member of that Empire - the
USA - English (or kinds of English) is being spoken all over the globe.

In truth, they speak what the linguist David Crystal calls "Englishes", though some
ways of talking are what have been called "creoles", "pidgins" and "patois". I was
watching an Austrian pop music channel recently and the comments and ads were
in an Anglo-German Creole whose core was German, but which was full of "go to
it", "cool", "be there" and the like.

Most of this has gone on without direction from governments. The technologies of
telephones, radio, TV, records, CDs, mobile phones and the internet have enabled
most people in the world to get access to each other's language in a matter of
moments.

Through these channels, millions of young people across the world have grown to
like the sounds produced by English-speaking bands. Sub-titled films from
Hollywood have given millions of non-English speakers the chance to imitate
James Cagney, Marilyn Monroe, Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford.

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But will it last? Perhaps in 100 years, the world's population will have come to
love the subtleties and beauty of one or both of the standard Chinese languages -
Mandarin and Cantonese. We just don't know.

https://omniglot.com/language/articles/evolutionofenglish.htm

Old English

During the 5th century AD, Britain was invaded by three Germanic tribes: the
Angles, Saxons and Jutes. At the time, most British inhabitants spoke a common
Celtic language, but the tribes overpowered them and forced Celtic speakers to
move to Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

The Angles spoke 'Englisc' which then evolved into 'English'. This became the
primary language for those living in so-called 'Engaland'. The introduction of
Christianity in the late 6th and early 7th centuries was of great cultural importance.
It led to the introduction of written texts in the Roman alphabet on parchment.
Previously text had been transcribed onto wood, bone or stone.

Later on in the year 850, Britain was invaded by the Vikings. This, yet again,
created a cultural shift. The Vikings brought many words to the English language
that we still use today.

Common words from this era include:

 Belt

 Butter

 Chalk

 Cup

 Fork

 Mile

 Mint

 Pepper

 School
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  Wine

Middle English

William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy invaded Britain in 1066 in a battle

known as the Norman Conquest. This led to the spread of the Anglo-Norman
dialect, which along with Latin and Anglo-Saxon became one of the most popular
languages of its time. However, the ruling elite were French speakers and so
English soon became the secondary language at the time. Many French terms and
phrases that we use today were introduced into the English language during this
period.

In 1204, King John was defeated by King Phillip II of France and lost the province
of Normandy. This led to a further evolution of the English language. This new
version of the language, known as Middle English, grew in popularity and
overtook the old Anglo-Norman dialect. It became so prevalent that in 1362
members of Parliament starting using the Middle English dialect.

The 14th century saw a surge in the use of Middle English as it was used for a
great number of technical and official functions. Metropolitan writers like Geoffrey
Chaucer and John Gower also made English their default choice above Latin and
French, helping to make the language more widespread.

Popular words from this era include:

 Although

 Curious

 Degree

 Echo

 Him

 Make

 Most

 Poor

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  Sentence

 Toward

Early Modern English

The Renaissance brought about many changes to the country, including to

language. Latin and Greek words and phrases became more commonplace.

One of the major innovators of the English language at this time was William
Shakespeare. The playwright included a wealth of Early Modern English in his
sonnets and plays. In fact, Shakespeare is responsible for inventing over 2,000 new
words and phrases in his lifetime.

With these new words came new vowels that needed to be pronounced in a whole
new way, using the front of the mouth. This shift in language was known as the
Great Vowel Shift.

Thanks to the invention of the printing press in 1440, the English language was
now more widely accessible. The first English dictionary was published in 1604.
At the time, however, only the wealthy and elite knew how to read.

Commonplace words from this era include:

 About

 Addition

 Light

 Intellect

 Frugal

 Raising

 Famous

 Sacred

 Waist

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  Wisdom

Late Modern English

Late Modern English developed between 1800 and 2000. From 1800 English
vocabulary quickly broadened whilst spelling and grammar remained unchanged.

Thanks to the rise of the British Empire, advances in technology and the Industrial
Revolution between 1760 and 1840, new words began to emerge. The Industrial
Revolution created new means of transportation like steamships and trains. This
meant that people were able to travel much further than before and experience
different cultures and dialects. Almost half of the scientific and technological
outputs between 1750 and 1900 were written in English, exposing more people
than ever before to the language.

The increase in global trade due to the rise of the British Empire meant that traders
came across many new words. The popularity of films – and later computers – led
more people to want to learn to read and write.

Words from this era include:

 Electron

 Engine

 Reservoir

 Combustion

 Bacteria

 Hydraulic

 Electricity

 Telephone

 Telegraph

 Camera

English Today

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The English language we use today is constantly adapting and evolving to suit our
fast-paced lives.

Approximately 375 million people across the globe speak English and more than
50 countries have English either as their official or primary language.

Studies show that 51% of Europeans speak English in addition to their mother
tongue.

Over one billion people are learning to speak English, making it one of the most
dominant languages in the world. The rise of the Internet, mobile phones and social
media have led to a huge increase in the use of the English language.

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