Good Ol' English
Shortly after the Romans left Britain, Many Germanic tribes start flocking to the country, such as the Jutes, the Angles, The Saxons, and the Frisii (and possibly some Franks too.) The Angles and the Saxons, giving us the term "Anglo-Saxon."
The Latin language the Romans left behind fell to the wayside, as these new tribes brought forward more useful words for the common folk, like 'House', 'Woman', 'Loaf.'
Four days of the week are named after Anglo-Saxon gods:
Tuesday = tiwesdæg Tiw's (Tiu's) day
Wednesday = wodnesdæg "Woden's day"
Thursday = thorsdagr "Thor's day"
Friday = frigedæg "Freya's day"
During this time is about when Christian missionaries started to arrive in the country bringing with them simple Latin words, like 'Bishop' and 'Martyr'
All publicity is good, but with all the talk about how great England was, it also brought some unwanted attention.
[Enter Vikings stage right...]
Unfortunately for the English language, this was a rather detrimental time for the vikings to start raiding the cost, England had turned into one of the largest knowledge bases in the world, renowned for its scholars and acolytes. Many Churches and towns that held documents were raided and destroyed, leaving the scholars of England in tatters.
The vikings weren't all bad though, they also brought with them over 2000 words to add to the English language such as 'awe' 'bulk' 'stab and gift.
Along with the vikings, we begin to see Greek, Italian and various European influence in the language.
The Latin language the Romans left behind fell to the wayside, as these new tribes brought forward more useful words for the common folk, like 'House', 'Woman', 'Loaf.'
Four days of the week are named after Anglo-Saxon gods:
Tuesday = tiwesdæg Tiw's (Tiu's) day
Wednesday = wodnesdæg "Woden's day"
Thursday = thorsdagr "Thor's day"
Friday = frigedæg "Freya's day"
During this time is about when Christian missionaries started to arrive in the country bringing with them simple Latin words, like 'Bishop' and 'Martyr'
All publicity is good, but with all the talk about how great England was, it also brought some unwanted attention.
[Enter Vikings stage right...]
Unfortunately for the English language, this was a rather detrimental time for the vikings to start raiding the cost, England had turned into one of the largest knowledge bases in the world, renowned for its scholars and acolytes. Many Churches and towns that held documents were raided and destroyed, leaving the scholars of England in tatters.
The vikings weren't all bad though, they also brought with them over 2000 words to add to the English language such as 'awe' 'bulk' 'stab and gift.
Along with the vikings, we begin to see Greek, Italian and various European influence in the language.