资源描述：
《whatisenglish(英语语言发展史)》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在行业资料-天天文库。
1、WhatisEnglish?HistoryoftheEnglishLanguageAshorthistoryoftheoriginsanddevelopmentofEnglishThehistoryoftheEnglishlanguagereallystartedwiththearrivalofthreeGermanictribeswhoinvadedBritainduringthe5thcenturyAD.Thesetribes,theAngles,theSaxonsandtheJutes,crossedtheNorthSeafromwhattodayisDenmarkandnor
2、thernGermany.AtthattimetheinhabitantsofBritainspokeaCelticlanguage.ButmostoftheCelticspeakerswerepushedwestandnorthbytheinvaders-mainlyintowhatisnowWales,ScotlandandIreland.TheAnglescamefromEnglalandandtheirlanguagewascalledEnglisc-fromwhichthewordsEnglandandEnglisharederived.Germanicinvadersen
3、teredBritainontheeastandsouthcoastsinthe5thcentury.OldEnglish(450-1100AD)PartofBeowulf,apoemwritteninOldEnglish.TheinvadingGermanictribesspokesimilarlanguages,whichinBritaindevelopedintowhatwenowcallOldEnglish.OldEnglishdidnotsoundorlooklikeEnglishtoday.NativeEnglishspeakersnowwouldhavegreatdif
4、ficultyunderstandingOldEnglish.Nevertheless,abouthalfofthemostcommonlyusedwordsinModernEnglishhaveOldEnglishroots.Thewordsbe,strongandwater,forexample,derivefromOldEnglish.OldEnglishwasspokenuntilaround1100.MiddleEnglish(1100-1500)AnexampleofMiddleEnglishbyChaucer.In1066WilliamtheConqueror,theD
5、ukeofNormandy(partofmodernFrance),invadedandconqueredEngland.Thenewconquerors(calledtheNormans)broughtwiththemakindofFrench,whichbecamethelanguageoftheRoyalCourt,andtherulingandbusinessclasses.Foraperiodtherewasakindoflinguisticclassdivision,wherethelowerclassesspokeEnglishandtheupperclassesspo
6、keFrench.Inthe14thcenturyEnglishbecamedominantinBritainagain,butwithmanyFrenchwordsadded.ThislanguageiscalledMiddleEnglish.ItwasthelanguageofthegreatpoetChaucer(c1340-1400),butitwouldstillbedifficultfornativeEnglishspeakerstounderstandtoday.ModernEnglishEarlyModernEnglish(1500-1800)Hamlet'sfamo
7、us"Tobe,ornottobe"lines,writteninEarlyModernEnglishbyShakespeare.TowardstheendofMiddleEnglish,asuddenanddistinctchangeinpronunciation(theGreatVowelShift)started,withvowelsbeingpronouncedshorterandshorter.Fromthe16thcenturytheBriti
