Say, do you speak Englisc?

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“Not only does the English language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chase them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets.” – Eddy Peters.

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English is a hybrid language with many foreign loan words. It contains a diversity of words and phrases from various sources – Latin, Greek, French, Chinese, Indian, among others.

   Historians and linguists once described English as “barbaric,”  “vulgar” or “piratical” as it was first spoken by wandering, sometimes warring tribes. 

   English began as a West Germanic language derived from Anglo-Frisian dialects. It was in the 5th and 6th centuries when the German tribes, notably the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians, settled in Britain. The merging of their dialects later gave rise to the English language.

   Before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, the Celts had resided in Britain. However, the Germanic pagans and invaders drove the Celtic-speaking inhabitants out of England into Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Ireland. The Angles introduced their language, Englisc, which was to gain popularity over the decades. Englisc was to evolve into what is now called Old English, a language which even contemporary purists and grammarians cannot understand.

   English was considered second-class at a time when the languages of learning and sophistication were French and Latin. As far back as the 12th century, the finest literature in Europe was mostly in French. Ironically, English people did not know how to write until Latin-speaking clergies imparted the skill to them. Not surprisingly, the English alphabet was burrowed from Latin.

Emergence of printing press

   Renewed migration from Germany and the Netherlands, increased trading and invasions by the Norsemen and William the Conqueror (in 1066 AD) further influenced the English language. The overlords, for instance, spoke a dialect of Old French known as Anglo-Norman, which was mostly used by the nobility.

   Next came Middle English, the language used in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Name was then pronounced nam-a and five was pronounced feef. Chaucer’s English would be baffling to many modern writers. However, Middle English became obsolete with the rise of Modern English around 1500 AD.

   The evolution of English continued from 1500 to 1800, thanks to the revival of classical scholarship, the advent of the Great Vowel Shift, which led to a dramatic change in pronunciation, and the emergence of the printing press.

   English became richer in vocabulary during the next two centuries, owing to the Industrial Revolution, the advances of science and technology and British colonisation. English later adopted many foreign words. Neologisms – coined words or expressions                    -- were used to describe new creations and discoveries.

   Use of military terms

   The growth of the British Empire and the expansion of overseas trade helped to introduce English to the outside world. At the same time, the English vocabulary expanded multifold with the use of words from former British colonies like India and Malaysia. Words such as pandit, pajamas, kampung and sarong  were later introduced into English.

   Wars and the rise of the military also contributed to the development of English. Standard English was to change when military terms like camouflage, radar and landing strip  came into use.

   Throughout its evolution, English has adopted virtually every language on the planet. Apart from Latin and Greek, other languages like French and Spanish have made an impact on English. Some words from West African languages have also entered English.

   Perhaps, the greatest influence over English in modern times is Americanism. American English has spread since the explosion of the American broadcasting media and the pop music industry, and the popularity of Hollywood films and American novels.

   Yes, Queen’s English is threatened. By all accounts, it will survive as it did over the centuries. The beauty of it is that English is a changing language.