An Introduction to English

English is a germanic language. It and many other Germanic languages share common words, such as cheese and boat. Fresian is one of these languages, and is till used in the Netherlands and Northern Europe.. The languages originated from Germanic invaders. The tribes invaded England, and the languages carried on. They also merged with the native tongues of the Celts and Britons, forming new languages altogether. Anglo-Saxon was the most prominent language that emerged. Welsh is the closest language currently being spoken to Celtic.  Many common words have carried on into modern English, such as 'and', 'is', 'the' and 'am'. 

The English language derives its roots from more than just two languages, however. Christian missionaries arriving in England as early as the 7th Century, did not only bring with them the ways of Christianity, but also the International language of the Christian church, Latin. English derives many of its nouns and verbs from Latin, and Latin and many other source languages contributed to the layering of words that is a main part of English still today. 

English also derives its letters and script from Latin, which of course, is a very major part of the language, allowing it to be written and read. If it were't for this introduction of written letters, I might well be writing this in an runes, which would appear very different to English as we know it. Latin also introduced grammar, verbs, literature and books. 

With this new formed language, poems and books were written, with both fictional and historical content. Around this time the first records of prayers, songs, battles and happenings were produced. In battles between the Vikings and Danes, English absorbed more of its content from the languages of invaders. 

English gained compound words as different tribes intermarried and traded. Many common names for people, places and things were formed from the intermingling of the various tongues. Many original words are still spoken everyday in the north of England. Old Norse is thought to be the biggest contributor to English. 

Overall, English's early roots have many origins, ranging from old native languages, such as Celtic, to more modern languages which have over time, made up the layering of English, such as Latin and Norse. English may be very different now to how it was 1000 years ago, but the languages are all connected, and we can see similarities between the source languages and modern English. 

Bibliography - The Adventure of English (BBC) - (1) Birth of a Language - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGYiM_ZnjAc