Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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What is the Origins of the English Language?
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:22 Celtic & Latin
1:19 Germanic
2:33 Examples of Old English
3:10 Vikings (Old Norse)
3:47 Normans (Old French)
4:25 Middle English
4:50 Examples of Middle English
5:43 Shakespeare
6:14 How French is English?
6:27 Indo-European
7:25 Easier and Harder Languages to Learn
English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, but what is its origin and how different were early forms of English compared to the language we speak today? At the end of this video as well, I will discuss the foreign languages that are the easiest for native English speaker to learn, and the ones that are the most difficult?
Now let’s first look at what languages were spoken in England prior to the earliest form of English being spoken. Well the people in the land we call England today spoke two main languages. The first one was a Celtic language, or to be more specific, Common Brittonic/ Brythonic, with different regions probably speaking slightly different variations of Brittonic. This was the language of the Celtic Britons of ancient England prior to the Roman invasion which began in earnest in 43 AD.
Common Brittonic is an Insular Celtic language and an ancient ancestor of languages such as Welsh, Cumbric, Cornish and Breton in Britanny. The ancient Pictish language was also potentially a related language to Brittonic, a sort of sister language. The Goidelic languages makeup the second branch of Insular Celtic languages, namely Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx, with the later spoken on the Isle of Man, but this is the story for another video.
So the people of England largely spoke a Celtic Brittonic language prior to the Romans invading. After this invasion however, Latin became the language of administration, trade, and the military, although Latin didn't significantly affect the language of the Celtic inhabitants that much, except for certain words.
Now this is some of the historical context, but let’s now look at the real beginning of the English language.
Sources:
A brief history of the English language - Oxford International English Schools
Where Do English Words Come From? (babbel.com)
Foreign Language Training - United States Department of State
History of English - Wikipedia
The origin of every English city's name (youtube.com)
139 Old Norse Words That Invaded The English Language (babbel.com)
This ruined English spelling (youtube.com)
23 Fascinating Old English Phrases and Medieval Proverbs - Medievalists.net
English Language - britannica.com/topic/English-language/Characteristics-of-Modern-English
French words in English: A brief history (youtube.com)
government | Etymology of government by etymonline
Famous quotes | King Lear | Royal Shakespeare Company (rsc.org.uk)
Triumph, Ovation, and Other Words from Ancient Rome | Merriam-Webster
Common Brittonic - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Brittonic
North Sea Germanic - Wikipedia
Old Norman - Wikipedia
Creative Commons Imagery:
Gernot Keller (Own work) File:Sutton Hoo helmet reconstructed.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic - Creative Commons
Elevatorrailfan File:Celtic language family tree.svg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International - Creative Commons
Notuncurious GPinkerton File:Anglo.Saxon.migration.5th.cen.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - Creative Commons
CelticBrain File:Old English Dialects.png - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International - Creative Commons
origins of English language history of English language
#english #history #englishlanguage
Subscribe to Celtic History Decoded: youtube.com/channel/UCCS3M_uNHH2iOJkpGhkO2SA?sub_confirmation=1
Watch Next: German DNA: What is the Genetic History of Germany? youtube.com/watch?v=WDuUXSlSAYk&t=320s
Please Buy Me a Coffee - buymeacoffee.com/celtichistory
Please support this channel on Patreon and get ad-free videos and other benefits: patreon.com/historydecoded
Check out my merch store and please help support this channel - celtic-history-decoded.creator-spring.com - Full terms and conditions can be found on Spring’s website.
What is the Origins of the English Language?
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:22 Celtic & Latin
1:19 Germanic
2:33 Examples of Old English
3:10 Vikings (Old Norse)
3:47 Normans (Old French)
4:25 Middle English
4:50 Examples of Middle English
5:43 Shakespeare
6:14 How French is English?
6:27 Indo-European
7:25 Easier and Harder Languages to Learn
English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, but what is its origin and how different were early forms of English compared to the language we speak today? At the end of this video as well, I will discuss the foreign languages that are the easiest for native English speaker to learn, and the ones that are the most difficult?
Now let’s first look at what languages were spoken in England prior to the earliest form of English being spoken. Well the people in the land we call England today spoke two main languages. The first one was a Celtic language, or to be more specific, Common Brittonic/ Brythonic, with different regions probably speaking slightly different variations of Brittonic. This was the language of the Celtic Britons of ancient England prior to the Roman invasion which began in earnest in 43 AD.
Common Brittonic is an Insular Celtic language and an ancient ancestor of languages such as Welsh, Cumbric, Cornish and Breton in Britanny. The ancient Pictish language was also potentially a related language to Brittonic, a sort of sister language. The Goidelic languages makeup the second branch of Insular Celtic languages, namely Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx, with the later spoken on the Isle of Man, but this is the story for another video.
So the people of England largely spoke a Celtic Brittonic language prior to the Romans invading. After this invasion however, Latin became the language of administration, trade, and the military, although Latin didn't significantly affect the language of the Celtic inhabitants that much, except for certain words.
Now this is some of the historical context, but let’s now look at the real beginning of the English language.
Sources:
A brief history of the English language - Oxford International English Schools
Where Do English Words Come From? (babbel.com)
Foreign Language Training - United States Department of State
History of English - Wikipedia
The origin of every English city's name (youtube.com)
139 Old Norse Words That Invaded The English Language (babbel.com)
This ruined English spelling (youtube.com)
23 Fascinating Old English Phrases and Medieval Proverbs - Medievalists.net
English Language - britannica.com/topic/English-language/Characteristics-of-Modern-English
French words in English: A brief history (youtube.com)
government | Etymology of government by etymonline
Famous quotes | King Lear | Royal Shakespeare Company (rsc.org.uk)
Triumph, Ovation, and Other Words from Ancient Rome | Merriam-Webster
Common Brittonic - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Brittonic
North Sea Germanic - Wikipedia
Old Norman - Wikipedia
Creative Commons Imagery:
Gernot Keller (Own work) File:Sutton Hoo helmet reconstructed.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic - Creative Commons
Elevatorrailfan File:Celtic language family tree.svg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International - Creative Commons
Notuncurious GPinkerton File:Anglo.Saxon.migration.5th.cen.jpg - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported - Creative Commons
CelticBrain File:Old English Dialects.png - Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International - Creative Commons
origins of English language history of English language
#english #history #englishlanguage
