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Thomas Castino
Mrs. Bolton and Mrs. Taylor
English IV
23 February 2015
English
English is often considered to be one of the most difficult languages to learn. This probably has a
lot to do with the fact that it is more of a combination of many other languages than its own root
language. Ever since the Romans left Great Britain, many different peoples have traveled there and
influenced the English language. All of the foreign languages that formed modern English also altered
the spelling, structure, and alphabet of its roots.
History of English
Over thousands of years, English has been significantly altered and perfected. Before the
Romans came to Great Britain, the people mostly spoke various Celtic languages. The Romans came
around 54 BC and brought Latin with them. Latin became the language of Great Britain and molded
with the Celtic languages for about 400 years. At this time, the language in development was not even
called English, as this term was brought by Germanic tribes. It was not until the Romans left that Britain
was invaded by Germanic tribes. These tribes included the well-known Angles and Saxons and also the
lesser-known Jutes. The three groups spoke similar languages which eventually ended up combining and
becoming what we know today as Anglo-Saxon. The Angles wrote their language, Englic, in runes.
Runes are similar to the letters we use today, but with minor differences. However, the words read,
write, and spell come from Englic. Eventually, Christian monks came to Britain and spread
Christianity, which was very popular among the people. The language of Christianity was Latin, and
therefore Latin made a reappearance in Britain. Latin and Englic combined to become English. Today,

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we call this language Old English, which may seem misleading as it is so far from modern English that
the language seems completely foreign to many native English speakers today. The people of Great
Britain would use this form of English for the next 600 years.
Around 800 AD, Vikings arrived in Great Britain and tried to conquer various places. However,
despite their efforts to pillage, they only ended up giving English about 2,000 words. These words
include they, their, and them, which are some of the most common words in English today (A Brief
History of the English Language). Despite holding off the Vikings, the natives would have to face more
invasions in just a few hundred years.
In 1066, the Duke of Normandy invaded and conquered Great Britain. Following his success,
many French people came and their language also began to have influence over English. It is from the
French that we got words like pork, beef, and mutton. Since the natives of Britain were mostly farmers,
they continued to call the animals by their English names: pig, cow, and sheep. Since the French were
ruling over these people, they were seen as higher class. This resulted in the culinary terms for food to
become French, such as a la carte and a la mode. French also used a Latin alphabet, and it was around
this time that the change was made from primitive runes to a real alphabet. After the incorporation of
about 10,000 French words into the language, Old English became known as Middle English. The
French finally were driven out after about 200 years, at the end of the Hundred Years War between
England and France.

During the Renaissance, the printing press made its way to England. Thanks to the printing press,
the English alphabet and spelling of words became more standard and defined (History of the English
Language). It became much easier for people to access books and learn how to read and the language
took many steps toward becoming more civilized.

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Shakespeare. Around 1600, Shakespeare was writing plays and poems left and right, creating any
words he did not have. He alone created about 2,000 words for the language and many are still used
today. Shakespeare also revolutionized poetry and greatly contributed to making English as beautiful as
it is now.
After Shakespeare, tons of minor changes have been made to English. Many scientific
advancements made in England allowed for new technologies, concepts, theories, and names to be made
in English. Additionally, the English Empire had a massive effect on the language. The empire brought
forth many cultures and other languages into English once again and it was changed even more. It did
not take long for America to create its own variation of English, known as American English. There are
quite a few differences between English English and American English and the creation of the Internet
only served to increase the diversity of the English language.
Essentially, English is a melting pot of languages from all times and places around the world. It
has been molded and reshaped time and time again by different people, inventions, and cultures. If it
werent for these changes, the language would probably not exist as it would be far too primitive and
underdeveloped. We would probably all speak Chinese and that would be treacherous.

Grammar
English grammar is apparently difficult, seeing as an inexplicably large amount of people,
including native speakers, have trouble getting it right. This is most likely the reason that it is so hard to
learn, especially for someone who speaks a Latin-derived language such as Spanish, French, or Italian.
These languages, along with other European languages, are very similar in structure and vocabulary.
English grammar is very unique and different from other languages. One notable difference is
that the nouns come after their adjectives. For example: yellow bus, red apple, and bright light. In those
examples, the adjectives yellow, red, and bright are used to describe their respective nouns before

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the nouns themselves are read. Another difference would be with apostrophes. English is one of the only
languages that uses apostrophes to show possession, and nowadays even native English speakers cannot
seem to fully grasp the use of an apostrophe. The apostrophe is used to show possession, for example:
Emilys grades are suffering right now. In that sentence, the s shows that the grades of Emily are
suffering. In many other languages, this would be said like something along the lines of: The grades of
Emily are suffering right now, or Her grades are suffering right now. The latter of these two is also
used very commonly in English. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of English grammar for many people
to understand is the semicolon. The semicolon is mainly used to combine two independent clauses (The
Oatmeal: How to Use a Semicolon). An example would be: My mom went to the store for 3 hours; she
went only for milk. Both parts before and after the semicolon could stand by themselves as correct
sentences: My mom went to the store for 3 hours, and She went only for milk.
English grammar unique and alluring. With such an extensive vocabulary that is slowly being
forgotten and such a simple yet difficult structure, its easily my favorite language; sure, I might be a
little biased, but it really is amazing. From its history and creation to how descriptive and mesmerizing it
can be, I definitely love everything about English.

Works Cited
Boyanova, M. "A Brief History of the English Language." Study English Today. N.p., n.d. Web.
22 Feb. 2015. <http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/english-language-history.html>.

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"History of the English Language." English Club. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
<https://www.englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm>.
The, Oatmeal. "How to use a semicolon." The Oatmeal. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
<http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon>.