Université Ibn Zohr

Faculté Polydisciplinaire de Taroudant

Année Universitaire : 2020-2021

Filière : LEA

Semestre 1 Module : 2

Matière: Civilization Anglo-Saxonne

Premier cours

Pr. ElKharbaoui

Introduction to Anglo-Saxon civilization:

The Anglo-Saxons were a people who inhabited Great Britain from the 5th century. They
comprised people from Germanic tribes who migrated to the island from continental
Europe. The Anglo-Saxon period denotes the period of British history between about 450
and 1066, after their initial settlement and up until the Norman Conquest (https://
courses.lumenlearning.com).

See also “Anglo-Saxon history and Culture”, Study.com

1) Some preliminary concepts:

• United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

• Great Britain- England, , Scotland and Wales

• The British Isles is the name of a group of islands situated off the north western
corner of mainland Europe. It is made up of Great Britain, Ireland, The Isle of Man,
The Isles of Scilly, The Channel Islands (including Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and
Alderney), as well as over 6,000 other smaller islands (www.historic-uk.com).

See The UK & Great Britain – What’s the Difference? At (www.historic-uk.com).

The name Britain goes back to Roman times when they called England and Wales
"Britannia" (or "Britannia Major", to distinguish it from "Britannia Minor", i.e. Brittany in
France). “The Roman province of Britannia only covered the areas of modern England and
Wales. Great Britain is not the same as Britain; Britain only refers to England and Wales”.
GB is made of: England, , Scotland and Wales. England - The capital is London. England
“used to be known as Engla land, meaning the land of the Angles, people from continental
Germany, who began to invade Britain in the late 5th century, along with the Saxons and
Jutes”. Scotland -The capital is Edinburgh. Wales -The capital is Cardiff.
(http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk)

A brief history:
 • The first inhabitants: the megaliths of Stonehenge near Salisbury (Wiltshire)
(2000BC)

• The Celts (6th-4th centuries BC)

• The Roman Conquest : Julius Ceasar’s invasion (55 BC), the real invasion (AD 43)

• The Angles, the Jutes and the Saxons

• The Danes or Northmen ( 9th century)

• The Norman Conquest (battle of Hastings, 1066) by Duke William, Duke of

Normandy

History of the English Language: With the coming of three Germanic tribes who invaded
Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. They
crossed the North Sea from what is today Denmark and northern Germany.

• The Celts spoke the Celtic language. The Celts moved west and north because of
the invasion (what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland).

• The Angles came from Englaland and their language was called Englisc - from
which the words England and English are derived. In 1066 William the Conqueror,
the Duke of Normandy invaded and conquered England. The new conquerors
(called the Normans) spoke French

• Old English (450-1100 AD): Beowulf, a poem written in Old English. The invaders
(the Germanic tribes) spoke similar languages which developed into what is called
‘old English’. Native English speakers now have great difficulty understanding Old
English. But many of the words used in English now have their roots in Old English.

• Middle English (1100-1500)

• Modern English:

• A) Early Modern English (1500-1800)

• B) Late Modern English (1800-Present)

The main difference between Early Modern English and Late Modern English is
vocabulary.

Late Modern English has many more words, because of:

• New discoveries : English relied on Greek and Latin (oxygen, protein, nuclear,
vaccine)

• Words of arts came from italian

Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel
Shift): vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. A change pronunciation of the
English language.

Middle English: long vowels

• Modern English: short vowels

Spelling became standardized

The invention of printing also developed the language. With printing English became
standardized. Spelling and grammar became fixed. In 1604 the first English dictionary was
published. In 1806 – Noah Webster publishes his first dictionary, A Compendious
Dictionary of the English Language.

See History of the English language https://www.englishclub.com/english-language-

history.htm