GERMANIC SETTLEMENTS

Then the West Germanic tribes arrived to England Brief History of the
English Language (cod)
The Anglo-Saxons were a group of people who lived in England from the 5th century Old English (450-110 AD): During the 5th Century AD three Germanic tribes (Saxons,
AD to the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were a combination of different Germanic Angles, and Jutes) came to the British Isles from various parts of northwest Germany as
tribes who migrated to Britain from what is now Germany, Denmark, and the well as Denmark. These tribes were warlike and pushed out most of the original, Celtic-
Netherlands. speaking inhabitants from England.
The term Into Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall. One group migrated to the Brittany Coast of France
"Anglo- where their descendants still speak the Celtic Language of Breton today. Through the
Saxon" is years, the Saxons, Angles and Jutes mixed their different Germanic dialects. This group
derived from of dialects forms what linguists refer to as Old English or Anglo-Saxon. The word
the two main "English" was in Old English "Englisc", and that comes from the name of the Angles.
tribes of the The Angles were named from Engle, their land of origin.
period: the Before the Saxons, the language spoken in what is now England was a mixture of Latin
Angles and and various Celtic languages which were spoken before the Romans came to Britain (54-
the Saxons, 5BC). The Romans brought Latin to Britain, which was part of the Roman Empire for
who joined over 400 years. Many of the words passed on from this era are those coined by Roman
forces to merchants and soldiers. These include 1 win (wine), candel (candle), belt (belt), weall
conquer and (wall). ("Language Timeline", The British Library Board)
settle in The influence of Celtic upon Old English was slight. In fact, very few Celtic words have
England. lived on in the English language. But many of place and river names have Celtic origins:
They were Kent, York, Dover, Cumberland, Thames, Avon, Trent, Severn.
also joined The arrival of St. Augustine in 597 and the introduction of Christianity into Saxon
by other England brought more Latin words Into the English language. They were mostly
Germanic concerned with the naming of Church dignitaries, ceremonies, etc. Some, such as
tribes, church, bishop, baptism, monk, Eucharist and presbyter came indirectly through Latin
including the from the Greek.
Jutes and the Around 878 AD Danes and Norsemen, also called Vikings, invaded the country and
Frisians. English got many Norse words into the language, particularly in the north of England.
The Anglo-Saxons had a strong warrior culture and were skilled at metalworking, The Vikings, being Scandinavian, spoke a language (Old Norse) which, in origin at least,
farming, and trade. They spoke a language that evolved into Old English, which is the was just as Germanic as Old English.
precursor to the modern English language. Words derived from Norse include: sky, egg, cake, skin, leg, window (wind eye),
The Anglo-Saxon period is known for its famous literary works, including Beowulf, an husband, fellow, skill, anger, flat, odd, ugly, get, give, take, raise, call, die, they, their,
epic poem that tells the story of a hero who fights monsters and dragons. The Anglo- them. ("The Origin and History of the English Language", Kryss Katsiavriades)
Saxon era also saw the rise of Christianity in England, as well as the establishment of a Several written works have survived from the Old English period. The most famous is a
number of important Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, such as Wessex and Mercia. heroic epic poem called "Beowulf". It is the oldest known English poem and it is notable
for its length - 3,183 lines. Experts say "Beowulf" was written in Britain more than one
thousand years ago. The name of the person who wrote it is unknown.

WEST GERMANIC TRIBES ARRIVED TO ENGLAND LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Listen to the audio about the West Germanic Tribes and circle the correct answer:
1. The Anglo-saxons were …
a) A group of people who lived in England from the 5th century AD to the
Norman Conquest in 1056.
b) A group of people who lived in England from the 5th century AD to the
Norman Conquest in 1066.
c) A group of people who lived in Scotland from the 6th century AD to the
Norman Conquest in 1066.
2. The Anglo Saxons derived from:
a) The two main tribes of the period: the Angles and the Saxons, who joined
forces to conquer and settle in England.
b) The two main tribes of the period: the Angles and the Vikings, who
joined forces to conquer and settle in Britain.
c) The two main tribes of the period: the Angles and the Celtics, who joined
forces to conquer and settle in England.
3. The Anglo-Saxons spoke:
a) Old English and Middle English
b) Old English or Anglo-Saxon
c) Middle English
4. The Anglo-Saxon period is known for:
a) Its famous literary works, including Beowulf, a group of stories about a
group of thirty people who travels as pilgrims to Canterbury, England.
b) Its famous literary works, including The Canterbury Tales, an epic poem
that tells the story of a hero who fights monsters and dragons.
c) Its famous literary works, including Beowulf, an epic poem that tells the
story of a hero who fights monsters and dragons.