Overview

English is a living language. It continuously changes as new words are added through cultural change and as old words are no longer used.

The language began as Germanic tribes—the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—helped the Celts fight the invasion of the British Isles. The tribes turned on the Celts, however, and a new culture took root in Britain, creating a language known as Anglo-Saxon, or Old English.

Almost as soon as Old English was developed, it began to change. Latin, the language of the dominant Roman Empire and Roman Catholic Church, was a strong influence on Old English. Also, from Scandinavia to the north, the Vikings came and affected the evolving language. After 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, French became the language of the English aristocracy, adding a French influence. Although the early history of the language developed mostly out of conquest, by the Middle Ages, peaceful trade with other cultures affected the language. Eventually, Middle Eastern languages, Spanish, and Native American languages all left their imprint on English. Today, our language evolves most often as technological and scientific advances require new words. These new words mostly develop from compounds of existing words, blending together word parts, new meanings for existing words, and acronyms.