The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998/Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso/E/English_language/INFOTEXT

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Member of the Germanic branch of the
Indo-European language family. It developed
through four major stages over about 1,500
years: Old English or Anglo-Saxon (c.
500-1050), rooted in the dialects of settling
invaders (Jutes, Saxons, Angles, and Danes);
Middle English (c. 1050-1550), influenced by
Norman French after the Conquest 1066 and by
ecclesiastical Latin; Early Modern English
(c. 1550-1700), standardization of the
diverse influences of Middle English; and
Late Modern English (c. 1700 onwards), the
development and spread of current Standard
English. Through extensive exploration,
colonization, and trade, English spread
worldwide from the 17th century onwards and
remains the most important international
language of trade and technology. It is used
in many variations, for example, British, US,
Canadian, West Indian, Indian, Singaporean,
and Nigerian English, and many pidgins and
creoles. historical roots The ancestral forms
of English were dialects brought from the NW
coastlands of Europe to Britain by Angle,
Saxon, and Jutish invaders who gained
footholds in the SE in the 5th century and
over the next 200 years extended and
consolidated their settlements from S England
to the middle of Scotland. Scholars
distinguish four main early dialects: of the
Jutes in Kent, the Saxons in the south, the
Mercians or S Angles in the Midlands, and the
Northumbrians or N Angles north of the
Humber. Until the Danish invasions 9th-11th
centuries, Old English was a highly inflected
language, but appears to have lost many of
its grammatical endings in the interaction
with Danish, creating a more open or analytic
style of language that was further changed by
the influence of Norman French after the
Conquest 1066. Geoffrey Chaucer was a court
poet at this time and strongly influenced the
literary style of the London dialect. When
William Caxton set up his printing press in
London 1477 the new hybrid language
(vernacular English mixed with courtly French
and learned Latin) became increasingly
standardized, and by 1611, when the
Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible
was published, the educated English of the
Home Counties and London had become the core
of what is now called Standard English. Very
great dialect variation remained, and still
remains, throughout Britain. By the end of
the 16th century, English was firmly
established in four countries: England,
Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, and with the
establishment of the colonies in North
America in the early 17th century was spoken
in what are now the USA, Canada, and the West
Indies. Seafaring, exploration, commerce, and
colonial expansion in due course took both
the standard language and other varieties
throughout the world. By the time of
Johnson's dictionary 1755 and the American
Declaration of Independence 1776, English was
international and recognizable as the
language we use today. current usage English
spelling was more or less established by
1650, and, in England in particular, a form
of standard educated speech (known as
Received Pronunciation) spread out in the
19th century from the major public (private)
schools. This accent was adopted in the early
20th century by the BBC for its announcers
and readers, and is variously known as RP,
BBC English, Oxford English, and the King's
or Queen's English. It was also the socially
dominant accent of the British Empire, and
retains great prestige as a model for those
learning the language. In the UK, however, it
is no longer so assiduously sought after as
it once was. Generally, Standard English
today is not dependent on accent but rather
on shared educational experience, mainly of
the printed language. Modern English is an
immensely varied language, having absorbed
material from many other tongues. It is
spoken by more than 300 million native
speakers, and between 400 and 800 million
foreign users. It is the official language of
air transport and shipping; the leading
language of science, technology, computers,
and commerce; and a major medium of
education, publishing, and international
negotiation. For this reason scholars
frequently refer to its latest phase as World
English.