Anglo saxon britain кратко

Обновлено: 07.07.2024

Teacher: Today we are going to speak about the Anglo-Saxon conquest of Britain. First, let us remember some historical facts.

- Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

Pupil: I know that the Anglo-Saxons, as we call them now, were Germanic tribes. In fact, there were some other tribes besides the Angles and Saxons, the Jutes, for example. They inhabited the northwestern part of Europe. The Saxons came from the territory lying between the Rhine and the Elbe rivers, which was later called Saxony. The Jutes and Angles came from the Jutland Peninsula.

Teacher: Thanks for your information. Now, could you tell me why these Germanic tribes came to Britain and when it happened?

Pupil: Well, in 383 the Roman legions began to leave Britain to fight in Gaul (it is the territory of modern France) against the Barbarian tribes who were invading the Roman Empire. However, Britain remained independent not for long. At first the Anglo-Saxons only came to plunder. They would land from their boats, drive off and slay the cattle, seize the stores of corn, and be off again to sea before the Celts could attack them, but after some time they returned again and again in larger numbers, and began to conquer the country. In 449, the Jutes landed in Kent and this was the beginning of the conquest.

Pupil: I have read that the Britons invited the Anglo-Saxons into Britain. When the Romans began to leave Britain to fight in Gaul, there were not enough Roman soldiers to defend Britons from the Picts and Scots, fierce tribes from the North. The British chiefs asked Anglo-Saxon soldiers to come from Germany to help them. The Anglo-Saxons were strong and well-trained, they defeated Picts and Scots, but when afterwards Britons asked them to leave, they refused to do it and stayed.

Teacher: Oh, I see. But no matter whether the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain or were they invited there by British chiefs, they conquered the country. You know that the British natives fought fiercely against the invaders and it took the Anglo-Saxons more than a hundred and fifty years to conquer the greater part of the island. The final refuge of the Celts was Cornwall and Wales - the mountainous districts of the West - and the northern part of the island, Scotland, where the Celts were still living in tribes. The Celts of Ireland also remained independent. So, the Anglo-Saxons settled in Britain and formed some kingdoms there.

The next question is as follows:

- What kingdoms were formed by the Anglo-Saxons?

(Ученики отвечают на этот вопрос, используя карту Британии 5 века)

Pupil: Kent was set up by the Jutes in the southeast.

Pupil: The Saxons formed a number of kingdoms in the southern and southern-eastern parts of the country. They are Sussex (the land of the South Saxons), Wessex (the land of the West Saxons), and Essex (the land of the East Saxons).

Teacher: - And what about the Angles? Did they form any kingdoms?

Pupil: Yes. By the way, the Angles conquered the greater part of the country. In the north, they founded Northumbria; Mercia was formed in the Middle, and East Anglia - in the East of England.

Teacher: Yes, you are quite right. And in spite of the fact that all these kingdoms were hostile to one another and fought constantly for supreme power in the country, they were closely akin in speech and customs, and in the course of time they gradually merged into one people. And what can you say about the language of Britain at that time?

Pupil: I can speak on this item. At first the Anglo-Saxons spoke various dialects but gradually the dialect of the Angles of Mercia became predominant. In the course of time all people of Britain were referred to as the English after Angles and the new name of England was given to the whole country. The Anglo-Saxon language, or English, has been the principal language of the country since then, although it has undergone great changes.

1) Рассказ учителя об истории создания поэмы.

Teacher: Thanks a lot. I see you know history quite well. Now I am going to find out how you know literature. So, your home task was to read "Beowulf”. You know that “Beowulf” is a Saxon poem, and it tells us of the times long before the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain. There is no mention of England. This poem tells us about the life of the Anglo-Saxons at the time when every man was a warrior. The poem describes the arms and armour of the Anglo-Saxon warriors, their exploits and adventures. It is named after the great legendary warrior, Beowulf. The poem dates back between 675 and 850 A.D., and has 3182 lines. It has the traits of early Christianity as well as lots of pagan beliefs, historical legends. The Anglo-Saxons had no written language at that time. Anglo-Saxon ballads were composed and performed by warriors-singers called 'scops' or folk musicians - gleokuds. The poem was written down only in the 10th century. Its manuscript is kept in the British Museum in London.

Of course we cannot read the poem in the original, it is impossible. At home you read a story of Beowulf written in Modern English.

2) Проверка понимания прочитанного текста.

Exercise 1. First of all I want to find out how attentive you were while reading the story.

Who are the main characters of the poem? (Beowulf, Grendel, King Hrothgar, Grendel's mother)

Which of the characters did so?

Built a large and beautiful palace. (King Hrothgar)
Every night killed warriors and drank their blood. (Grendel)
Decided to kill the monster. (Beowulf)
Got on a ship and sailed off across the sea. (Beowulf)
Caught the monster by the arm and tore it off. (Beowulf)
Ran back to the lake and died there. (Grendel)
Ran into the palace, killed one of the warriors and carried him to the lake. (Grendel's mother)
Took the magic sword and killed the witch with it. (Beowulf)

Exercise 2. Do you have good memory?

How many warriors did Grendel kill during his first visit to the palace? (30)
For how many years did the king's warriors try to fight against the monster? (12)
How many friends did Beowulf take with him? (14)

3) Составление характеристики главного героя. (Монологическая речь)

Teacher: Clever of you. But you see it was just warming-up. And there comes serious work. - Now we'll try to create the image of Beowulf. You should take into consideration all the details given in the text and speak on his appearance, his strength and the features of his character. So, what do you think he looked like?

(Ключевые слова выписываются на доску)

Pupil: Well, Beowulf was from Scandinavia. So, I think he was blue-eyed and fair-haired, which is typical of Scandinavians. Then, I think he was tall, broad-shouldered and strong because he was a warrior.

Teacher: Can you prove that he was very strong using the text?

Pupil: Yes, it is said here that he was as strong as thirty men.

Pupil: He tore off Grendel's arm, and to tear off a monster's arm you should be very strong.

Teacher: And what can you say about his character?

Pupil: No doubt, Beowulf was very brave; he wasn't scared of a monster, although he knew that Grendel had killed a lot of warriors.

Pupil: And I think that Beowulf was fierce and cruel in war when he fought against his enemies, but he respected men and women. He was ready to sacrifice his life for them. He decided to help King Hrothgar and his people not for his own glory, but to get rid of a terrible monster that killed people.

Pupil: I agree that Beowulf was very brave and unselfish. He was the only one who wasn't afraid of jumping into the lake in order to find and kill the witch.

blue-eyed, fair-haired (typical of Scandinavians)
tall, broad-shouldered (warrior)
brave, wasn't scared of.
fierce, cruel
ready to sacrifice … not for his own glory

Pupil: Beowulf was a Geat warrior. His appearance was typical of Scandinavians. He was blue-eyed and fair-haired. He was tall, broad-shouldered and strong because he was a warrior. He was as strong as thirty men. He was so strong that he was able to tear off the monster's arm and kill the witch. Beowulf was very brave. He wasn't scared of fighting against the monster that killed a lot of warriors, and he wasn't afraid of jumping into the dark and cold water of the lake to kill the witch. He was fierce and cruel in war when he fought against his enemies. But he was ready to sacrifice his life for his friends and other people, not for his own glory.

4) Сравнение поэмы с произведениями русской литературы.

Teacher: With what heroes of Russian literature can you compare Beowulf? Why?

Pupil: I think we can compare Beowulf with the heroes of Russian bylinas. Ilia Muromets or Dobrynia Nikitich, for example. They also fought against monsters and defended people from enemies.

Pupil: And I think “Beowulf” has much in common with Russian tales about Ivan-Tzarevich and other Ivans who fought against Koshchei Bessmertny and Baba-Yaga.

Teacher: You know that at the time when Beowulf and Russian bylinas were created there was no written language, and people just told these stones to one another. There were even special people who sang these stories. They sang about events they wanted to be remembered. These songs were handed down to children and grandchildren and subsequently reached the times when certain people, who had learned to write, decided to put them down. And why do you think people wrote "The song of Beowulf”, bylinas and tales about epic heroes?

Pupil: You see, there was no radio and television at that time, so people learned everything from the stories of other people. Chronicles say that Beowulf was a real person who lived among the Geats in Jutland and was a warrior. He was brave and committed several heroic deeds. I also believe that the heroes from Russian bylinas had their prototypes too. While telling about the heroic deeds of a real person, storytellers usually added some details to make the story more impressive. In the course of time only the name of the hero remained true, but the man grew stronger and wiser, and his enemies grew more fantastic and more terrible.

Pupil: I think that people needed the epic poems to inspire other warriors to fight against enemies, to be brave and strong.

Pupil: And I think that people believed that good always gains a victory over evil, and in epic poems they expressed their hopes and faith.

Teacher: Thank you for participating in the discussion. But now we are to return to the Anglo-Saxon period of the British history and consider the changes in the language of Britain during this period.

So, your task now is to read the text on page 14 (номера страниц в заданиях указаны по пособию, составленному мною для проведения спецкурса) and do the exercises after the text.

1. Ученики самостоятельно читают текст и выполняют задания c использованием индивидуальных карт Великобритании.

Учащиеся читают фразы из текста, соответствующие данным в упражнении русским эквивалентам.
Учащиеся читают вслух выписанные из текста и индивидуальной карты Британии географические названия англо-саксонского происхождения, распознавая их по определенным словообразовательным элементам: -ton, -ham, -field, -bury, -borough (-burgh).
Ответы на вопросы по содержанию прочитанного.

What did the English names of the days of the week mean in early times?

How did the accepting of Christianity influence the language?

Name some words of Creek and Latin origin which came into use at that time.

(Greek: arithmetic, mathematics, theatre, geography

Latin: school, paper, candle)

V. Заключительная часть урока.

Teacher: And with what country do you associate the word sheriff? America? Yes, when we hear this word, we think of a person who makes sure that the law is obeyed in his country. Nevertheless, sheriff is of Anglo-Saxon origin. The Anglo-Saxons divided their kingdoms into new administrative districts, and called them shires (today it is counties, but with the outlines that exactly coincide with the Old Saxon shires). The local administrator, a shire reeve, was appointed by a king of the kingdom over each shire; in time this title became shortened to the present-day word sheriff. Later on the word shire was used by the Danes to name the administrative districts of their new country on the territory of Britain. And nowadays the word shire is still widely used in the names of modern Midland counties. But this is the topic of our next lesson. So, for the next lesson you are to read and translate the text on pages 15-16 and do the tasks on page 17.

Англы и саксы были знаменитыми морскими разбойниками и держали в страхе побережье Галлии. В V веке они начали завоевание Британии: так и появилась Гептархия.

Англы и саксы: объединение

Племенной союз саксов, в свою очередь, выделялся из западногерманской группы племён. Они были частью североморского племенного объединения ингевонов, в которое в 4 в. до н. э. входили кимвры, тевтоны, фризы, хавки, ампсиварии, варны и англы.

В 1−2 вв. н. э. части этого племенного союза уже вступали в конфликты с Римом и грабили прибрежные поселения. Саксы стали самостоятельным объединением лишь во 2 в. н. э. и обосновались в Гольштейне на севере Германии.

К третьему столетию они постепенно перебираются к Эльбе и Нижнему Рейну вдоль берега Северного моря. В 3−4 веках саксы слыли настоящими морскими разбойниками, которые неистово грабили галльское побережье. Рим даже учредил новую военную должность — Comes Litoris Saxonici per Britanniam. Комит саксонского побережья занимался охраной всех городов и фортификаций от налётов саксов.

Приближаясь к Галлии, саксы сталкиваются с франками, которые не дают им попасть в эту римскую провинцию. Но всё же после исхода вандалов, аланов и свевов в 406 году с востока Германии саксам пришлось занять галльское побережье и даже в 407−413 гг. им удалось проникнуть в города к устью Луары — Лизье и Байе. В круговороте событий Великого переселения народов 5 столетия саксам на континенте стало совсем непросто найти своё место.

Это германское племя, как покажет история, оставалось фактически не затронутым общением с античным миром: с латинской письменностью они были не знакомы и уж тем более с развитыми общественными институтами. К 5-му столетию саксы, англы и юты сформировали свой суперсоюз племён.

Завоевание Британии: Хенгист и Хорса

В начале 5-го столетия Британские острова находились в очень уязвимом положении: в 407 году их стали покидать римские легионы, пикты и скотты усилили натиск с севера на города и поселения романо-британцев. Помимо этого, местная знать из бриттов стала делить власть между собой. Подобные междоусобные дрязги негативно влияли на обороноспособность местного населения. В итоге один из предводителей бриттов Вортигерн (исследователи считают, что это не имя, а скорее статус) в 449 году обратился за помощью к двум вождям племени ютов Хенгисту и Хорсе за военной помощью.

Хронисты Гильда Премудрый и Беда Достопочтенный сохранили в своих рукописях эту историю. Вождь бриттов пообещал за военную службу деньги и землю на территории современного Кента. Два брата высадились с войском на острове Танет. Дружины германцев имели хороший боевой опыт и быстро разбили нападавших с севера варваров. Но перебои с продовольствием со стороны клиентов быстро разозлили англосаксов: мятеж не заставил себя долго ждать. Германские наёмники начали борьбу с местной властью и их подданными. С этого момента принято отсчитывать англосаксонское завоевание Британских островов.

Предания о призвании правителей из-за моря укоренились в исторической памяти многих народов. Многие исследователи полагают, что подобные эпизоды в истории не имеют ничего общего с достоверностью и воспринимаются ими лишь как фольклорный элемент. Безусловно, отчасти это так, но не бывает дыма без огня.

Подобные споры помогает разрешить археология. Переселение саксов и ютов на территорию Кента в 5 веке не являлось чем-то доселе невиданным. Раскопки показали, что на юго-востоке Британии присутствовали следы поселений германцев не позднее конца 4 века. Это объясняется тем, что римские наместники набирали отряды варваров для обороны береговой линии от набегов их же соплеменников.

Гептархия. Игра престолов

Около 455 года хроники фиксируют открытые столкновения дружин Хенгиста и Хорсы с Вортигерном и его подданными. В одном из первых сражений при Эйлсфорде Хорса погибает, и полнота власти переходит к Хенгисту. В период кровопролитных столкновений с 455 по 473 год полиплеменная дружина Хенгиста смогла занять юго-восток Британии и основать первое королевство ютов — Кент. Вождь саксов Элла в 477 году начал натиск на бриттов и к 491 году стал правителем Суссекса. Через 4 года ещё два саксонских вождя Кедрик и Кинрик прибыли на Британские острова и основали королевство западных саксов — Уэссекс.

В 6-м столетии масштабы переселения англосаксов и их экспансии из-за моря возросли, хотя изначально эта фаза завоевания островов была не вполне успешной. Крупное поражение потерпели англосаксы у горы Бадон 516 год — тогда бритты под командованием Амвросия Аврелиана на время остановили напор германцев. Есть версия, что именно этот романо-британский полководец стал прообразом легендарного короля Артура. Тем не менее в 570−590 гг. германские племена уверенно заняли юго-восток и центральную часть острова. К началу 7-го столетия на Британских островах было образовано Семикоролевье, или Гептархия: Нортумбрия, Мерсия и Восточная Англия были в ведении англов, саксы основали Эссекс, Суссекс и Уэссекс, а юты по-прежнему владели Кентом.

До конца 6 века варварские королевства в Британии оставались языческими. Процесс христианизации начался в 597 году, когда король Кента принял новую веру. Постепенно и остальные государственные образования англосаксов обратились к христианству. На этой почве в 7 веке возникали конфликты между королевствами: в основном за влияние сражались Нортумбрия и Мерсия.

Но следует сказать, что процесс, начатый в 5 веке, достиг своего апогея: Британские острова образовали новый этнокультурный элемент, который коренным образом изменил историю.

After the departure of the Romans (407) the Celts retained their independence for a short period of time. From the middle of the 5th century they were subject to the attacks of the Germanic tribes of the Jutes, the Saxon and the Angles. The Jutes and the Angles came from the Jutland peninsula (southern Denmark) and the Saxons from the territory between the Rhine and the Elbe rivers (northern Germany). By the 5th century the German tribes were expanding into the Roman Empire, as well as into Britain. The Angles, Saxons and Jutes turned their special attention to the British Isles.

At first they came to plunder. They would land from their boats, drive off and slay the cattle, seize the stores of corn, and be off again to sea before the Celts could attack them. But after some time they return again and again in larger numbers and began to conquer the country.

In 449 the Jutes landed in Kent and this was the beginning of the conquest. The British natives fought fiercely against the invaders and it took more than a hundred and 50 years for the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes to conquer the country. The Germanic tribes conquered the Roman provinces on the Continent without any serious resistance as the bulk of the population in the provinces occupied by the Roman welcomed the Germanic invaders as their liberators. But the British Celts were free at the time and their resistance was often stubborn and prolonged. In the South-East the Celts were soon overwhelmed, but in the western parts of the country they offered stout resistance for many years. Now and then the Celts won and the invaders were forced back. As a result Britain held out longer than the other provinces of the Roman Empire. It was only by the beginning of the 7th century that the invaders managed to conquer the greater part of the land.

The final refuge of the Cells was Cornwall and Wales - the mountainous districts of the West - and the northern part of the island (Scotland) where the Celts were still living in tribes and, later on, some independent states were formed. The Celts of Ireland remained independent too.

In the course of the conquest many of the Celts were killed, some were taken prisoners and made slaves or had to pay tribute to the conquerors. Some of the Celts crossed the sea to the North-West of France and settled in what was later on called Brittany after the Celtic tribes of Britons.

By the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 7th century several kingdoms were formed on the territory of Britain conquered by the Germanic tribes. Kent was set up by the Jutes in the South-East. In the southern and the south-eastern parts of the country the Saxons formed a number of kingdoms — Sussex (the land of the South Saxons), Wessex (the land of the West Saxons) and Essex (the land of the East Saxons). Farther north were the settlements of the Angles who had conquered the greater part of the country. In the North they founded Northumbria, which has left its name in the present county of Northumberland; Mercia was formed in the Middle, and East Anglia — in the East of England, north of the East Saxon kingdom. These kingdoms were hostile to one another and they fought constantly for supreme power in the country.

The new conquerors brought new changes altogether different from those that had followed the conquest of the country by the Romans. The new settlers disliked towns preferring to live in small villages. In the course of the conquest they destroyed the Roman towns and villas. All the beautiful buildings and baths and roads were so neglected that they soon fell in ruins.

The Jutes, the Saxons and the Angles were closely akin in speech and customs. The name “Jute” soon died out and the conquerors were referred to as the Anglo-Saxons.

As a result of the conquest the Anglo-Saxons made up the majority of the population in Britain and their customs, religion and languages became predominant.

At first the Anglo-Saxons spoke various dialects but gradually the dialect of the Angles of Mercia became predominant. In the course of time all the people of Britain were referred to as the English after the Angles and the new name of England was given to the whole country. The Anglo-Saxon language, or English, has been the principal language of the country since then although it has undergone great change.

The conquest must have been ruthless in its character. The barbaric invaders not only annihilated all the remnants of Roman culture, they killed and plundered and laid the country waste.

Life in Anglo-Saxon village

The Anglo-Saxons came in family groups and in tribes with wives and children immediately following in the wake of the warriors with personal effects, household possessions and agricultural implements. The ancient organization of blood-relations as a social unit was beginning to decay since the military group was growing in importance through the military leader still surrounded himself with blood-relations: the migrants of kinship groups and tribes quickened this process of decay, since family groups were liable to be scattered and intermixed in the process. Besides, side by side with the family group appeared another unit of society, a territorial one – the village or the township as it was called. The prevailing form of landownership was characteristic of a free village community: land was common property.

Most of the Anglo-Saxons settled far away from the Roman towns. They would find a suitable place in the valley of some river, where the soil was good and there was a good water supply. They often used the lands round the Roman villas, but as a rule they lived neither in the villas themselves nor in the Roman towns – they were essentially an agricultural people. Besides arable-farming, the Anglo-Saxons continued their old occupations of cattle-breeding, hunting and fishing.

Each village was self-sufficient, that is most of the necessities of life were produced in the village itself. The needs of the villagers were few and simple. Food, clothing and shelter were their basic needs. Arable-farming and cattle-breeding satisfied the needs of the people in the way of foodstuffs, clothing and footwear.

The peasants of the village formed a little society - a community. The land of the village belonged to the whole community and each villager had a right to a share of it. From the village meadows the members of the community had a share of hay to feed their cattle in winter-time, in the common forests they cut branches for winter-fuel; they grazed their cattle on the common pasture and fished in the rivers and lakes. However, harvest, cattle, implements of labour and the house with a garden round it were the villager's private property.

All the disputes of the community members were settled at the folk-moots. The community united the peasants as they used the pastures, meadows and forests in common, cultivated the land in one and the same way according to the old customs and tackled all other problems in common.

Свидетельство и скидка на обучение каждому участнику

Зарегистрироваться 15–17 марта 2022 г.

Описание презентации по отдельным слайдам:

Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian conquest of Britain. Alfred the Great and his significance in the history of England. Old English language. Presented by

Conquest of Britain by Germanic tribes In 409 all the Roman troops left Britain in order to defend Roman Empire from attacks of barbarous tribes. Then three Germanic tribes, the SAXONS (from lower Germany), the ANGLES (from Schleswig-Holstein) and the JUTES (from Denmark) settled in England in 431.

Settling of the territory of the British Isles During VI–VII centuries a united Roman province, Britain, was divided into seven small kingdoms by Saxons, Angles and Jutes: Kent was established by Jutes. Wessex, Sussex and Essex – by Saxons. Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia – by Angles. Celts were driven by them to Wales, Cornwall and Scotland.

The Anglo - Saxons.

King Vortigern greets Hengest and Horsa The British king VORTIGERN, under pressure from his neighbors, asked groups of Germanics lead by HENGIST and HORSA to assist him in fighting his enemies. Hengist and Horsa liked the land and took it for themselves, bringing over more kinfolk.

Cenotaph Sutton Hoo, Suffolk Archeological finds allow to imagine the power and wealth of Saxons. For example, cenotaph Sutton Hoo, ancient necropolis situated to the east of Woodbridge in Suffolk.

Archeological dig of cenotaph Sutton Hoo, Suffolk At the Sutton Hoo cenotaph a burial boat was found in 1938. Also scientists have found jewelry, golden coins, a sword with gold handle, lance, shield, and steel helmet.

A burial mask and it’s reconstruction from the cenotaph Sutton Hoo , Suffolk

St. Augustine Preaching to the King Aethelbert of Kent The conversion to Christianity of King Aethelberht of Kent and the kings of Essex and East Anglia, then the baptism of King Edwin of Northumbria established Christianity within the highest eschelons of English society. The first church was built in the town of Canterbury.

Formation of the new territories, named “Danelaw” By the end of the 9-th century more than half of England was yielded to the invaders and recognized as Danish territory – “Danelaw”

Egbert ( 802-839), the king of Wessex.

King Alfred the Great Alfred (849-900), king of Wessex, ruled from 871 to 899. He was the man who defeated the Danes (Vikings) and divided the country into north- eastern part ( Danelaw) and south – western part (English law). The statue of King Alfred in Wantage, Oxfordshire.

King Alfred. He developed education. Restored many monasteries. United the country under the rule of Wessex kings. Translated many books from Latin into English. Ordered the complication of the first history book- the Anglo – Saxon Chronicle. Built new forts. Created fleet and laid the foundation for a regular army. Tried to created a uniform legal space. Won a decisive victory over Danes in 878.

History and origin of Old English language. Old English, also known as Anglo – Saxon, refers to the English language as it was from about the middle of the fifth century until around the middle of the twelfth century. It belongs to the Anglo – Frisian group of a West – Germanic language. So, it’s closely related to Dutch, German and especially Frisian , as well as, more distantly the Scandinavian( North – Germanic) languages. Old English wasn’t a monolithic linguistic structure, but rather a tapestry of many varying dialects that must have represented the different tribal origins of the original settlers. There were several major dialect areas of Old English.

Areas of spreading of different dialects of Old English language Old English had many dialects. The four main dialectal forms of Old English were Mercian, Northumbrian (known collectively as Anglian dialects), Kentish, and West Saxon. Each of those dialects was associated with an independent kingdom on the island.

Development . Old English wasn’t static, and it’s usage covered a period of approximately 700 years – from the Anglo – Saxon migrations that created England in the 5th century to some time after the Norman Conquest of 1066. During this early period it assimilated with the Celtic languages and the two dialects of Old Norse from the invading Vikings. Because of the varying degrees of influence of Old Norse on Old English, the modern language still retains etymological doublets, such as shirt and skirt, both deriving from the same root, but with divergent meanings and phonological makeup.But the most important force in shaping Old English was it’s Germanic heritage in it’s vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar.

Development. Latin influence: Latin was the language of learning and the church in the Middle Ages and also served for international diplomacy and trade. It’s known that many words of commerce were borrowed into Germanic before the Anglo – Saxon conquest of Britain, while others entered English after the Christianization of the Anglo – Saxons in England. Many other Latin words borrowed by Old English were brought into the language through the mediation of the Celts, who had lived in Britain under Roman overlordship for many centuries. One of the ways the influence of Latin can be seen is that many Latin words for activities came to also be used to refer to the people, engaged in those activities, an idiom carried over from Anglo – Saxon, but using Latin words. Ex.: assembly, movement, militia.

Development. After the process of unification of the diverse Anglo – Saxon kingdoms in 878 by Alfred the Great, there is a marked decline in the importance regional dialects.

Orthography: The runic Alphabet (Futhorc) Old English was at first written in runes, but shifted to the Latin alphabet, with some additions, after the Anglo-Saxons' conversion to Christianity.

Old English Literature. Most extant Old English writings are in the West Saxon dialect. The great epic poem of Old English is Beowulf. The first period of extensive literary activity occurred in the 9th century.

Morphology Old English is a language rich with morphological diversity. Like other Germanic languages, Old English was fully inflected with 5 grammatical cases: 1. Nominative 2.Accusative 3.Genitive 4.Dative 5.Instrumental -These cases had dual plural forms for referring for groups of two objects ( but only in the personal pronouns) in addition to the usual singular and plural forms.

Old English had 3 genders for nouns and adjectives: Masculine Feminine Neuter Nouns, pronouns and adjectives were also inflected for case. Old English had also a greater proportion of strong (irregular) verbs than does Modern English.

Example of Old English pronounce Old English words were spelt as they were pronounced; the "silent" letters in many Modern English words, such as the k in knight, were in fact pronounced in Old English. For example, the c in cniht, the Old English ancestor of the modern knight, was pronounced.

Syntax The word order of Old English The word order of Old English, however, was not overly important due to the aforementioned morphology of the language. So long as declension was correct, it didn't matter whether you said "My name is. " as "Mīn nama is. " or "Nama mīn is. "

Читайте также: