Anglo-Saxon England: Origins, Invasions, and Linguistic Evolution

Posted on Mar 23, 2025 in History

Examination B

True or False

  1. The people that Romans found in their invasion were Anglo-Saxon. False
  2. England has received three main invasions were Anglo-Saxon. False
  3. Anglo-Saxon people were not good at farming and cultivating the land. False
  4. Old English is a Celtic language. False

Roman vs. Anglo-Saxon Invasions

The Roman invasion occurred from 43 to 410 AD, whereas the Anglo-Saxon invasion spanned from the 5th to the 9th century.

  • Roman: The goal of the conquest was to expand their empire.
  • Anglo-Saxon: Driven by the need for resources and land.

The Romans had an organized and trained army, while the Anglo-Saxons were primarily farmers and warriors.

The Roman invasion was primarily military, while the Anglo-Saxon invasion had a significant cultural impact.

The Romans tended not to interact with the local inhabitants, building their own villas. In contrast, the Anglo-Saxons settled down, integrated, and intermarried with the existing population.

Etymological Origin of “Canterbury”

The word “Canterbury” originates from the Christianization period, starting in 597 AD. King Æthelberht built a small chapel known as “Kent-wara-byrig” (Canterbury).

Origin of Common English Words

  • “I” comes from the nominative singular “Iċ”.
  • “this” comes from the nominative neuter “þis”.
  • “which” comes from “hwelċ”.
  • “you” comes from the nominative singular “þū”.
  • “why” comes from the instrumental male and neuter “hwȳ”.
  • “she” comes from the nominative female singular “hēo”.
  • “us” comes from the plural accusative and dative of the first person pronoun “ūs”.
  • “what” comes from the nominative neuter “hwæt”.

“Skirt” and “Shirt”: A Scandinavian Connection

The words “skirt” and “shirt” appeared in English with the Scandinavian invasions. The influence of their language on Old English was significant, as both were Germanic languages. This influence is particularly strong in northern dialects.

Some pairs of words have developed slight differences in meaning: shirt, skirt.

Phonological Evolution Examples

  1. PE milk > OE mioluc: “u” umlaut, a process where palatal and anterior vowels /i/ turn into /io/.
  2. PE *feld > OE field: Lengthening of vowel.
  3. PE *stapjan > OE steppan: Duplication of consonant between brief vowel and yod.
  4. IE *pater > PE fadar > OE fæder: Voiceless plosive consonant turned into voiceless fricative /p/ > /f/, and the /a/ changed into /æ/.
  5. IE *ed > PE *etan > OE etan: Voiced plosive consonants turned into voiceless plosive. /d/ > /t/.
  6. PE cese > OE cēse: Palatalization of /k/ and /g/.
  7. PE sætern-dæg > OE sæter-dæg: Simplification of consonant.

Irregular Plural Forms

  • Foot / feet (futiz > fet): The sound /u:/ is palatalized due to the influence of the “i” element in the following syllable, “i” umlaut, sound /u:/ turns into /i:/.
  • Man / men (mann / menn): The sound /a/ is palatalized into /e/ due to metaphony.
  • Child / Children (ċild): Double plural. Plural is expressed by –en.
  • Mouse / Mice (mūsiz / mys): The sound /u:/ is palatalized due to the influence of the “i” element in the following syllable, “i” umlaut, sound /u:/ turns to /i:/.