Christianization of Britain: Linguistic Impact on Old English
The Linguistic Impact of Christianization on Britain
The conversion of Britain to Roman Christianity, beginning in 597 with St. Augustine’s arrival in Kent, significantly influenced Old English (OE). This is recognized as the Second Period of Latin influence, following an initial period through Celtic transmission. Within a century, all of England had embraced Christianity.
The introduction of Christianity led to the construction of churches and the establishment of monasteries and their schools. Latin was the language used in services and ecclesiastical learning. The Church, as a carrier of Roman civilization, influenced English life in many ways. Numerous indicators of this influence are evident in the vocabulary of Old English.
Early and Later Latin Borrowings
From the introduction of Christianity to the close of the OE period, a span of over 500 years, a rapid influx of Latin words likely occurred with the initial wave of Christianization. The new concepts introduced by the religion necessitated expressions not found in OE.
The enrichment of English vocabulary was gradual, allowing us to divide the Latin borrowings of the Second Period into two groups:
Early Borrowings (Alfred’s Time)
The first group comprises words whose phonetic form indicates early borrowing, traceable to the time of Alfred. These words expressed ideas new to British civilization. Accepting the new concepts or objects introduced by Christianity involved accepting the words used to denote them. Thus, most OE words related to the Church, its services, physical structure, and ministers were borrowed at this time.
Many words adopted during this period relate to other subjects, as the Church also impacted domestic life. These include names of:
- Articles of clothing and household use (cap, sock, candle)
- Nourishments (pear, lobster)
- Trees, plants, and herbs (pine, aloe)
Furthermore, borrowed words related to education and learning (school, master, verse) are also found. In the early days of Christianity, Latin borrowings were varied and numerous.
Later Borrowings (10th and 11th Centuries)
The second group contains words of a more learned character, first recorded in the 10th and 11th centuries, introduced by the religious revival of the Benedictine Reform. This followed a period of limited Latin additions due to a decline in religion and learning. The reform brought renewed literary activity and improved education.
The Latin words adopted during this period differ from earlier Christian borrowings, being less popular and expressing more scientific and learned ideas. As in the first period, some words related to religious matters (Antichrist, cloister, demon) and plants (ginger, cucumber, periwinkle) were introduced, but literary and learned words predominate instead of everyday terms. Examples include accent, history, paper, and title.
Additionally, some medical terms (cancer, paralysis) and words relating to the animal kingdom (camel, tiger, scorpion) belong to the same category of learned and literary borrowings.
Impact on the English Language
By examining the process of borrowing from Latin, we can understand how Christianization affected the lives and thoughts of the English people. The English did not always adopt foreign words for new concepts; often, old words were applied to new things and adapted to express new meanings. For example, the Anglo-Saxons retained their equivalent God instead of adopting the Latin word deus. Similarly, since heaven and hell were not alien concepts, they did not adopt their Latin equivalents.
The linguistic influence of Christianization is measured not only by the number of borrowings but also by how it stimulated the English language to fully utilize its native resources.