Introduction

This construal is concerned with the research of how, alongside other languages, English is being undermined and stripped away from its nuanced possessions due to the so-proclaimed “advancements in communicative technology” that is the product of our modern era. For the sake of clarity, the research is divided into two sections, and the first one will be giving the historical background needed to support the research’s later claims. The text will start with the first widely acknowledged dwellers of the British Isles, the celts, and move on systematically over to other necessary historical landmarks as seen fit. The reader should keep in mind that this version of the language’s historical background is only intended to give a general idea, it is by no means a comprehensive survey.

Summarized Historical Background

Starting with the Celtic Britain Period from 600 B.C. to around 50 A.D. we see tribal people arriving on the isles from either Eastern Europe or Southern Russia, bringing with them their understanding of a society that is highly aristocratic in form ruled by warrior elites. These quarrelsome but effective settlers introduced the concepts of ironworking/smithing to the lands while various clans enlarged the lands under their control. Their language was said to be Brythonic in what is now England and Goidelic in Ireland and, possibly, the west coast of Scotland. Their language just like all other languages reflected their way of life, that is, a tribal life of agriculture and farming and when it comes down to it, fighting.

After the revolt of Boudicca against the Roman Empire and Britain coming mostly under the rule of the Romans, Latin expectedly found its place in the languages used by the native people. Also, the notion of “Interpretatio Romana”, where Romans would tolerate foreign deities or even go as far as to rename them with their own deities’ names to better associate themselves with cultures of the “outside”, was prevalent. The cultural contrast that existed between the tribal languages of Celtic people and the proud and -generally- formal Latin resulted in the advent of British Vulgar Latin, adding a new ingredient to the current concoction that is called English.

Later Anglo-Saxon incursions brought the Angles; West Germanic tribes in the 5th century A.D. and the Saxons; a Germanic people near the mouth of River Elbe around the 6th century A.D. The Anglo-Saxon period ushered in the beginnings of what is now English Literature with its long narrative poems and vernacular poetry recited by scops. Literature in this period reflected their strong belief in fate; their ideals of good always defeating evil, loyalty to the king and kinsmen, strength and honor played a big role in how stories were shaped.

Derived from north man, Normans were a people situated in northern France with Germanic ancestry. These Christianized people spoke a dialect of Latin called Norman French and their kingdom of France had a very different culture compared to Anglo-Saxons. Norman Invasions led by William the Conqueror due to his claim on the English crown saw him assemble a large entourage of nobility to make battle with his foes nestled within his birthright. The success in the Battle of Hastings granted William free reign to do as he wished on matters of England, and he chose to divide it into manageable lands to the Church and 170 lords who had sworn loyalty to him, thereby creating feudalism. Literature in this period flourished, and advancements in Heroic, Elegiac, and Romance poems took place.

More familiar to our time, periods of Renaissance, Neoclassical, Victorian, etc. all added to the quality and depth of the language and the general idea surrounding it. Of course, this is far from encompassing all of the intricate parts of the language, but it is not in our specific interest to underline in detail all aspects of a language’s literary progression anyway.

The factual claims will be addressed in the second part of the research, but the first part still constitutes a relatively good starting point for other research related to the origins of English language in its own right.