Where does the English language derive from?

Answer 1

The earliest records we have about the language spoken in England date from about 600. Anything before that is an educated guess. Some words in a variety of languages sound similar: the English "daughter" sounds like the German "tochter". These words have a common origin in "Indo-European". The earliest language (or more probably languages) spoken by primitive humans (the Angles) in the British Isles have vanished, except perhaps for a few words, mostly the names of plants, animals and the like unique to the British Isles. In the early 5th century, several Germanic tribes called Saxons settled in Britain, and their languages became Old English or Anglo-Saxon. Christianity came to the British Isles at the end of the 6th century, and brought Latin, which rapidly replaced Old English as the language of the educated and ruling classes. By the Norman Conquest (1066) Old English and Latin were entangled. The Normans brought with them Old French. As written language spread, Middle English developed, and a particular dialect, the West Midland dialect, became the most widely used, and what we now know as "English" was born. Middle English still had a long way to go to become Modern English. Its roots were more apparent: Indo-European, Anglo-Saxon, Old German and Old French. English has continued to absorb words from other languages, for example: banana, adios, paprika, scarlet, yogurt, gingham, yoga, hooligan.