AAE Q79: How old is English?

Hi!!!

Please, how old is English language?

Thanks

Petra

Hi Petra,

English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers and Roman auxiliary troops from northwest Germany and the Northern Netherlands. Britain was settled by these speakers around the year 450 AD. If we use this as a starting point, the English language is just over 1,500 years old.

• 450–1100 Old English (Anglo-Saxon) – The language of Beowulf.
• 1100–1500 Middle English – The language of Chaucer.
• 1500–1650 Early Modern English (or Renaissance English) – The language of Shakespeare.
• 1650–present Modern English (or Present-Day English) – The language as spoken today.

Please click here to see more info about the history of the English Language.

Hope this helps

M