The Adventure Of English - Episode 1 Birth of a Language - BBC Documentary. Summery

This video tells us about the history of English. It covers the period from 500 A. D. to our times. During first 300years it was the language spoken by underground, but it's international now.

The author said the first dwellers of England had been Romans. Then the territory was invaded by Germanic tribes. Only Celts survived (their language resembled the modern one which is widely used in Northern parts of England). So by the end of the 6th century Germanic tribes had divided mainland into a number of kingdoms: Kent, Sussex, Essex, Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Nothembria. By the way, 25 000words and endings -ing, -ton, -ham came to us from that times.

In 597 the monk and prior Augustan led a mission from Rome to Kent. Around the same time Irish monks of the Celtic Church were establishing a presence in the North. This is Singapore's in Jarrow parts of which date from 7th century. Latin words made English vocabulary richer. Runic alphabet appeared.

Christianity brought books to English shores. As it was mentioned in the video, the flourishing of English started. The first poem was "Beowulf".

Vikings who sacked and burned the religious centre, the church became bubbles around the vikings neck. Only Wessex still held out thanks to the king Alfred (the state to him was situated in Winchester now).

In 878 the Danes appeared to be a decisive battle. Running free in the Somerset Levels Alfred discovered the art of irregular warfare and magic guerrilla attacks against the occupying forces. As a result, Danish had an impact on the development of English too (e. g. endings -son, -um). But the spreading jewelled Alfred's crown.

Another wave of invaders began when in 1066 William Duke of Normand sailed with his army to claim the English throne.

The rest laid after Edwardian period. Then Harold crowned himself. But randomly he was fatally pierced.  The next king was William and the English language was influenced by French at that time (≈10 000words). The negative ruling classroom before the Cpngress had been slaughtered, banished or disinherited in favour of William's followers. Herat of the country was in the hands of just 190men and English had been forced in different ways. It took 300 years to reemerge.