The similarities and distinctions between Old English (OE) and Middle English (ME) will be explored in this essay
In the essay I will critically discuss the evolution of Standard English that
lead to social inequality to the extent of the linguistic context in South
Africa.
, The English language has evolved dramatically over the years. Changes
inspired by a variety of influences, including invasions, religion, and loan
words from foreign languages, to name a few. The similarities and
distinctions between Old English (OE) and Middle English (ME) will be
explored in this essay using an excerpt from Genesis 19: 23 - 26 from The
Gospel of Saint Matthew in West Saxon and an extract from the same
verse from Wycliffe's Bible translation in ME. Orthography, pronunciation,
grammar, morphology, and inflections will be examined for similarities and
distinctions. The Norman Conquest, as well as certain historical contexts
on the history of Old English and the influence of Old Norse, will be briefly
mentioned.
Historical context of the passage
The OE text dates back to approximately 1000 Common Era (CE), by this
time, the history of the English language was already well on its way.
England was invaded by the Roman Empire in 43 Before Common Era
(BCE). The Romans brought the language of Latin to England where the
inhabitants spoke Celtic. The Romans also began to build forts, settlements
and roads and spread their language, culture, and laws [ CITATION
BBCND \l 7177 ]. The Romans vacated England in 410 CE, leaving behind
some Latin words such as “Planta” (plant), “win” (wine), “catte” (cat), “cetel”
(kettle) – just to name a few from the estimated 200 words [CITATION
Bra041 \p 6 \l7177 ].
After the Romans had left England, England was exposed for other
invasions. Germanic tribes, namely the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes,
[ CITATION Ess19 \l7177 ] collectively referred to as the Anglo-Saxons
began invading England between the 5th and 6th centuries [CITATION
Bra041 \p 3 \l 7177 ]. These Germanic tribes were dominant to the
vulnerable Celtic tribes and forced the Celtic natives to the west and north
regions–now known as Wales, Scotland, and Ireland [ CITATION Lin15 \l
7177 ]. The Germanic language brought by the Anglo-Saxon’s formed the
basis of OE (Horne, Knoetze, Levey et.al, 2020, p. 10). The Anglo-Saxons
made use of the runic alphabet to keep a basic account of the history and
early poetry.
In the early 6th century, the Romans came back, but not to divide and
conquer, but as missionaries. They brought the ideologies of the Christian
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