THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

OLD ENGLISH(500-1100) The origins and development of the language in England started around 5th century when the Angles,the Saxons and the Jutes invaders settled in the British Islands and they called the country "England" which means the Land of the Angles .These populations spoke an Indo-European language which was later called Old English.This language included words from Celtic and Vikings' languages and was written in runes.The Latin alphabet was introduced by Irish Christian missionaries in the 7th century. The first manuscript in Old English was "Beowulf". MIDDLE ENGLISH(1100-1500) Norman's invasion took an Old French dialect called "Anglo-Norman" which had Latin roots and Germanic influences.This new language which was spoken by ruling class marged with Old English .In this way English developed into Middle English.It soon became the literary language and Geoffrey Chaucer used it to write his masterpiece,the Canterbury Tales.By the middle of the 14th century,the linguistic division between the ruling class and the common people was over.

ENGLISH SOCIETY
11th,12th,13th centuries Feudalism was a method of organising society which was divided by a system of fees where a man had to promise with homage loyalty and service to his lord. The king was the owner of all land, but he was then held by others, called vassals, in return for goods and services especially military service.The chief vassals,the barons, in turn created other vassals,the Knights and the villains.The baron retained some arable lands for him self.The meadows and waste land where common to all,and this open fields were used for pasture. The woods,the hunting and fishing rigths belonged to the lord.The pleasants were either villains who were free but attached to the land on which they were born,or serfs,who were almost slaves. While the knight gave military service to his lord in exchange for his land, the pleasant's service was in the form of work on his lord's farm. 14th,15th centuries The growth of trade and circolation of money in the 13th marked the passage to a new phase of the Middle Ages and a higher living standard.The 14th century was particularly important in the history of England since it was the moment in which the new middle classes,rural and urban, first appared upon the political economic,social,religious,and literary scenes with a shape of their own,though they were not yet conscious of what dimensions and form that shape was taking.The century saw the rise of the merchants as counsellors of the king upon whom land titles and power were conferred. His tendency led to the creation of a mercantile nobility.In this climate of changes was born a movement of riform called Lollardy,whose leading figure was John Wycliffe.

CULTURE
The Middle Ages was a dark age for science where culture was dominated by the Church and rules of faith.This period was a very religious period where the Cristian church was the most important institution. God was so much a part of everyday life.

(All schools thought about God,all meals were sacred to God,and pretty much all politicians were also priests.Many people belived that they could only go to Haeven if everybody around them was a good cristian too,if you beleved differently from them you went to Hell). The peoples education was reserved to the riches. The studies had to be paid and peasants couldnt afford to pay the fees. They could only be educated if the lord of the manor had given his permission. The members of the Church were the most educated people but many of them had taken a vow of isolation and their work remained isolated with them in monasteries. Beside the Englands development,especially in the developing world of merchant trade,there was the necessity of people more educated. Important trading towns founded grammar schools where all lessons were taught in Latin,the language used by merchants when they traded in Europe. Before the printings birth the books,written by monks,were very expensive and schools couldnt buy them for students education. In this period England saw the founding of Oxford and Cambridge Universities for students who excelled at grammar schools. Very few women went to school and noble girls were instructed at home by families. Women often learnt to play a musical instrument and sing but the philosophy of their education remained to be tied around how to keep a successful household for their husbands.

LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Daily life in the Middle ages was dictated by wealth, power and status and the feudal system.The high ranking nobles lived in castles with their knights, ladies and retinues. Others enjoyed their daily life on their manors. For most of the population who worked in the countryside life was peaceful and they spent most of their time working the land, and trying to grow enough food to survive another year. Trade flourished and towns grew and prospered. New industries were set up and luxury goods reached Europe from the far corners of the world. Skilled craftsmen built magnificent castles and cathedrals. The monotony and drudgery of Medieval daily life during the Middle ages was alleviated by the various types of entertainment, festivals and holidays. They shared a common life in the work of the fields, in the sports of the village green, and in the services of the parish church. They enjoyed many holidays; it has been estimated that, besides Sundays, about eight weeks in every year were free from work. Festivities at Christmas, Easter, and May Day, at the end of ploughing and the completion of harvest, relieved the monotony of the daily round of labor.