VOICE ONE: Thi i Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO: And thi i Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special Englih program, EXPLORATIONS. Today we preent the econd of our two program about the hitory of the Englih Language.
VOICE ONE: Lat week, we told how the Englih language developed a a reult of everal invaion of Britain. The firt involved three tribe called the Angle, the Jute and the Saxon. A mix of their language produced a language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old Englih. It ounded very much like German. Only a few word remained from the Celt who had lived in Britain.
Two more invaion added word to Old Englih. The Viking of Denmark, Norway and Sweden arrived in Britain more than one thouand year ago. The next invaion took place in the year ten ixty-ix. French force from Normandy were led by a man known a William the Conqueror.
The Norman ruler added many word to Englih. The word "parliament," "jury,""jutice,"and other that deal with law come from the Norman ruler.
VOICE TWO: Over time, the different language combined to reult in what Englih expert call Middle Englih. While Middle Englih till ound imilar to German, it alo begin to ound like Modern Englih.
VOICE TWO: Here Warren Scheer read the very beginning of Geoffrey Chaucer' great poem, "The Canterbury Tale"a it wa written in Middle Englih.WWw.hAOzuowEn.com
VOICE ONE: Chaucer wrote that poem in the late thirteen hundred. It wa written in the language of the people. The ruler of Britain at that time till poke the Norman French they brought with them in ten ixty-ix.
The king of Britain did not peak the language of the people until the early fourteen hundred. Slowly, Norman French wa ued le and le until it diappeared.
VOICE TWO: The Englih language wa trongly influenced by an event that took place more than one thouand four hundred year ago. In the year five ninety-even, the Roman Catholic Church began it attempt to make Chritianity the religion of Britain.
The language of the Catholic Church wa Latin. Latin wa not poken a a language in any country at that time. But it wa till ued by ome people.
Latin made it poible for a church member from Rome to peak to a church member from Britain. Educated people from different countrie could communicate uing Latin.
Latin had a great affect on the Englih language. Here are a few example. The Latin word "dicu" became everal word in Englih including "dik," "dih,"and "dek." The Latin word" quietu"became the Englih word "quiet." Some Englih name of plant uch a ginger and tree uch a cedar come from Latin. So do ome medical word uch a cancer.
VOICE ONE: Englih i a little like a living thing that continue to grow. Englih began to grow more quickly when William Caxton returned to Britain in the year fourteen eventy-ix. He had been in Holland and other area of Europe where he had learned printing. He returned to Britain with the firt printing pre.
The printing pre made it poible for almot anyone to buy a book. It helped pread education and the Englih language.
VOICE TWO: Slowly, during the fifteen hundred Englih became the modern language we would recognize. Englih peaker today would be able to communicate with Englih peaker in the lat part of the Sixteenth Century.
It wa during thi time period that the greatet writer in Englih produced hi work. Hi name wa William Shakepeare. Hi play continue to be printed, acted in theater, and een in motion picture almot four hundred year after hi death.
VOICE ONE: Expert ay that Shakepeare' work wa written to be performed on the tage, not to be read. Yet every ound of hi word can produce word picture, and provide feeling of anger, fear, and laughter. Shakepeare' famou play "Romeo and Juliet"i o ad that people cry when they ee thi famou tory.
The tory of the power hungry King Richard the Third i another very popular play by Shakepeare. Liten a Shep O'Neal read the beginning, of "Richard the Third."
VOICE TWO: The development of the Englih language took a giant tep jut nine year before the death of William Shakepeare. Three mall Britih hip croed the Atlantic Ocean in ixteen-oh-even. They landed in an area that would later become the outhern American tate of Virginia. They began the firt of everal Britih colonie. The name of the firt mall colony wa Jametown.
VOICE TWO: In time, people in thee new colonie began to call area of their new land by word borrowed from the native people they found living there. For example, many of the great river in the United State are taken from American Indian word. The Miiippi, the Tenneee, the Miouri are example. Other Native American word included "moccain" the kind of hoe made of animal kin that Indian wore on their feet. Thi borrowing or adding of foreign word to Englih wa a way of expanding the language. The name of three day of the week are good example of thi. The people from Northern Europe honored three god with a pecial day each week. The god were Odin, Thor and Freya. Odin'-day became Wedneday in Englih, Thor'-day became Thurday and Freya'-day became Friday.
VOICE ONE: Britain had other colonie in Africa, Aia, the Caribbean, and India. The Englih language alo became part of thee colonie. Thee colonie are now independent, but Englih till i one of the language poken. And the Englih language grew a word from the native language were added.
For example, the word "hampoo"for oap for the hair came from India. "Banana"i believed to be from Africa.
Expert cannot explain many Englih word. For hundred of year, a dog wa called a "hound." The word i till ued but not a commonly a the word "dog." Expert do not know where the word "dog"came from or when. Englih peaker jut tarted uing it. Other word whoe origin are unknown include "fun,""bad,"and "big."
VOICE TWO: Englih peaker alo continue to invent new word by linking old word together. A good example i the word "motor"and "hotel." Many year ago ome one linked them together into the word "motel." A motel i a mall hotel near a road where people travelling in car can tay for the night.
Other word come from the firt letter of name of group or device. A device to find object that cannot be een called Radio Detecting and Ranging became "Radar." The North Atlantic Treaty Organization i uually called NATO.
VOICE TWO: Expert ay that Englih ha more word that explain the ame thing that any other language. For example, the word "large," "huge,""vat," "maive," and "enormou" all mean omething really "big."
VOICE ONE: People often ak how many word there are in the Englih language. Well, no one really know. The Oxford Englih Dictionary lit about ix hundred fifteen thouand word. Yet the many cientific word not in the dictionary could increae the number to almot one million.
And expert are never really ure how to count Englih word. For example, the word "moue." A moue i a mall creature from the rodent family. But "moue"ha another very different meaning. A "moue" i alo a hand-held device ued to help control a computer. If you are counting word do you count "moue" two time?
VOICE TWO: Viitor to the Voice of America hear people peaking more than forty different language. Mot broadcater at VOA come from countrie where thee language are poken.
International organization uch a VOA would find it impoible to operate without a econd language all the people peak.
The language that permit VOA to work i Englih. It i not unuual to ee omeone from the Mandarin Service talking to omeone from the Urdu Service, both peaking Englih. Englih i becoming the common language of million of people worldwide, helping peaker of many different language communicate.
VOICE ONE: Thi Special Englih program wa written and produced by Paul Thompon. Thi i Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO: And thi i Shirley Griffith. Join u again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program, on the Voice of America.