- It started with Old English ,from 550 A.D to 700 A.D, coming from the mix of the dialect of Angles and Saxons Danemark tribes who identified themselves then as Anglo-saxons.
- The first shift in the English language happened when the Vikings conquered England around the 8th century. They spoke Old Norse and added vocabulary to the English language.
- In 1066 William the conqueror succeeded in conquering the land of England with his Norman army. While the royal court of the Normans spoke a certain dialect of old french, the peasant of England were still speaking old English. The merge of this dialect and old English gave birth to Middle English. As an example The Canterbury tales are written in Middle English
- The Great Vowel Shift in the 15th Century affected almost all English words pronunciation preparing the language to its early "modern" version : "Early modern English". As an example, the plays of Shakespeare are written in Early modern English. Shakespeare also added new words and new expressions to the English language.
- In the 16th century the British empire started to explore the world and spread its language in many countries and colonies, which then evolved through the centuries until 1900 where Late Modern English appeared and is still spoken today.
What is a Dialect ? an Accent ? Received pronunciation ?
Définition
Dialect
A dialect is a form of the language that is spoken in a particular part of the
country or by a particular group of people.
Dialect ≠ accent. Accent refers to the way we pronounce words. Standard
dialect of a language can be spoken with different accents.
Accent
Way in which people in a particular area, country, or social group
pronounce words. Mode of utterance peculiar to an individual, locality, or nation
Received pronunciation
Particular way of pronouncing Standard English.
It is instantly recognizable accent as ‘typically British’.
It is an accent, not a dialect. Most widely studied and spoken in the world.
Only 2-3% of the UK population speak it
