§ 1. Oe dialects

Tribal Germanic dialects were transformed into local or regional dialects:

Kentish (Kent, Surrey, the Isle of White < the tongue of the Jutes & Frisians);

Wets Saxon (the rest of England except Wales & Cornwall < Saxon group tongue);

Mercian (the kingdom of Mercia < the Speech of southern Angles);

Northumbrian (from the Humber North to the river Forth < Anglian dialect)

Pre-Germanic languages in Britain:

(1) The Celtic language:

1.1The Gaelic Branch: [ei] (гаэл.)

-Irish (or Erse) – survived in Ireland;

-Scotch-Caelic – now it's spoken on the Isle of man (the Manx language);

1.2The Britonnic branch:

-Kymric (Welsh) – in modern Wales;

-Breton (Armorican) – in the area of France (Bretagne);

-Cornish – (died out in the 18^th century).

(2) Romance languages (after the Roman occupation; 55 BC – 410 A.D.)

-French;

-Spanish;

-Latin (spoken)

Germanic tribes (A.D. 44 A)

t he Angles the Saxons the Jutes (or Frisians)

West Germanic dialects

§ 2. Eme & lme dialecte

E ME dialects: (from respective OE dialects):

(1)The Southern group:

-Kentish < OE Kentish

-South-Western (from OE Saxon)

-East-Saxon (wasn’t prominent untill LME period);

(2)The group of Midland (Central) dialects < from OE Mercian dial.

-West Midland (South-West & North-West)

-East Midland (South-East & North East)

(3)The Norhern group < from OE Northumbrian

-the Yorksahire

-the Lancashire

-some other dialects, later known as Scottish.

LME dialects The Southern group (Kentish & S-W); The Midland group; The Northern group

A few years before the Norman conquest the capital was transferred to London. The most important event in the LME linguistic situation was the rise of the London dialect as the prevailed written from of language. The London dialect. – East-Saxon group including Anglian & Saxon dialects

ENE period (1475 – 1660)

It was the period of the formation of the national literary English language. The national language embraces all the varieties of the language including dialects. The “nation literary language” applies to recognized written & spoken stardard forms of the language. It’s characterised by codified norms & rules of usage & functional stylistic differentiation.

The Modern period (19^th – 20^th)

( 1) Standard English (British English)

Written Standard Styles: Spoken Standard

(literary, official, newspaper, (colloquial varieties =

publicistic, scientific, prose) sub-standard forms of the language)

(2) Scottish language (Scottish English)

(3) Anglo-Irish language.

Dialectical division in England (19^th – 20^th century) (regional & social)

(1)The Southern dialect (East & West-Southern)

(2)The Midland dialect (Eastern, Central Western).

(3)The Northern dialect

Among the social dialect of particular interest is London’s Cockney (a form of oral speech used by the lower rank of Londoners throughout the NE period).

Geographical Expansion of the English language outside England.

1. Scottish English (9^th century) on the basis of Northumbrian dialect. It’s the language of the Scottsh nation & has its own written standard.

2. Irish English (XIIth century). It’s the second state language together with the Gaelic language.

3. American English (16^th century). It’s a national language of the USA being English in origin.

4. Canadian English (16^th century). It’s one of the state languages to be differed a little from American English.

5. Australian English (18^th century). It’s a language comprizing different city’s slangs an having some peculiar phonetic & grammar differences from the British language.

6. South-African English (19^th century). It’s also on of the state languages.