Shifts in the Development of the English Language

There have been many shifts in the English Language, which, when thought about, is quite extraordinary. In Old English much of the language was influenced by the Germanic languages and the Celtic. This produced a very guttural sounding language: “Nu sculon herigean heofonrices Weard/Meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc” (25). As we moved into Middle English, we still contained some of the same influences as previous language, but we also now were influenced by French. Much of the guttural intonations began to drop away and something much smoother arrived in its place: “Ki Deu ad Dune escience/E de parler bon’ eloquence” (142). Lastly, things like Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales emerges. This, influenced by the universal language, was probably one of the gateways to “modern” English. Continual shifts in the development in languages such as these would make way for the language we speak today: "Whan that April with his showres soote/The droughte of March hath perced to the roote" (218).