Old English (apr 2, 428 – feb 9, 1066)
Description:
Old English also known as Anglo-Saxon was spoken in the early middle ages and is the earliest dated form of English language that was spoken in England, as well as parts of Scotland.However, during the period of which England was occupied by the Roman Empire, the common people communicated through the use of Latin as it was dominant around that era. In addition, the use of various Celtic language occured among the nation.
It wasn't until around year 450 when new invaders settled down in the Celtic England. Therefore leading to Germanic tribes Angles, Saxons and Jutes speaking various germanic dialects in the same country. In addition to the great impact from the newly arrived vikings whom were the first to show a sign of reading and writing. These characteristics revolutionized the current world, advancing it further. The discovery contributed to constructing a society with town names, as well as expanding the vocabulary.
After listening to a video of two people conversing in old english It wasa similar to german, icelandic, perhaps some swedish/norwegian in it. The language wasn't a complete mystery to me, and I felt like I recognized atleast a couple more words than I thought I would've. Despite the language differentiating from modern English, both are a branch of the Indo-European language family. It doesn't only resemble icelandic in the sense that it sounds familiar, but the letters in the icelandic alphabet resembles the letters in Old English.
Added to timeline:
Date:
apr 2, 428
feb 9, 1066
~ 638 years