IMPACT OF THE INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY ON ENGLISH

The greatest influence upon OLD ENGLISH was occasioned by the conversion of Britain to Roman Christianity at the beginning of the year 597.
The mission of St. Augustine was inspired by a man who later became Pope

Gregory the Great. - He looked for Augustine, who with forty monks set out for what it seemed the end of the world. - It was a difficult task, since the religion of the Anglo-Saxons was in sharp contrast to that of the NEW TESTAMENT. - Bye the time Augustine died seven years later, the kingdom of Kent had become wholly Christian.

- Within a hundred years of the landing of Augustine in Kent all England was Christian.

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON ENGLISH CIVILIZATION

- The introduction of Christianity meant the building of churches and the establishment of monasteries. Latin, the language of the services and ecclesisatical learning was once more heard in England. Schools were established in monasteries and churches. In 669, a Greek Bishop, THEODORE OF Tarsus, was made archbishop of Canterbury. He had great skill in Greek and Latin tongues. Another famous pupil at York: Venerable BEDE. He wrote ECCLESSISTICAL HISTORY OF ENGLISH PEOPLE. In the 8th century, England held the intellectual leadership of Europe an it owed its leadership to the church.

- The church influenced the course of the English life and this influenced the vocabulary

THE EARLIER INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY ON THE VOCABULARY

Latin words made their way into English from 597 to the close of the Old English period (more than 500 hundred years). The religious feeling of the 7th C. LATIN WORDS.

rapid importation of

New conceptions of the new religion inadequate.

resourcess of the language

The enrichment of the vocabulary didnt occur overnight. Some words came immediately and others at the end of the period. The Latin borrowing of the second period can be divided into two groups: 1- It represents words that were borrowed early and found their way into literature by the time of Alfred. 2- It represents words of a more learned character, owing their introduction to the religious revival of the BENEDICTIAN REFORM.

THE MOST TYPICAL AND NUMEROUS CLASS OF WORDS HAD TO DO WITH RELIGION AND ITS EXTERNAL ORGANIZATION
CHURCH and BISHOP borrowed earlier ( The Anglo - Saxons in contact with bishops before the came to England). The great mayority of OE words related to the church, when not of native origin

BORROWED AT THIS TIME. Examples: ABBOT, ALMS, ALTAR, ANGEL, ANTHEM, ARK, CANDLE, CANON, CHALICE, CLERIC, DISCIPLE, HYMN, LITANY, MARTYR, MASS, MINSTER, TEMPLE, TUNIC,PRIEST , POPE, etc. The Church influenced on THE DOMESTIC LIFE OF PEOPLE: The names of articles of CLOTHING and HOUSEHOLD USE: CAP, SOCK, PURPLE, CHEST, MAT, SACK, SILK. Words denoting food, such as: BEET, CAUL (cabbage), LENTIE , PEAR, RADISH OYSTER, LOBSTER, MUSSEL, and the noun COOK. Names of TREES, PLANTS and HERBS (often cultivated for medicinal properties): BOX, PINE, ALOES, BALSAM, FENNEL, HYSSOP, LILY, MALLOW, MYRRH, RUE, SAVORY and the word PLANT.

WORDS RELATED TO EDUCATION AND LEARNING (ANOTHER ASPECT OF CHURCHS INFLUENCE) - Examples: SCHOOL, MASTER, LATIN, GRAMMATICAL, VERSE, METER, GLOSS, NOTARY. Finally, general words: ANCHOR, FAN, FEVER, PLACE, SPELTER, SPONGE, ELEPHANT, PHOENIX, MANCUS ( a coin) and some more or less

LITERARY WORDS such as CALEND, CIRCLE, LEGION, GIANT, CONSUL and TALENT.

THE BENEDICTIAN REFORM The flourishing state of the Church INTERRUPTED by The Danes who, at the end of the 8th C, ravages from the Continent. In 9th C. throughout Northumbria and Mercia churches and monasteries in RUINES. In religious houses, discipline LAX and LEARNING DECAYED. King Alfred RESTORING OF THE CHURCH. The BENEDECTINE RULE RELIGIOUS REVIVAL in the Island. OBJECTIVES: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOLS AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF LEARNING AMONG THE CLERGY. Works in English and manuscripts BOTH IN LATIN AND THE VERNACULAR were copied and preserved. The preserved bulk of Old English poetry dates from this time.

INFLUENCE OF THE BENEDICTIAN REFORM

As a result of the RENEWED LITERARY ACTIVITY A NEW SERIES OF LATIN IMPORTATIONS. LESS POPULAR and SCIENTIFIC AND LEARNED CHARACTER. Words related to RELIGIOUS MATTERS: ALB, ANTICHRIST, APOSTLE, CANTICLE, CANTOR, CELL, CREED, PROPHET, SYNAGOGUE, etc.

LITERARY AND LEARNED WORDS PREDOMINATE: ACCENT, BRIEF ( the verb), DECLINE (term of grammar) HISTORY, PAPER, QUATERN, TERM, TITLE.
Some PLANT names: CELANDINE , CENTAURY, CUCUMBER, VERBENA, etc. Names of TREES: CEDAR, CYPRESS, FIG, LAUREL, etc. MEDICAL TERMS: CANCER, PARALYSIS, SCROFALA,PLASTER. ANIMAL KINGDOM: SCORPION, TIGER, CAMEL,etc. In general, the latter borrowing of the Christian period came through BOOKS.

THE APPLICATION OF NATIVE WORDS TO NEW CONCEPTS The English did not always adotp a foreign word to express a new concept: An old word applied to a new thing and by a slight adaptation a new meaning. - The Anglo- Saxons did not borrow the word DEUS, their word GOD. - Likewise, HEAVEN and HELL are English words. - POPE, BISHOP, PRIEST, MONK, ABBOT individuals for which the English had no equivalent . - But for CLERGY , a native expression THAT GASTLICE FOLC the spiritual folk - EASTER is a germanic word, in honor of EOSTRE, the godess of dawn. - Instead of the Latin word PREDICARE , the English used LARAN (to teach) or BODIAN (to bring a message). - SCRIPTURE equivalent in the English word GEWRITU and EVANGELIUM GOSPELL. - The significance of a foreign influence measured by: - foreign words introduced and - the stimulation of the native language to use its own resources.

THE EXENT OF THE INFLUENCE

As a rsult of the CHRISTIANIZING of Britain some 450 Latin words appear in English writings before the close of the O.E. period. (not included here derivatives or proper names).

About 100 of these retained much of their foreign character to be considered part of the English vocabulary.
Of the 350 words, some were reintroduced later. A large number of them were fully accepted and thoroughly incorporated to the language. The real test of a foreign word is: How completely it was digested and became indistinguishable from the native word-stock, so that they could enter into compounds just like native words. Ex: PLANT, PLANTIAN, PLANTATION.

The Latin influence of the second period was EXTENSIVE and THOROUGH and marks the beginning of the English habit of incorporating FOREIGN ELEMENTS into its vocabulary.