The English writing system is very important to the United States today. Before our modern system was put into place, there were many changes to the language itself. These changes spanned over many years.
The earliest form of the language started in the mid 5th to 7th centuries. It was brought to Britain by Germanic invaders and settlers. That form of writing started in the Anglo-Saxon era. This was the first form of the language, which is called proto-English. It originated in northern Europe. Vocabulary came from the Germanic stock, but also included a number of Latin words.
After that, old English emerged. If was first written using runic script called futhorc. It was eventually replaced with a Latin alphabet version introduced in the 9th century. When Christianity was introduced into these countries, there were many Latin words that were converted into old English. Most people today find old English very hard to understand, even though most words have roots in old English.
The next transformation with the language is Middle English. It was came about in about 1066 AD and continued through the 15th century. Most of the lower class at the time could speak, read, and write in middle English and old English. This portion of the language was influenced by both Anglo-Norman and eventually Anglo-French. Courts and government used Anglo-Norman and the eventually French. The language itself changed in many ways during the Middle English time period. The use of grammatical endings slowly began to reduce.
Next came Modern English. The first dictionary was published in the time period, which was written by Samuel Johnson. The invention of the dictionary put standard in spelling and usages of words. Also, grammar texts further expanded the usage of words during that time period. The main difference between the early modern English and the late modern English is vocabulary.
Overall, the English language itself transformed over many years. Each of the many different time periods offered many important and famous works. Even though the language started really early, there are probably going to be even more changes in the future of our language. The English language has come a long way since the beginning, and there will only be more changes in the future of our language to make it that much better.
