Old

Chapter 2 explores the history of English, explaining its unique features through the events that have shaped its development. Its seemingly illogical spelling patterns are fossils of historical events, from Anglo-Saxon settlement to Viking invasions, which introduced Old Norse words and also simplified the grammar of the language. The chapter outlines the conventional periodization of English (Old, Middle, Modern), noting these are modern constructs. It emphasizes that English has always existed amidst multilingualism, shaped by contact and change, with its history being the story of its diverse speakers rather than the evolution of a single, stable entity.