Foreign Influences on Old English
Abstract
This is the first of several chapters that examine the changes caused by contact with other languages throughout the history of English. During the Old English period the influences of Latin and Old Norse have always been considered important. In recent scholarship new attention has been given to the contact of Celtic speakers in Britain and the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes after their arrival in the mid-fifth century. This line of investigation is known as “the Celtic hypothesis,” where syntax and phonology figure more prominently than vocabulary.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Linguistics and language evolution
Linguistics
Language Diversity
and Identity
Linguistic Variation and Morphology
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 66–97
- Publication date
- 19 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter