What kinds of events caused important changes in the early English language?

Answer 1

When Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BCE English did not exist. The Celts spoke languages such as Welsh, Gaelic and Breton.

West Germanic tribes such as the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, came across the North Sea and settled in Britain they brought with them their languages.

Another influence on the development of English was the arrival of Christianity. The Anglo - Saxon language was enriched with Greek and Latin words.

Then the Vikings came from Scandinavia to plunder and conquest they brought with them their vocabulary too.

When the Normans, from Normandy, came to Britain they brought French to Britain. But French did not displace English and over 3 centuries English gradually gained dominance but had about 10,000 borrowed French words.

With the development of printing came a communications revolution and thousand of Greek and Latin words came into the English vocabulary

Answer 2

The English language is a language that has developed from various sources. The Germans, Vikings, Latin, and French have added their parts to English. When William took England in 1046 he brought with him French. For 300 years the monarchy of England only spoke French and words like "beef" are originally French words. The Vikings left their imprint on England and today there are street names that are still Viking names. English has never been a pure language and it still evolves today from many sources.