History Period: Old English

Old English was spoken in Britain for 700 years — and despite being largely unrecognizable to modern readers, it built the structural skeleton of the language you speak today. Every common word you use (the, and, is, you, I, have, not, on, at, this) is Old English. Every basic body part, family relationship, and natural object has an Anglo-Saxon name. The Vikings then added sky, law, egg, and window. This is where English began.

Old English was spoken in Britain for 700 years — and despite being largely unrecognizable to modern readers, it built the structural skeleton of the language you speak today. Every common word you use (the, and, is, you, I, have, not, on, at, this) is Old English. Every basic body part, family relationship, and natural object has an Anglo-Saxon name. The Vikings then added sky, law, egg, and window. This is where English began.