History of the English Language

From which group of people does the word "English" originate?

• The Romans

• The Celts

• The Angles

• The Vikings

What language was spoken by the inhabitants of the British Isles in the late Bronze Age, before the Roman invasions?

• Old English

• Latin

• Common Brythonic

• Old Norse

What significant change did the Norsemen (Vikings) bring to the grammar of the English language?

• Introduction of new verb tenses

• Standardization of spelling

• Loss of inflectional endings

• Adoption of a new alphabet

Which two major cultural groups contributed to the names of the days of the week in English?

• Roman and Celtic

• Germanic and Roman

• Celtic and Scandinavian

• Roman and Scandinavian

What was the first English sentence ever written down, and on what object was it found?

• "This she-wolf is a reward to my kinsman" on an Undley bracteate.

• "Beware the Ides of March" on a Roman tablet.

• "All that glitters is not gold" on a medieval scroll.

• "To be or not to be" on a Shakespearean manuscript.

How did the Norman Conquest of 1066 significantly impact the English language?

• It led to the complete replacement of English with French.

• It introduced a large number of French words and established a social hierarchy of languages.

• It caused English to adopt a new alphabet based on Latin.

• It resulted in the standardization of English spelling and grammar.

Which prominent 14th-century writer is credited with helping to standardize the English language, particularly through his works like the Canterbury Tales?

• William Shakespeare

• King Harold

• Geoffrey Chaucer

• William the Conqueror

What significant change occurred in English pronunciation during the late 15th century?

• The Great Consonant Shift

• The Great Vowel Shift

• The Great Stress Shift

• The Great Syllable Shift

Approximately how many words that are still in use today are attributed to William Shakespeare's invention?

• Around 500 words

• Around 1000 words

• Around 1700 words

• Around 2500 words

Who wrote "A Dictionary of the English Language" in 1755, which helped standardize English spelling and grammar?

• Jonathan Swift

• Samuel Johnson

• Robert Cawdrey

• William Shakespeare