OLD ENGLISH

             

Three periods of English, but here we're talking about Old english. 

The first period of English, from 400 to 500 is called old English or Anglo-Saxon. 

The literature of this period is called Old English or Anglo-Saxon. The Anglo-Saxon or Old English literature was quite different from the English which is used today. The Angles, Saxons and jutes brought with them songs and poems that reflected their lives as warriors. However, this formed the oral tradition of these people. By 6th century Romans introduced not only christianity in England but also Latin Alphabets. With the introduction of alphabets the Anglo-Saxons wrote their history and poems. With the spread of Christianity the poetry dealt less with heroic deeds of the warriors and more with biblical subjects. The most important of these poems is about the Beowulf. The other poems which still exist are the religious lyrics written by Cynewulf and  a hymn by a Yorkshire farm hand named Caedmon. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is the major surviving porse work of this period, it had been written by the monks. By 1066 William of Normandy conquered the Anglo-Saxons and Normal French become the language of the court and polite society. Frence was taught in the monastery schools, native poerty almost disappeard. Old English was spoken only by middle and lower classes of the society.