The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-02-27
ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE IN THE BRITISH
ISLANDS


Translated from " La Repae Francaise,n BIZ Samuel r.
Glenn, for The Southern Literary Messenger.
The first language which was spoken in the British
Islands entirely unknown now in England but it ex-
lists yet, with slight changes in its FORM in the country
of Wales III the mountains OF Scotland, and IN many
parts Of Ireland. This language is called in England
the Breton IN Scotland, Guelic and in Ireland, the
Irish II was originally the language Of numerous
people called the Celts, who many years before the
Christian era occupied the western parts Of Europe.
But we find no more trace Of this people except in
Wales in The mountains Of Scotland, and among some
scattered colonies the western banks OF France and
Spain. great number Of names of places, OF rivers,
and Of mountains in England. and the lower parts Of
Scotland and many designations OF natural Objects are
formed from this language but the terms rarely en-
poyed in the ordinary tongue.
La the fifth century, apeope called the Saxons came
from lower Germany landed in the country which they
name at this day England, and chased away the
original inhabitants, who took refuge in the north and
parts of the island where they have always been
found their descendants and their language Conse-
quenty almost all the south Of the island invaded
and subdued by the Saxons, whose posterty forms at
this time the OF the people in that part Of the coun-
try. From Of the first Saxon branches called An
giles, the country took the of Angle terre eng
land,) while the new language was called the Anglo
Saxon.
This language branch Of the Teutonic, the Ian
guagc OF the Teutons people who inhabited great
part of the centre Of Europe while the Ces occupied
the west We consider the Danes, the Holanders, the
Germans and the English being altogether of Teuo-
mic origin aud their languages, though different, pos
resemblance.
From the sixth to the eleventh century, the Anglo
Saxon underwent little change in England 1t received
merely some new words from the Latin, language
brought by the Christian Missionaries, and from the
Danes especially the Teutonic dialect which intro
duced by the armies of Denmark, who enforced and
tablished themselves in England At this epoch, itera
ture not neglected by the Anglo Saxons. Their
first writer known Gldas, an historian, who lived
about the close of the year $50. Another, named Bead
priest lived in the eighth century ; he cele
brated over all Europe for his knowledge and literary
productions. But most Of the writers Of those times
found necessary to compose their works in Latin oi
it the only method they had OF rendering themselves
inelligbe TO the Of other countries, who were
almost always their only readers The first example
existing of composition in the Saxon language, is a
fragment Of Casd,non monk Of Whitby. who wrote re-
lgious poetry a sublime style, in the eighth century,
aud who by oil ignorance Obliged to employ
his own tongue. King Alfred, in the ninth century
translated into Saxon several works for the Of his
people, and after they made some progress in the
art OF composing in their own language. However, the
different species of literature soon condemned, and
even for ordinary correspondence the Anglo Saxon
no more the mode
Towards the close of the tenth century, it became
the custom among the English mobiles to send their
10 acquire what they called the most polite language
In 1866, William, Duke of Normandy, invaded and
conquered Saxon England, and the country i'm
medatey shared among the officers of the victorious
army, the Norman French became the language ofmen
Of high rank while the Saxon only the language
Of the commonaliy. BY the combination of these
two tongues the actual language while the Saxon
is yet employed to express the most familiar and COM
mon-pace ideas.
While the language was thus gradually progressing
towards its present perfection, In the 18th and 18th cen
fury many writers took the occasion to compose, in the
popular language, the rhymng chronicles, which have
not however, the least merit either poems his
tories Towards the end Of this PERIOD when the
union OF the Saxons and the Normans was more &C.
mented, there appeared series Of poets who wrote
mantle narratives in the manner of the bards OF Pro-
yonce, aud who known also by the of Trou
badours TO sing these histories in company with their
harps in tho presence Of mobiles, became the employ
ment OF certain class Of men called Mnstrels, many Of
whom were at the same time poets well musicians,
But the greatest number of the Swans Of the
try devoted themselves still to learned compositions
Latin The poems of the Ministries, despite their alb
surdlty have several good points They based,
however upon the chronicles of the preceding centu-
rcs which they rendered into metre with less Of truth
than courtesy BY degrees they became more correct
in their compositions and approached more and more to
the spir, Of modern poetry They generally celebrated
the actions of real heroes, such Charemagne or
the perfection Of human conduct The great men OF
antiquity not forgotten in their songs Alexander,
king Of Macedon, Of their avorte heroes, and
they often selected from Greek mythology the subjects
Of their lays The style of their poetry adapted to
the time in which they lived-a century In which the
spirit Of military enterprise, excited by enthusiasm
for religion and fanatic devotion to the female sex,
gave birth TO chivary, and caused those courageous,
but unfortunate expeditions, the crusades, which had
for their object the deiyerance Of the Holy City from
the domination Of the Saracens. considerable nun.
Der OF these productions Of the Ministries we have IN
manuscript, and their manner Of writing shows itself IN
in the novels Of Walter Scott and IN Sc
veral other authors Of the present time.
Provengal poetry produced less effect in oil
civilized countries In Italy at the end of the four
teenth century, 1t awakened the genius Of Dante and Of
Petrarch, who the first to produce that sentimental
poetry, which has always occupied since so great a
place in European literature. Dante wrote principally
in an alegorca style, that is to say be described alb
stract ideas under the form Of things real and papabe
Petrarch, the other hand chiefly confined himself to
tThe drst settlers in Britain the Gaes, or South
ern Cells, termed Guydes and their language Guydel
ic, by the Welsh writer's. These we're subsequently
vanqushed by the Cymbr the North, the ancestor;
Of the modern Welsh, who style themselves Cymr, oil
Cumbri and their language the Cymrag, Cumraigtc
the present day. THIS language generally called by
English writer's tho Welsh. Tho Bretons, lnhabltlnp
Brittany IN France, are descendants Of colony which
proceeded hther from Britain IN the fifth century lht
counties Of Monmouth aud Cornwall, are now inhabited
principally BY the descendants OF the Cumr, or Welsh
and the language still spoken by many persons IN the
former and in the latter has only become extinct within
the present century Ed Msss