Latin Influence on Old English

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Latin Influence on Old English Even at the very beginning, when the Anglo- Saxons were an obscure group of continental at the fringes of the Roman Empire , a few latin words managed to work their way into Old English . We recognize these particular words because they underwent the same sound-shifts as did native words. We surmise that : * The Anglo-Saxons took names from the Romans for things that they did not have in their own culture, in particular items of trade. Thus we find wine from Latin ‘VINUS’ this word comes from a ‘vineyard’ , cheap , linen , cherry , poppy , kettle , pillow , gem , butter chalk , and copper. * The Anglo-Saxons also borrowed words for war : including , camp , battle , wall , pit , street , and banner sign . * Romans while the tribes were still living on the continent , and a few more Latin terms had entered into the language via Celtic (the ‘chester’ in various place names comes from Latin by way of Celtic , as do ‘port’ and ‘mount’ and plase names ending in ‘wic’)but the greatest influence of Latin on Old English came from Christians rather than from Romans . * Latin was the language of the Roman Church this tongue began to have an enormous influence on Old English . In the beginning of the Christain period, speakers of Old English translated key Latin terms into Old English, creating a variety of neologisms (newly invented words) . * A large proportion of these Latine were words for the church, its rites, clothing, buildings, and people: abbot, angel, alms, altar, candle, chalice, cleric, hymn, mass, noon, nun, priest, rul, shrine, anthem, creed, collect, deacon, disciple, demon, hymn, martyr, offer, organ, plam, pope, prime, psalm, relic, rule, temple, tunic, Sabbath . * Latin words for other articles of clothing and food also were borrowed by English, including such terms as cap, sock, sack, beet, pear,
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