Old English

Old English is the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons who settled in England in the 5th century. It is an important language in the history of England, as it is the ancestor of the modern English language. Old English is a West Germanic language, and is closely related to Frisian and Low Saxon. It is not mutually intelligible with any other language, but there are a number of extant manuscripts and texts which show that it was a vibrant and rich language. There are four main dialects of Old English: Wessex, Mercian, Northumbrian and Kentish. The Wessex dialect was spoken in the southwest of England, and is the basis for the standardised form of Modern English. Old English was first written down in the late 5th century, and the earliest surviving texts date from the 6th century. These texts are important not only for their linguistic value, but also for the light they shed on the history and culture of the Anglo-Saxons. Some of the most famous Old English texts include the epic poem Beowulf, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.