You’re here if you have ever heard the term “Anglish” but don’t know what it means. Let’s find out the significance and meaning of Anglish.
The Brief History of the English Language: How it All Came to Be
English borrowed words from other languages (known as loanwords) over the years. This is why we have such an extensive vocabulary. England has had many cultural contacts with other races and tribes throughout history. The Norman, Viking, Roman and Viking invasions brought French, Latin and Norse to Britain, respectively.
The Angles, where we get the English word, were originally a Germanic tribe from Denmark. After the fall of Rome, they occupied the British Isles. Later, the Saxons joined them, and the Anglo-Saxon language flourished.
The Vikings brought their language to islands, as well as the French. With all of the new vocabulary and linguistic influences, the English language continued to evolve and grow.
It’s difficult to learn English today without borrowing words from other sources. Many English vocabulary is derived from Latin, Greek German, French, and other languages. Even common vocabulary such as street, wine and marriage, take, husband, are not Anglish.
Anglish: Pure English
What is Anglish, then? Anglish is a variant of English that uses as few borrowed words and phrases as possible. This term was invented by Paul Jennings in 1966 when he wrote a series for Punch. He reflected on the evolution of English without Norman conquests.
You can visit The Anglish Moot to see Anglish live. This site is wiki-like and contains texts that are written entirely in modern English, without loanwords. Although it is not easy to understand, Anglish can be quite mutually comprehensible with modern English. It does however give you an appreciation for the many loanwords English uses every day.
Consider the USA article’s first few paragraphs. It is also known in Anglish as The Banded Folkdoms Of Americksland, (BFA).
The Banded Folkdoms of Americksland is the most settled land in North Americksland. It is composed of an evenly-banded rike with three branches: the Lawmootly and the Lawlordly. Although English is the dominant language in the country, some Spanish is also spoken.
Americksland is its abbreviated name. It has the largest landgeld and warband of any country in the world and is believed to be the world’s only overrike since the fall of Band of Workermootly Kithish Commonwealths.
Americksland was a part of England’s band until the Americkish Uprising in 1776, when the Saying Forth of the Selfhood of the Americksland Banded Folkdoms began. Americksland has fought in other wars since then, including the War of 1812 with Mexico, the Americkish Kith War with Spain, and two World Wars.
