Remnants of the Past: Latin Influences Upon the Old English Lexicon

Abstract

The present study focuses on the influences Latin has had on the Old English lexicon. Old English was influenced by several languages, including Latin. After the Anglo-Saxon settlement, Christianity seems to have been a vehicle in the language contact between Latin and the Anglo-Saxons who settled in Britain in the 5th century. However, Latin influences go back to the continental times of the Anglo-Saxon tribes and continue far into the later stages of the English language. The examples of Latin loans in Old English are numerous, and borrowings can take several forms, e.g. learned loans, popular loans, and semantic transfer. The present study discusses the influence of Latin on Old English during the pre-Anglo-Saxon settlement and post-Anglo-Saxon settlement periods. Moreover, it pays special attention to the role played by Christianity in propagating the transfer of Latin loanwords into Old English.