King Alfred’s English: a History of the Language We Speak – a Must-read!

King Alfred’s English: A History of the Language We Speak and Why We Should Be Glad We Do, by Laurie J. White is a homeschooling mom’s dream.

Why? Because it covers so many subjects so well and it appeals to virtually all ages. It includes European and Bible history, etymology, literature, and geography – all in one captivating book.  Not only does this excellent read neatly incorporate several subjects in one readable volume, but it’s also readable and funny!

This is exactly the kind of book that will bring your kids’ homeschool education to life. And because it covers so much ground, it ends up saving you time.

I absolutely loved  King Alfred’s English.   And  I bet you will, too~ and so will your late middle school and high school students.

Editor’s Note: This post includes affiliate links to something we have used and loved. Should you buy something from one of our affiliate links, we could make a few cents commission, at no extra cost to you. We use this for coffee! Thank you!

Did You Know?

This history of the English language answered several of my questions, such as: Why are Spanish, Italian, French, etc., called Romance languages? (Answer: Because they were all derived from Latin. Rome = Romance).  

And here are some other interesting points you may not have known:

1. Why are words in English spelled with so many silent letters? Like the k in knife, knave, and knight and the gh in night, cough, and enough? (Those letters were initially pronounced, but those sounds were eventually dropped as the English language simplified and the English wanted to sound more French and less German.)
2. Why do some people write Xmas instead of Christmas? Isn’t this practically the same thing as denying Christ? (No, actually it isn’t the same thing – or at least it wasn’t in the beginning. It was Emperor Constantine who used the “X”, the traditional Greek initial ‘Chi,’ to stand for the first letter of “Christ” in Greek.)
3. Why is the same country sometimes called “Britain” and at other times called “England”? (Because the names actually portray two different people groups who lived in the same place but at different times.)
4. Who introduced the idea of B.C. and A.D. to describe time? (The Venerable Bede, called the Father of English history, is credited with this concept.)

A former homeschooling mom herself, the author organizes her book around four major periods of change in the English language that she calls “language invasions.” These are major shifts in English caused by the changing political or cultural climates during the history of Britain. I mean England.  Each of these ‘invasions’ added hundreds of words from various cultures to our language.

 

How Does English Stack Up?

Ever wonder how the English language matches others in the sheer number of words? The author compared a few other countries’ dictionaries for a clue. Read on to find out!

• French dictionary – 100,000 words
• Russian dictionary – 130,000 words
• German dictionary – 185,000 words

Are you ready?

• English dictionary – a whopping 615,000 words!

 

King Alfred’s English Makes European History Clear

As she defines the shifts and changes in English, the author describes the historical and cultural changes, as well, and brings us along for the ride. The sometimes complicated history of Europe overall and England, particularly, becomes so much clearer reading this book!

As well, her chapters on the Reformation are enlightening. They help us more clearly understand its impact on the European culture of the time and the generations around the world that followed.

Along the way, Mrs. White interjects many fascinating nuggets. For example, after describing how experts gauge the authenticity and reliability of ancient texts (interesting in itself!), the author includes a comparison of the New Testament with other ancient writings, such as Homer’s Iliad and Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars. For anyone who regularly shares with those who doubt the truth of Scripture, you won’t want to miss this section!  A concluding quote from the author on the subject:

…anyone who does some honest research will be confronted with the fact that we are in possession of a truly astounding quantity of reliable ancient manuscripts all of which attest to the accuracy of our New Testament.  You can argue whether the events took place, but you just can’t argue that these really are the writings of the men who claimed to have witnesses them.  –by Laurie J. White, author of King Alfred’s English

 

How William Tyndale influenced English

Mrs. White also introduces a topic that was new to me. She describes how William Tyndale, through his English translation of the Bible,  both promoted the Reformation cause and influenced our language.  Some of his choices of words and phrases have now seeped into the fabric of our culture. Familiar phrasings such as “eat, drink, and be merry,” “fight the good fight,” and “the salt of the earth” are among Tyndale’s memorable contributions to our literary heritage.

King Alfred’s English is suited for everyone

Children from late elementary on up will enjoy listening to this as a family read-aloud, and it can be assigned as an independent reader from late middle school on up to your high school student studying British history or literature.  And I promise – you will learn and enjoy it as much as they do.

 

This C.S. Lewis quote definitely applies to King Arthur’s English. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss it!

 

Enjoy!

 

 Editor’s note: In the interests of full disclosure, I received a copy of this book from the author for review purposes, although the opinions given in the review are totally my own.