The English language is the result of the invasion  of the island of Britain over many hundreds of years.The first invasions were by a people called Angles about 1, 500 years ago. The Angles were a German tribe who crossed the English Channel . Later two more groups crossed to Britain. They were the Saxons and the Jutes. Through many years, the Saxons, Angles and the Jutes mixed their different languages. The result is what is called Anglo-Saxon or old English. The next great invasion of Britain was done by Vikings about 1, 100 years ago. Many English words used today come from these ancient Vikings. The next invasion of Britain took place more than 900 years ago, in 1066. History experts call this invasion the Norman Conquest. The Normans were a French-speaking people from Normandy in the north of France. These new rulers  spoke only French for several hundred years. It was the most important language in the world at that time. It was the language of educated people. But the common people of Britain still spoke old English. Old English took many words from the Norman French. Some of these include "damage", "prison", and "marriage". The French language used by the Norman rulers greatly changed the way English was spoken 800 years ago. English became what language experts call Middle English. Middle English sounds like Modern English. But it is difficult to understand now. The history of the English language continues as Middle English becomes Modern English, which is spoken today. Who was the first invaders  of Britain?
The Angles. The Saxons. The Jutes. The Normans.