The Christianization of England, beginning with the mission of St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597 AD, brought profound changes to Old English. Latin became the language of the Church, learning, and diplomacy. As a result, Old English absorbed many Latin loanwords, especially for religious and scholarly concepts—such as abbod (abbot), munuc (monk), and tempel (temple).

The introduction of writing also came with Christianity. Before the 7th century, Old English was primarily a spoken language; however, with the spread of Latin literacy, manuscripts began to appear, often using the Latin alphabet. Some older runic inscriptions (written in the futhorc, an Anglo-Saxon runic script) survive from earlier times, but Latin script eventually became dominant.

Literature and High Old English (c. 800–950)

By the 9th century, Old English had developed a literary tradition, most famously exemplified by works such as "Beowulf", an epic poem that blends Germanic heroic tradition with Christian moral themes. Other important texts include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a year-by-year record of events in England, and religious prose by writers such as Ælfric and Wulfstan.

The language during this period became more standardized, particularly under the influence of the Kingdom of Wessex. King Alfred the Great (reigned 871–899) promoted education and literacy, and oversaw the translation of Latin texts into Old English, helping to preserve and spread the language.

Viking Invasions and Scandinavian Influence (c. 800–1050)

The Viking invasions of the 9th and 10th centuries had a significant impact on Old English. Scandinavian settlers, especially in the Danelaw (an area of eastern and northern England under Danish control), spoke Old Norse, a North Germanic language. This led to linguistic contact and borrowings from Old Norse into Old English.

Common everyday words such as sky, egg, knife, husband, and they originate from Old Norse. The simplification of grammar—especially the reduction of inflectional endings—was also influenced by this contact, as speakers of different Germanic languages sought easier communication. shutdown123