English language scholars generally agree that the modern English lang

English language scholars generally agree that the modern English language developed from several sources: the Anglo-Saxon language, or Old English, spoken by the Germanic peoples who migrated to the island of Britain in the fifth century; the Old Norse influences of the Vikings and the Danish kings of England in the ninth and tenth centuries; the French influence of the Norman invaders in the eleventh century; and the Latin influences of the earlier Roman inhabitants and the Catholic Church. However, one mystery remains. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain, there were numerous Celtic inhabitants dwelling alongside what remained of the Roman population. Why, then, did the Anglo-Saxons, and thus the English, not absorb more of the Celtic languages? The English language ultimately adopted very few Celtic words, so few in fact that scholars are at a loss to explain the reason with any certainty. One thing is certain: the Celtic languages are in no way related to Anglo-Saxon, indeed developing from an entirely different family of languages, so there is no question that the Anglo-Saxons did not adopt Celtic words simply because they already had very similar words of their own. So, what happened? Some scholars have suggested that the Anglo-Saxons already had enough words of their own and thus did not need to borrow from the Celts, even upon arriving in a new place. For instance, if the day-to-day elements of life in Britain were similar enough to those in the Anglo-Saxon homeland, the Anglo-Saxons would not feel the need to make use of foreign words to describe their new life. This theory, however, is inconsistent with evidence that the Anglo-Saxons borrowed everyday words from other languages such as Old Norse and French. Other scholars have suggested the theory that the Anglo-Saxons chose to avoid the Celtic words because the Celts were essentially a conquered people - an explanation that is strongly supported by the rapid disappearance of Celts from south and central England and their subsequent movement north and west into what would become Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland.

Leading linguistic scholar David Crystal disagrees with this latter hypothesis, however. He points out that among the Anglo-Saxons it was not uncommon to find children with Welsh names. The great Christian poet Cdmon and Cdwalla, the king of Wessex in the seventh century, were both noteworthy and highly respected Anglo-Saxons who bore Welsh names. From a purely practical perspective, it is unlikely that Anglo-Saxon parents would bestow Celtic names on their children if those names were closely associated with a despised language or a group of people deemed inferior. As a modern example, during World War I people in England began changing their names to avoid sounding too Germanic. Even the royal family, up to that point bearing the name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changed the family name to Windsor due to the long connection of that name with a specifically English history. Additionally, the respected Battenburg family in England, closely connected to the monarchy, felt the need to change their name to Mountbatten, as it had a less decidedly German connotation.

Perhaps more significantly, David Crystal raises the possibility that the word cross, steeped in important religious meaning for many English speakers, came from a Celtic background. In Latin, the word is crux, and the Scandinavians rendered it kross. But there is, on the whole, very little linguistic influence on early English religious terminology from the Germanic languages or the Germanic peoples, who were decidedly pagan upon their arrival to England. On the other hand, the Irish Celts were enthusiastic and thorough in their missionary efforts to England and other parts of Europe, and they rendered the Latin crux as cros in Old Irish and as croes in Welsh. It is highly possible that the English word cross and the Old Norse word kross were influenced by the Irish missionary work. It is unlikely that the mystery of the missing Celtic words will ever be solved satisfactorily, but what little evidence remains suggests that the mystery can no longer be written off as a case of a conquered people becoming linguistically obsolete

1. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A.Although linguistic scholars do not know why the English language has so few Celtic words, it can no longer be assumed that the Anglo-Saxons avoided Celtic words in the belief that the Celts were inferior.
B.The possible Celtic derivation of the word cross suggests that the Anglo-Saxons interacted more closely with the Celts than was previously thought.
C.New evidence suggests that the traditional belief about the Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, French, and Latin influences on the English language is erroneous and misleading.
D.The actions taken by the English during World War I indicate strongly that their forebears eradicated Celtic words for similar reasons.
E.The appearance of Welsh names among significant Anglo-Saxon figures indicates that of all the Celtic peoples, the Welsh had the greatest linguistic impact on Anglo-Saxon daily life.


2. The use of the word "connotation" (Highlighted) most closely suggests which of the following?

A. Clear relationship
B. Linguistic origin
C. Theoretical definition
D. Potential association
E. Emotional correlation


3. The discussion of the word cross in the passage is intended to show which of the following?

A. Although they were previously ignored by scholars, it is clear that many important Celtic words were indeed absorbed into the English language.
B. Scholars now realize that many Celtic words influenced Old Norse words and not the other way around.
C. It is incorrect to assume that there was a very great influence on the English language from Celtic words.
D. Linguistic scholar David Crystal believes that Celtic words make up an important part of the English language.
E. The significance of the few Celtic words within the English language suggests a more important influence than was previously thought.


4. The author provides examples of English behavior toward German last names during World War I in order to do which of the following?

A. Prove definitely that human nature does not change
B. Undermine the theory of the Welsh influence on English names
C. Use a fairly recent event to provide context for a hypothesis
D. Show that the English changed names because they considered Germans inferior
E. Suggest that many of the so-called "English" names are really German


5. Which of the following best describes the author's attitude toward the theory that there are few Celtic words in the English language because the Celts migrated and had no contact with the Anglo-Saxons?

A. Self-righteous insistence
B. Scholarly disagreement
C. Patronizing disapproval
D. Justifiable concern
E. Vitriolic dissent



6. The primary purpose of the passage is to do which of the following?

A. Caution against making an historical judgment without considering further linguistic evidence
B. Introduce a new theory and support it with linguistic evidence
C. Defend a scholarly position by citing leading authorities in the field
D. Dispute a long-held scholarly position by disproving the linguistic evidence in support of it
E. Compare several theories and argue in support of one of them



7. The passage suggests that the author would probably agree with which one of the following?

A. There is less Latin and Old Norse influence on the English language that there is Celtic influence.
B. Although there seem to be few Celtic words within the English language, these words suggest a significant linguistic role.
C. The possible Celtic derivation of the English word cross alone suggests that the English viewed the Celts favorably.
D. The Anglo-Saxons did not adopt many Celtic words because they had enough everyday words in their own language.
E. Because some of the Anglo-Saxons gave their children Welsh names, the Anglo-Saxon people unquestionably had a high opinion of the Celts.