[
    {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "When%20was%20the%20word%20English%20first%20used%20to%20call%20our%20language%3F"
    },
    {
        "role": "assistant",
        "content": "The word *English* (Old English *englisc*, *\u00c6nglisc*) has a long history. Here\u2019s what scholars agree about when it first appears referring to the language:\n\n---\n\n## What does *englisc* mean?\n\n- In Old English, *englisc* (or *\u00c6nglisc*) literally means \u201cof or belonging to the Angles,\u201d the Germanic tribe that, along with the Saxons and Jutes, settled in Britain during the 5th century. ([etymonline.com](https://www.etymonline.com/word/English?utm_source=openai))  \n- Over time *englisc* came to refer more broadly to the language spoken by all such Germanic settlers in Britain\u2014not just the Angles. ([open.edu](https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/english-language/english-the-world-today/content-section-1?utm_source=openai))\n\n---\n\n## When was it first used to call *our* language \u201cEnglish\u201d?\n\n- The earliest usage of *englisc* for the language appears in documents from the **9th century AD**. These include translations into Old English (or works in Old English) during the reign of King Alfred the Great. ([open.edu](https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/english-language/english-the-world-today/content-section-1?utm_source=openai))  \n- One specific example is a treaty between Alfred and the Danish king Guthrum (circa 880 AD), where \u201cEnglish\u201d (Englisc) is used to distinguish English speakers from Danes. ([open.edu](https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/english-language/english-the-world-today/content-section-1?utm_source=openai))  \n- Another is a translation of Bede\u2019s *Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum* (\u201cEcclesiastical History of the English People\u201d) into Old English by Alfred\u2019s scholars, which uses phrases like *on englisc* (\u201cin English\u201d) in the 9th century. ([content.fimsschools.com](https://content.fimsschools.com/Tlibrary/The%20Stories%20of%20English%20%28David%20Crystal%29%20%28z-lib.org%29.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\n---\n\n## Summary\n\n- **5th century AD**: Anglo-Saxon tribes arrive; proto-English begins to emerge. Language exists, but no record yet of it being called *English*. ([merriam-webster.com](https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-history?utm_source=openai))  \n- **c. 9th century AD**: Earliest recorded use of *englisc* to denote the language itself. ([open.edu](https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/english-language/english-the-world-today/content-section-1?utm_source=openai))  \n\nSo, *English* as the name for the language was first regularly used in the **9th century**, though the language itself existed for several centuries before then under different terms or without a formal name.\n\n---\n\nIf you like, I can show you some of the exact Old English phrases where *englisc* appears!"
    }
]