The document discusses the history and evolution of the English language from its origins as Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century AD. Over the following centuries, the language was influenced by Old Norse during the Viking invasions and then underwent extensive changes after the Norman conquest of 1066, when it absorbed a significant amount of vocabulary from Norman French. The document traces how English became the dominant language of Britain and over time developed into its modern form.