The Genesis of the Old English Dialects a New Hypothesis

The Old English dialects have traditionally been viewed as mere extensions of the dialects of the continental Germanic tribes before their migration to Britain. Following Bede's famous division of the fifth-century invaders into Jutes, Angles, and Saxons, writers have postulated three corresponding dialects: Kentish, Anglian, and Saxon. In this paper I shall develop the hypothesis that the origins of the English dialects lie not in pre-migration tribal affiliations but in certain social, economic, and cultural developments which occurred after the migration was completed. This does not imply that the continental Germanic dialects are irrelevant to the genesis of English dialects; indeed the influence of Frisian is central to my hypothesis. Only those influences, however, which were felt after the migrations were relevant to formation of the English dialects; for I believe that these dialects originated not on the continent but on the island of Britain.