Comments by "John Brereton" (@johnbrereton5229) on "" video.

The concept of England grew from the region known as Wessex and the people there were known as the Gewisse, which is believed to be a Brythonic word for hill fort. Also the house of Wessex was founded by a man called Cerdic which is another Brythonic name. So exactly how 'Anglo Saxon' were these people really ? Not a lot it seems .
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@Publicistvideos Originally the population were most likely multilingual, speaking vulgar Latin, Brythonic and different germanic languages. Over time, these different languages coalesced and evolved into Old English. However, only around 26% of modern English is derived from Old English, not 100% as you claimed. Also the term 'Anglo Saxon' was only used much later in the 8th century and even then, not here, but on the continent. Later it was promoted increasingly during the 19th century by Queen Victoria after she married Albert from modern day Saxony. Though as Catherine Hill remarked in her 'History of the English', the interpretation of the Anglo Saxons is ; 'more contingent on contemporary political and religious theology, as on any contemporary evidence'.
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@glenbinnie2086 Yes of course germanic is the basis of the English language. However, the germanic peoples evolved from Scandanavia before spreading south replacing the Celts. Therefore, of course, old English contains many Norse words, but more importantly it inherited its syntax. Even the oldest English poem about Beowulf was about a Geat and the Geats came from what is now Sweden.
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@SandileNgwenya-gv7nx Like many words they get corrupted over time. The word Gewisse is indeed germanic but it means sure or reliable, which doesn't really make any sense for a people. That's why many experts believe it is the corruption of a very similar Brythonic word that means hillfort, which does make sense. Also the Gewisse were kin of the Hwicce who were also Brythonic and when you realise that Wessex was founded by the Briton Cerdic it all starts to make sense.
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@PercivalC Yes indeed Percival, I agree with your very informative comment, the basis of English is most definately of North Western European origin. Though this video was really about what the 'Anglosaxons' actualy called themselves. However, it seems to have evolved into discussing the English language.
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@Nizzet It's not just the name Gewisse though, it's the fact they were closely associated with the Hywicce who were definitely Brythonic and most experts conclude that the Gewisse must also have been Brythonic themselves. Also, Cerdic the founder of Wessex was followed by Cynric, then Ceawlin and these are all Brythonic names. Obviously this period in history is very murky, but the more evidence that emerges from both Archeology and Genetics hints that it wasn't as clear cut as we once thought it was.
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@Anglisc1682 Of course English is a Germanic language, just as Swedish, Danish and German etc are also.
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@Anglisc1682 There is nothing 'strange' in adding further details to this discussion ? Also I'm neither a Celticphile nor an Anglophile, all our ancestors are equal in my eyes. However, many scholars have questioned how the term Gewisse which means sure or reliable in germanic could be used to describe a people. Therefore, they have suggested a very similar Brythonic word which means Hillfort, which seems to fit far better. Also the Gewisse were very close to the Hywicce which are considered Brythonic and when you add this to the fact that the founders of Wessex all had Brythonic names it seems to suggest that they were a Brythonic people who became more Germanic over time. The latest DNA tests by the Max Plank institute show that even modern English have more Brythonic DNA than 'Anglosaxon' which just seems confirm this hypothesis.
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