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Period: Sep 20, 1066 to Dec 31, 1479
Middle English
The Norman Conquest marks the beginning of the Middle English, and it lasted until the late 1400's. During this time, English is heavily influenced by Norman French. English changed a great deal in this period moving from a mostly synthetic language to a predominently analytic one. -
Jan 1, 1375
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Canterbury Tales PrologueThe Canterbury Tales are possibly the most famous literature form Middle English. -
Period: Jan 1, 1400 to Dec 31, 1499
The Great Vowel Shift
The Great Vowel Shift took place mostly in the 15th century and its completion marks the end of Middle English and the beginning of Early Modern English. -
Period: Jan 1, 1480 to
Early Modern English
Early Modern English lasted from the late 15th century through the late 17th century. -
Apr 26, 1564
Shakespeare
Sonnet 116
Shakespeare is arguabley the most famous playwright and author to every use the English language. While many English speakers today have some difficulty understanding his vocabulary and syntax, he was writing in Early Modern English. -
First Engish Dictionary
The "Table Alphabeticall" was the very first English dictionrary ever published. -
Period: to
Modern English
Modern English began in the late 17th century. -
Dictionary of the English Language and Standardized Grammar Texts
Samuel Johnson published the first full featured dictionry of English standardizing English spelling and vocabulary to a large extent while Lowth, Murray, and Priestly began publishing grammar texts in an attempt to establish standardization of written and spoken English. -
Beowulf
The only surviving manuscropt of Beowulf was written sometime between 975 and 1025. -
Christianity comes to the British Isles
The Lord's Prayer in Old English
With the introdcution of Christianity, English begins to borrow Latina and Greek vocabulary. Monasteries are built, and the work or copying and writing manuscripts in English begins. -
Period: to Sep 19, 1066
Old English
Old English began with the settlement of Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people group, in the British Isles.
