Brief History of the English Language As Told By A 12th Grader

By MeganTiblow
  • Period: 400 to 1100

    Old English

    Oldest variation of English, you probably wouldn't understand it very well or at all in todays time.
    Wes hāl - Hello! X Gōdne mergen - Good morning
  • 616

    Eadbald of Kent

    Eadbald of Kent
    Eadbald is known to be the first Christian Anglo-Saxon king.
  • 800

    "Beowulf"

    "Beowulf"
    The epic poem Beowulf was written near this time, it is uncertain of the exact date or even the author of the poem.
  • 1010

    First Written Conversation

    First Written Conversation
    The first known written conversation was between a teacher and student. This is a milestone for the English language.
  • 1060

    Norman Psalter

    Norman Psalter
    A prayer book from an unknown person from an unknown religion. It has some of the earliest written things in English.
  • 1066

    "Norman Invasion"

    "Norman Invasion"
    The Norman Invasion or Norman Conquest was an attack on England by several countries, including but not limited to the Normans and French.
  • Period: 1100 to 1550

    Middle English

    A more developed version of old English but still very different from how we speak now.
    "Stynt thy clappe" - Shut up! X "for the nones" - For the occasion
  • 1347

    Black Death

    The bubonic plague passed through most of Europe and killed one/thirds of the population.
  • 1350

    The Great Vowel Shift

    A change in the way that people pronounce vowels and it changed nearly the entire English language.
  • 1385

    English in school

    English began to be used rather than Latin in the school systems all over.
  • 1387

    "The Canterbury Tales"

    "The Canterbury Tales"
    A collection of stories by Geoffrey Chaucer. It contains 24 different stories and is around 17,000 words.
    “If gold rusts, what then can iron do?”
  • 1440

    Printing Press

    Printing Press
    The printing press was a revolutionary advancement in reading and writing. It allowed books to be mass produced and more of a commodity than such a luxury item. Johannes Gutenberg is credited as the creator of the invention.
  • Aug 3, 1492

    Discovery of America

    Discovery of America
    Columbus is credited on finding America. When he came over he allowed language to evolve by melding with a new culture. English wouldn't be what it is today without this happening.
  • 1526

    "Tyndale Bible"

    "Tyndale Bible"
    One of the earliest accepted translations of the Bible into english was by William Tyndale.
  • Period: 1550 to

    Modern English

    Broken into two major categories, early and late. Early would sound like a cheesy renaissance actor and late would be what we speak like.
    Hia! - Hello X What's up dude? - How are you friend?

  • Death of Shakespeare

    Shakespeare, one of the greatest English writers, died of unknown causes.

  • American Revolution

    American Revolution
    The American Revolution was a revolt against the British control over the American colonies. Extreme taxation was the thing that pushed the colonials over the edge and into war.

  • "First Folio"

    "First Folio"
    Nearly all of Shakespeare's plays were contained in a book titled his "First Folio". It is said that only one of his plays were left out of this collection.

  • End of Slavery

    America abolished slavery and took the first steps toward equality in their young nation.

  • "Oxford Dictionary"

    The first edition of the Oxford Dictionary marked the new age of English. You were able to find nearly every word in the English language in the book along with the meaning behind it.