English Language History

By Pinky-Squinky
  • 400

    Old English

    Early 16th Century - William Tyndale publishes the first English translation of the Bible.
    Vikings in England - Vikings began to raid Britain. They spoke North Germanic language this language was similar to Anglo-Saxon.
    Beginning of Christianity and Literature - The beginning of Christianity brought literacy and European culture to England.
  • 597

    Beginning of Christanity and Literature

    40 missionaries brought Christianity to the pagan Anglo - Saxons and the rest of England in 597 A.D. It quickly spread throughout the land that King Ethelbert of Kent had converted. This conversion brought literacy and European culture to England.
  • Period: Sep 23, 658 to Sep 24, 680

    Anglo-Saxon Language

    During this era, about 400 Anglo-Saxon poems, and tales of wild heroic journey's were written. The oldest surviving book was a long poem called Beowulf.
  • Sep 23, 800

    Vikings

    By the early 8th century, Vikings began raiding Britain. They came from Norway,Sweden and Denmark. Vikings spoke a North Germanic language that was very similar to Anglo-Saxon.
  • Period: Sep 23, 1100 to Sep 24, 1500

    Middle English

    1171 - Henry declared himself overlord of Ireland, introducing Norman French and English to the country. The University of Oxford was also funded this year.
    1150 - This is the approximate date of the earliest surviving text in Middle English.
    Vowel Shift - A major key in deciphering if text was written during Middle English or Modern English.
  • Period: Sep 23, 1387 to Sep 24, 1400

    Chaucer Canterbury Tales

    Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Chaucer's Canterbury tales which were a collection of stories in a frame story between 1387 and 1400.
  • Sep 23, 1500

    Invention of Printing Press

    Johannes Gutenberg invented the Printing press. Books became easier to buy. The printing press increased the percentage of literacy in England.
  • Sep 23, 1500

    Modern English

    Dictionary - Noah Webster published the first American Dictionary in the English Language.
    2000 - Oxford English Dictionary became available online to subscribers.
    2012 - Fifth volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English was published by Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

  • Shakespeare

    Shakespeare's first Folio was published. This was a collection of all his plays, comedies, histories, and tragedies in 1623.

  • Late Modern English

    Discovery of North America - Discovery and settlement of America was an introduction for many Native American words in the English Language. New words were created for everything.
    Norman Invasion - France and Nazi Germany were in War.
    American Revolution - This political battle took place in which the thirteen American colonies rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy and eventually overthrew the the authority of Great Britain and founded the United States.