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Period: 450 to 1150
Old English
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600
Anglo-Saxon Language Covers most of Modern-day England
Modern English is the direct descendant of the Anglo-Saxon language. Without the Anglo-Saxons there wouldn't be an English language. The lasting impact is that in each time period of the English language there were words that the Anglo-Saxons used. -
680
Suspected Date of Beowoulf's Writing
The poems of Cynewulf, which were written the same time, are similar to Beowulf. Beowulf is one of the highest achievements for Old English Literature. -
792
Viking raid of Britain begin
They brought their own language, another impact on the developing English language. Words such as sky, skin, wagon originated with the language of the Vikings. -
871
Alfred the Great becomes king of Wessex
Alfred wrote the first substantial English law codes. He brought scholars to his court and translated a number of important books into Old English. -
1066
The Norman Invasion
The Norman Conquest was the 11th-century invasion of England by an army of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops. All were led by the Duke of Normandy, later led by William the Conqueror. -
Period: 1150 to 1450
Middle English
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1348
English replaces Latin for instruction in Schools
After the end of Roman rule, Latin was displaced as a spoken language by Old English in most of what became England during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of the fifth and sixth centuries. -
1362
English replaces French as the language of Law
The Statute of Pleading was enacted, which stated that all legal proceedings should be conducted in English but was still recorded in Latin. This marked the beginning of formal Legal English. -
1392
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales tell a story of a group of pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury to visit the holy shrine of St. Thomas Becket. It is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer. -
1400
The Great Vowel Shift
The Great Vowel Shift was a series of changes in the pronunciation of the English language. Through this vowel shift, the pronunciation of all Middle English long vowels was changed. Some consonant sounds changed as well, particularly those that became silent; the term Great Vowel Shift is sometimes used to include these consonantal changes -
1436
The invention of the Printing Press
German goldsmith, Johannes Gutenberg is credited with inventing the printing press. The printing press allowed for people to share large amounts of information in a much faster way than hand writing it. It also produced in mass amounts, and changed the was society evolved. -
Period: 1450 to
Early Modern English
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1497
The discovery of North America
The Italian navigator and explorer Giovanni Caboto also known as John Cabot is credited with the discovery of continental North America while under the commission of Henry VII of England. -
King James Version, of “The Bible” is published
The King James Bible has contributed 257 phrases to the English language, more than any other single source, including the works of Shakespeare. Expressions such as “a Fly in the ointment”, “thorn in the side” and “Do we see eye to eye”, which are still commonly used today all originated in the Bible. -
Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio
The First Folio was published 7 years after Shakespeare's death, and was assembled in 36 plays. -
The American Revolution
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence. Helped to secure American independence from Great Britain. This war was caused by years of violence and discord. -
First publication of “The Times” newspaper in London
Newspapers can serve as useful primary sources for historical research. They reflect the time period in which they were created, and provide a glimpe into society at the time. -
The American Spelling Book
It was a very popular textbook for young children in the nineteenth century. By the end of the century, it had sold 100 million copies. It not only taught students how to read and spell, but also provided lessons on subjects such as morality and the principles of American government. -
Period: to
Modern English
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The American Dictionary of the English Language
Noah Webster hoped to standardize American speech, since Americans in different parts of the country used somewhat different vocabularies and spelled, pronounced, and used words differently. -
Oxford English Dictionary
The first publication of the Oxford English Dictionary. It effected English because it traces a word from its beginnings (which may be in Old or Middle English) to the present, showing the varied and changing ways in which it has been used and illustrating the changes with quotations which add to the historical and linguistic record. -
The Complete Plain Words published
The Complete Plain Words is a guide to the use of English. It was written by Sir Ernest Growers