-
Period: 400 to 1100
Old English
Examples - Fæder/Father - hlāf/loaf - rīċe/reich/realm -
500
Germanic Invasion
The German invasion of the British Isles is widely considered to be the start of Old English. -
700
Beowulf's Writings
This is the suspected time of Beowulf's writings according to J.R.R. Tolkien. He believes that it has too many strong ties to paganism to be written more than a few generations after the strong arm of the Catholic church was put in place. -
700
Original English Manuscripts
These were the earliest recorded evidence found of Old English Manuscripts. -
850
Danish Raid
The Danes raided England and Northumbria. This is when the influencing of the language slowly started. -
1066
Norman Invasion
This was the invasion of the Normans that brought about the change from Old to Middle English -
1100
Founding of the Oxford University
It is beleived Oxford was founded around this time. -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle English
Examples - ous silve/ourselves - wollde/wanted - Drihhtin/Lord -
1347
The Black Death
The black death killed an estimated 75-200 million speakers including many scholars which caused people to switch to English as a more common language than Latin. -
1350
English "replaces" Latin
English became more dominant than Latin around this time -
1387
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
A collection of stories that were origninally published in 1387 and ended in 1400 -
1445
Invention of the Printing Press
Most scholars believe that the printing press was created somewhere between 1440-1450. The printing press made it possible for more books to be printed in the common languages which allowed the peasants to read. -
1492
Discovery of America
In 1492 Columbus discovered America and introduced English to the natives. -
Period: 1500 to
Early Modern English
Examples - vnto/unto - thou/they - whiche/which -
English In America
First English settlmesnts start poppining up in America. -
The Weekly News
The first English newspaper is started and sold in London, England -
Shakespeare's First Folio
This is the original Publication of Shakespeare's first work. Many scholars believe it to be the most influential book in English history. -
Copyright Act
The first copyright law is instituted setting a standard for hundreds of years to come. -
American Revolution
The American Revolution changed the way many people in America speak today. It is believed that the American accent is how the British used to sound in the 1700s. -
Period: to
Modern English
Example - Example - Avacado - Him - Her -
Telegraph
The telegraph is invented allowing almost instant communication between distant lands. -
Standardization
Standard English starts to take form in the US, Australia, India, plus many more British colonies. -
Oxford Dictionary
The first Oxford English Dictionary is founded creating, for the first time, a list of all the words in modern English.
