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Period: 450 to 1066
OLD ENGLISH
Old English was the language spoken in England from roughly 450 to 1066. Old English (OE) is one of the Germanic languages derived from a prehistoric Common Germanic, which was originally spoken in southern Scandinavia and the northernmost parts of Germany.
Example:
The words that describe family relationships—father, mother, brother, son—are of Old English descent (compare Modern German Vater, Mutter, Bruder, Sohn) -
Period: 450 to 1066
OLD ENGLISH
Old English was the language spoken in England from roughly 450 to 1066. Old English (OE) is one of the Germanic languages derived from a prehistoric Common Germanic, which was originally spoken in southern Scandinavia and the northernmost parts of Germany.
Example:
The words that describe family relationships—father, mother, brother, son—are of Old English descent (compare Modern German Vater, Mutter, Bruder, Sohn) -
690
Late 6th century
Ethelbert, the King of Kent, is baptized. He is the first English king to convert to Christianity. -
720
7th century
Rise of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex; the Saxon kingdoms of Essex and Middlesex; the Angle kingdoms of Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria. St. Augustine and Irish missionaries convert Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, introducing new religious words borrowed from Latin and Greek. Latin speakers begin referring to the country as Anglia and later as Englaland. -
1050
Early 11th century
Danes attack England, and the English king (Ethelred the Unready) escapes to Normandy. The Battle of Maldon becomes the subject of one of the few surviving poems in Old English. The Danish king (Canute) rules over England and encourages the growth of Anglo-Saxon culture and literature. -
Period: 1066 to 1500
MIDDLE ENGLISH
The Middle English period saw the breakdown of the inflectional system of Old English and the expansion of vocabulary with many borrowings from French and Latin.ample: Example: A significant number of words of French origin began to appear in the English language alongside native English words of similar meaning, giving rise to such Modern English synonyms as pig/pork, chicken/poultry, calf/veal, cow/beef, sheep/mutton, wood/forest, house/mansion, worthy/valuable, bold/courageous. -
1171
Henry II
Henry II declares himself overlord of Ireland, introducing Norman French and English to the country. About this time the University of Oxford is founded. -
1337
Mid to late 14th century
The Hundred Years War between England and France leads to the loss of almost all of England's French possessions. The Black Death kills roughly one-third of England's population. Geoffrey Chaucer composes The Canterbury Tales in Middle English. English becomes the official language of the law courts and replaces Latin as the medium of instruction at most schools. John Wycliffe's English translation of the Latin Bible is published. -
1500
Early 16th century
The first English settlements are made in North America. William Tyndale's English translation of the Bible is published. Many Greek and Latin borrowings enter English. -
Period: 1500 to
The Modern English Period
During the period of Modern English, British exploration, colonization, and overseas trade hastened the acquisition of loanwords from countless other languages and fostered the development of new varieties of English (World English Example. English is becomes a world language with different nuances and pronunciation -
First english dictionary
Robert Cawdrey's Table Alphabeticall, the first English dictionary, is published. -
Jonathan Swift
Anglo-Irish satirist and cleric Jonathan Swift proposes the creation of an English Academy to regulate English usage and "ascertain" the language. -
Mid 19th century
A standard variety of American English develops. English is established in Australia, South Africa, India, and other British colonial outposts. -
BBC
The British Broadcasting Company (later renamed the British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC) is established. -
Intrernet
The Internet (under development for more than 20 years) is opened to commercial interests.
