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Period: 450 to 1150
Old English
The first people who spoke the language which over time turned itself into English conquered England in about the Year 450. These people were known as Anglo-Saxon and their language is also often called Anglo-Saxon or Old English. -
700
Beowulf
Beowulf is a heroic poem, considered the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. It deals with events of the early 6th century CE and is believed to have been composed between 700 and 750. -
800
Vikings
The Vikings started to invade Britain. The Vikings came from countries like Denmark and Norway and spoke a language which later developed into Norwegian and Danish. The language the Vikings spoke left behind many words in English: you, husband, law and anger. -
1066
Normans
Normans invaded England from Normandy in France. They spoke an earlier version of French and this became the high status language in England. It brought many new words into English such as cash, age and reward, for instance. -
Period: 1150 to 1500
Middle English
There were no more invasions of England and gradually English took over again from French. The English spoken around this time is called middle English. -
1167
Oxford University
In reality it grew up in the 12th century when famous teachers began to lecture there and groups of students came to live and study in Oxford. The university was given a boost in 1167 when, for political reasons, the English king ordered all students in France to return home. Many of them came to Oxford. -
1476
The Printing Press
Books have been written in English since the 9th century, but it was with the introduction of the printing press by Thomas Caxton that publishing really took off. With the printing also came an interest in a standard way of writing English which had not been present before. -
Period: 1500 to
Modern English
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1520
The English Bible
The New Testament of the Bible was translated into English by William Tyndale. This was quite a big step since it meant that people who only knew English could read the Bible themselves. The church didn't like this at all and so the first Bibles were printed elsewhere and smuggled into England. -
1580
Shakespeare
There are many important authors in modern English, however one of the most well-known early writers is William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616). He deserves a mention here since many words in English are first found in his plays. It could be that he invented words or that he took words that were only used in spoken English and put them in print.