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449
Germanic tribes invade Britain
In 449, the invasion of Britain by Germanic tribes (The Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons) began. These tribes came from Denmark and the Low Countries, and they are considered the founders of England. First, they invaded the south and east of Britain and they moved up from there. Can you guess where the words "England" and "English" come from? And where the English language comes from? -
Period: 450 to Jan 1, 1099
Old English
Some characteristics of Old English: Different pronunciation: For example the "o" sound we hear in words like "stone" and "bone" was represented by the letter "ā". In Old English the word "stone" was spelt "stān". Germanic vocabulary. 85% of Old English words aren't used anymore. Old English had cases like Latin or German. Old English had three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. -
Apr 25, 1017
Beowulf (Anonymous, c. 11th century)
Most famous literature work written in Old English. Folk epic.
3,000 lines long.
Shows the characteristics of life in Germanic times. Thanks to it we can see that courage, loyalty and honour were important back then. You can read more about Beowulf here -
Period: Apr 25, 1066 to Apr 26, 1266
Upper classes in England spoke French
During this period French was the language of the upper classes and the court, while English was the language of the people. -
Oct 14, 1066
Battle of Hastings (Norman Conquest)
William the Conqueror claims the English throne. He came from Normandy, in the north of France. The new king brought his people and his language to Britain. French became the language of the upper classes and coexisted with English. -
Period: Apr 25, 1150 to Apr 26, 1500
Middle English
English lost its endings, becoming closer to the English we know now. The loss of inflectional endings also affected gender. Vocabulary was influenced by French. -
Apr 25, 1204
Loss of Normandy
King John lost Normandy -
Apr 25, 1205
Are you English or are you French?
The king of France confiscated land of some nobles who had land both in England and in France, as a consequence, they had to decide whether they wanted to go back to France or stay in England. -
Apr 25, 1325
Arthur and Merlin
The prologue of this romance says that everybody knows English. -
Period: Apr 25, 1337 to Apr 26, 1453
Hundred Years' War
Made English people think of the French as the enemy. What consequences do you think this had for the English language? -
Apr 25, 1348
The Black Death
Contagious illness spread through the country. People died within three days. The death rate was close to 30%. This high mortality rate made people from humble origins rise in social level, and they brought with them the use of English. -
Apr 25, 1362
English in Law Courts
English became the language of law. -
Apr 25, 1476
Printing Press
How do you think the introduction of the printing press in England affected the English language? -
Period: Apr 25, 1500 to
Modern English
Most words form their plural with -s English expands to other countries (the British Empire and colonialism). Shakespeare used the comparative endings "-er" and "-est" with long adjectives, for example "the violentest". Interrogative forms without an auxiliary were common. -
Apr 25, 1531
First book on education in English
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Apr 25, 1564
Shakespeare was born
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Beginning of English colonisation of America
This has had incredible influences in the history of the English language. Can you think of some of them? -
First dictionary in English
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First Cheap newspaper
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Cheap postage
