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1066
Norman Conquest
William the Conqueror invaded the island of Britain and settled in his new acquisition along with his nobles and court. -
Period: 1101 to 1200
12th Century
The “Ormulum” gives philologists an invaluable snap-shot of they way Middle English was pronounced in the Midlands. -
1154
The “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” recorded its last entry.
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1167
University of Oxford is Founded
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Period: 1201 to 1300
13th Century
Bilingual word lists (Anglo-Saxon and Norman French) started being compiled. -
1204
King John and England lost the French part of Normandy to the King of France
England became even more isolated from continental Europe which made the differences between Norman French and French of Paris more marked. -
1209
University of Cambridge is Founded
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Period: 1301 to 1400
14th Century
English was the language mainly of the uneducated peasantry that many of the grammatical complexities and inflections of Old English gradually disappeared. Noun genders had almost completely died out, and adjectives, which once had up to 11 different inflections, were reduced to just two. Also, the final “e” in many, but not all, words had ceased to be pronounced -
1337
The Hundred Years’ War
It had the effect of branding French as the language of the enemy and the status of English rose as a consequence. -
1349
The Black Death
It killed about a third of the English population. -
1362
The Statute of Pleading was adopted.
It made English the official language of the courts and Parliament. -
1362
Edward III addresses Parliament in English
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1385
English had become the language of instructions in schools.
