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Period: Jan 1, 1066 to
Origin and Diffusion of the English Language
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Jan 19, 1066
Norman Invasion
The common origin of English can be traced back to Germanic tribes. These tribes were called the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons. But, English is a good bit different from German today because of the invansions of the Normans. Normans spoke French and they established it as England's official language for the next 150 years. Most of the people in England had little eduction or they just could't afford it, so they continued to speak English to each other. -
Jan 19, 1204
Reign of King John
England lost control of Normandy and entered a long perod of conflict with France. Fewer people in England wished to speak French as a result. Then English became the country's dominant language again. -
Jan 19, 1362
Statute of Pleading
Parlimenat established the Statute of Pleading to change the official language from French to English. -
Jan 19, 1476
Printing Press
Diffusion of dialect in London was first introduced by the printing press in England. -
Settlement in Jamestown, Virginia
The first permanent settlement by the English in North America was established in Jamestown. Half of the settlers came from southeast England and they represented a diversity of social-class backgrounds. -
Settlement in Plymouth, Massachusetts
Plymouth and other New England colonies were almost entirely established and inhabited by settlers from England. Two thirds were Puritans. Pilgrims settled here on the Mayflower. -
English becoming an official language
Seventeenth Century- Ireland
Mid-eighteenth century- South Pacific
Late-nineteenth century- Southern Africa
British took control in each of these places and in each place English became the official language. -
English diffusion in the Philippines
The United States was responsible for this diffusion. Spain seced the Philippines to the United States in 1899 after losing the Spanish- American War. -
Philippines gain Independence from the U.S.
The Philippines gained their indepedence in 1946. They retained English it's official language along with Filipino. -
English Diffusion in the 1950's
After World War II, English became a truly dominant language over French internationally. From the 1950's-1970's English more popular language across the globe.
