-
450
Arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain
-
Period: 450 to 1150
Old English
-
Period: 750 to 1050
Influence of Old Norse from Viking invasions
-
1066
Norman Conquest
French becomes the language of the ruling class. -
Period: 1150 to 1500
Middle English
-
1350
Development of Middle English literature
Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" -
Period: 1350 to
The Great Vowel Shift
-
1476
Invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg and its introduction to England
-
Period: 1500 to
Early Modern English
-
Period: 1580 to
Shakespeare's works contribute significantly to vocabulary and expressions
-
Publication of the King James Bible, which influences the language
-
Period: to
Modern English
Standardization of English grammar and spelling (18th century). -
Period: to
The Industrial Revolution
-
Samuel Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language"
-
Period: to
Globalization and the spread of English as a global lingua franca
-
Period: to
21st Century Developments
Emergence of digital communication and social media language; Increased influence of global English variations (e.g., Indian English, Singapore English).