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410
Pre English
Settlement of most of Britain by Germanic people that spoke West Germanic dialects descended from Proto-Germanic. These dialects are distantly related to Latin, but also have a little of Latin borrowings due to earlier cultural contact with the Romans on the continent. -
450
Old English
Old english does not look or sound like english used today. The natives would be quite confused with today's english language. The words be, strong, and water however were the only words used today that was also used in old englsh -
May 19, 700
Old English
Augustine and Irish missionaries convert Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, introducing new religious words borrowed from Latin and Greek. Latin speakers begin referring to the country as Anglia and later as Englaland. -
May 19, 1100
Middle English
During the invasion of England, the invaders from Normandy brought with them a new kind of french language. Over a certain amount of time, there was a class division. The lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. Later on French and English words were mixed together to make Middle English -
May 19, 1400
Middle English
English becomes the official language of the law courts and replaces Latin as the medium of instruction at most schools. John Wycliffe's English translation of the Latin Bible is published. -
May 19, 1500
Early Modern English
Towards the end of the Middle English Era, a sudden change in pronunciation, vowels being pronounced shorter. Then in the 1600s the British had contact with many people around the world. This meant that many new words and phrases entered the language. -
American Enlish
Some pronunciations and usages stopped when they reached the American shore. In certain respects, some varieties of American English are closer to the English of Shakespeare than modern Standard English. The American dialect also served as the route of introduction for many native American words into the English language. -
Late Modern English
The only main differemce between Early Modern English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. Lste Modern English has many more words than Early Modern English. Late Modern English began in 1800 and continued to present day.
