Timeline 512

The History of English Language

  • Period: 400 to 1150

    Old English

    The language of the Anglo-Saxons (up to about 1150), a highly inflected language with a largely Germanic vocabulary, very different from modern English. Words:
    abutan - about, around
    ac - but, however
    anlicnes - image
  • 410

    Germanic Invasions

    Germanic Invasions
    Roman forces had been withdrawn, and small, isolated bands of migrating Germans began to invade Britain. The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English.
  • 600

    Rise of the Saxons

    Introduced new religious words from both Latin and Greek.
  • 700

    Beowulf Written

    Beowulf Written
    Is a heroic poem, the earliest European vernacular epic. Composed sometime between the 8th century and the 11th century.
  • 900

    Danes invade England

    Establish a kingdom at York and begin influencing English.
  • 1066

    The Norman Invasion

    The Norman Invasion
    French becomes the language of the upper-class and English became the language of the lower class. For a period
    there was a kind of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French.
  • Period: 1150 to 1500

    Middle English

    Spoken after the Norman conquest (1066) until the late 15th century Words:
    al, al be that: although
    coy: quiet
    nas: was not
  • 1209

    University of Cambridge is formed

    The University of Cambridge is formed by scholars from Oxford. The scholars had migrated to Cambridge from Oxford to escape hostile townsmen. By 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organization represented by a Chancellor. The school had arranged regular courses of study and taught their own members.
  • 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta
    Also known as The Great Charter. It was the first limit on the absolute authority of the king or queen.
  • 1362

    The Statute of Pleading

    The Statute of Pleading
    Makes English the official language in England. Parliament is opened with its first speech delivered in English. In 1399, at his coronation, King Henry IV becomes the first English monarch to deliver a speech in English.
  • 1387

    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

    A collection of 24 stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400.
  • 1440

    The invention of the Printing Press

    Allowed people to print in large quantities and spread the word quickly. Printing also brought standardization to English.
  • 1492

    The discovery of North America

    The discovery of North America
    Columbus sailed the ocean blue and found North America which spread English to a new continent.
  • Period: 1500 to

    Early Modern

    The stages of the English language from the beginning of the Tudor period to the English Interregnum and Restoration Words
    Words:
    Ye- You
    Art- Are
    on, yonder - that one there
  • Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio

    First Folio of Shakespeare is the first printed collection of Shakespeare's plays. It is considered one of the most influential books ever published in the English language.
  • Bill of Rights

    Bill of Rights
    It further limited the power of the king and expanded essential rights to the common people such as freedom of speech, free elections, no standing army, and the right to due process of the law.
  • American Revolution

    American Revolution
    Lead to America's independence from Britain and a new form of government
  • Period: to

    Late Modern English

    Spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England
  • The Telegraph

    The telegraph is invented allowing almost instant communication between distant lands.
  • Oxford English Dictionary

    The first dictionary was written by Oxford English; large composition of a language.
  • To Kill a Mockingbird

    To Kill a Mockingbird
    In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. To Kill a Mockingbird has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize.