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600 BCE
The Celts
The first languages in the British Isles are the Celtic ones like Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. These people settled the British Isles about
600 BC. That is more than 2500 years ago! Words of the Celts that we use today:
-Clan
-Dad
-Penguin
-Town
-Trousers
-Whiskey -
55 BCE
The Romans
In 55BC, there was an invasion by the Romans, who spoke Latin.
They gave Latin names to places and some of these names are still used today. Words of the Romans that we use today:
-Triumph
-Circus
-Dictator -
450
The Anglo-Saxons
The first people who spoke English
arrived in England in about the year 450.
These people were the Anglo-Saxons
and their language was Old English. Words of the Anglo-Saxons that we use today:
-Spell
-Earth
-Woman -
800
The Vikings
From about 800, the Vikings started to invade Britain.
The Vikings came from countries like Denmark and
Norway and spoke a language that developed
into Norwegian and Danish. Words of the Vikings that we use today:
-Cake
-Bag
-Husband
-Egg
-Die -
1066
The Normans
In 1066, the Normans invaded England from Normandy in France.
They spoke an earlier version of French and this became the language of prestige in England. Words of the Normans that we use today:
-Army
-Palace
-Law -
1400
Middle English
There were no more invasions of England. English became more important than French. A number of books were published in Middle English.
The most famous is a book of stories called
The Canterbury Tales (1400) by Geoffrey Chaucer. Words of the Middle English that we use today:
-There -
1475
The Printing Press
With the invention of the printing press in 1476, publishing books in English became very popular. -
1561
William Shakespeare
There are many important authors in Modern English, but one of the most famous writers is William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616). Do you know any other writers from
the British Isles?