English

The history of the English language

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  • 1100 BCE

    Old English

    The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not sound or look like English today. Native English speakers now would have great difficulty understanding Old English. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English roots. The words are, strong and water, for example, derive from Old English. Old English was spoken until around 1100.
  • 401 BCE

    The origin of the English language

    The arrival of three Germanic tribes (the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes) who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The Angles came from "Englaland" [sic] and their language was called "Englisc" - from which the words "England" and "English" are derived.
  • 1500

    Middle English

    In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy, invaded and conquered England. The new conquerors (called the Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which became the language of the Royal Court. For a period there was a kind of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th century English became dominant in Britain again, but with many French words added. This language is called Middle English.

  • Early modern English

    Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century, the British had contact with many peoples from around the world. This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print.

  • Late modern English

    The main difference between Early Modern English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. Late Modern English has many more words, arising from two principal factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution and technology created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire at its height covered one-quarter of the earth's surface, and the English language adopted foreign words from many countries.