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Period: 400 to 1100
Old English
Words from Old English writings: Besmirch, erstwhile, heir, hither, soothsayer, swain, thither, thwart, wizened, oft, neah, beorht, and dyre -
430
Germanic Tribes
After the Romans withdrew from Britain the Celts became increasingly vulnerable to attack. 430 AD Celtic warlord Vortigern invite Jutish brothers to settle on the east coast of Britain to form a wall of safety from the sea raids by the Picts. They settles in the southern areas of Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. After the Jutes were 'allowed' to settle other Germanic Tribes followed. The influx of Germanic people brought many new words into the English language. -
597
Christianity in England
Christianity wasn't big until 597 when St. Augustine marched into Kent with his missionaries and met with King Ethelbert. King Ethelbert was married to a Christian and after meeting with St. Augustine converted himself and his family. King Edwin married one of Ethelbert's daughters and converted. These two high profile conversions led to mass-scale conversions of the people of England. -
700
Beowulf's approximate date of Writting
While it is undecided whether Beowulf was a real man, it has been proven that some of the characters were real people. Because of this scholars have narrowed down when they think it was written. Some believe it was the 600s or 700s while others say it was written in the 900s. I am unsure of what one would be correct but am going with the middle of the 700s. -
865
Scandinavian Influence
The Scandinavians or the Vikings were known for being heathens. They lived their lives mainly like pirates, they would seize a piece of land and camp near their ship until they got paid to leave. In 865 bands of Vikings landed in East Anglia with the plan to settle there. In the end they destroyed the kingdoms of East Anglia and Northumbria. The Vikings set up a firm establishment in those kingdoms. One of the most well known Viking king of England was King Cnut (1016-1035). -
1066
The Norman Invasion
William The conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invaded and conquered England. With the invasion and conquering came a bit of the French language that help shape the English language. -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle English
Words from Middle English writings: Al be that, coy, anon, pryme, fro, natheless, nyce, gentil, socour, joly, chepe, and woned -
1167
Oxford and Cambridge
The universities of Oxford and Cambridge were founded in 1167 and 1209. General literacy increased over the next centuries although books were being copied by hand. This made getting an education/ literacy very expensive. Ensured that the Middle English prevailed. -
1204
French Influence
With the Norman Invasion came a kind of French language. In 1204, was when the French language became the 'main' language of Britain. Only Nobility, Royal Court and some business classes knew how to speak and understand the language so it caused a social drift. When English regained the status of the main language of Britain many Francien words had been adopted into the English language. -
1337
The Hundred Year War
The Hundred Year War (1337-1453) was fought between Britain and France. The War against France made people see the French language as the language of the enemy. French lost it's status and English began to rise again. By 1350 the linguistic division was basically over. In 1362 English was adopted as the official language of Britain. Finally in 1385, English became the language of instruction in schools. -
1400
The Canterbury Tales
Collection of 24 stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Published unfinished in 1400 at Chaucer's death. Written between 1387 and 1400. -
1440
The Invention of the Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg, German goldsmith, is the one credited with inventing the printing press around 1440. Gutenberg invented the printing press in hopes to make more money. With the invention of the printing press, books became cheaper and more people were learning to read. -
Period: 1500 to
Modern English
Words from Early Modern writings: thou, euer, whiche, creacyon, redempcyon, frend, swerd, and bytwene
Words from Late Modern writings: oxygen, telephone, vacuum, airplane, typewriter, candy, computer, and guitar -
1512
Great Vowel Shift
The Great Vowel Shift is what defines Middle English from Modern English. It was the sudden and distinct change to how words were pronounced. The longer vowels became higher and further forward in the mouth. The spelling of words also changed which helped with the change of pronunciation. -
Discovery of North America
The 'Discovery' of America is credited to Christopher Columbus in 1492. However, seeing as Columbus didn't actually discover anything and we're focusing on the history of the English language, I'm not putting that as the date. England began colonization in North America in the 1600's. The first colony, Jamestown, was established in 1607 and other colonies came in following years ending in 1733. -
Dictionaries and Grammar
The very first English dictionary was published in 1604, Robert Cawdrey is credited with being the one to write it. However, it wasn't all that reliable. After Cawdrey's attempt many other dictionaries got published and even grammar, pronunciation and spelling guides were getting published. -
Shakespeare's First Folio
The First Folio was the first collected edition of William Shakespeare's plays. It was published in 1623, seven years after his death. -
The American Revolution
The American Revolution started March 22, 1765 and ended September 3rd 1783. A decade into the revolution, the Revolutionary War started ending with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. -
20th Century
America's influence in media and popular culture ensured that English remained the most important language. In 1917, Daniel Jones introduced the concept of Received Pronunciation, which basically is the idea of what type of English you speak shows what part of England you live in. The 1920s and 1930s brought English to a whole new level of influence with the invention of the radio and television. They disseminated archetypal English accent to the masses.