-
Period: 400 to
Old to Middle to Mordern English
-
Period: 400 to Jan 1, 1100
Old English Era
-
Jul 29, 701
Beowulf's Writing
This is an Old English heroic poem conataining 3,182 words. It is known as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. It was written by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon writer. It was written sometime between the 8th and 11th century, but the guessed year is 701. -
Jul 29, 731
Bede
Bede influenced Old English tramendously. He wrote "Ecclestiastical History of the English People" in order to help teach the people about their history. -
Jul 29, 1000
The Discovery of North America
When the vikings set off on a voyage to Notre Dame Bay in Newfoundland, Canada, they ran into the tip of North America. It is believed that they were the first people to discover North America. -
Jul 29, 1041
The Invention of the Printing Press
The world's first movable type of printing technology was invnted in China between 1041-1048. The man who invented it was Bi Sheng the Han Chinese printer. The first book to beprinted in English was printed twenty-five years after the invention in 1475. -
Jul 29, 1042
King Edward the Confessor
When King Edward the Confessor was restored to the English throne, he incorporated many French phrases and words into the English language. -
Jul 29, 1066
The Norman Invasion
The Norman invasion took place in England. England was then occupied by an army of Norman, French, and Breton forces. The army was led by Duke William II. of Normady also known as William the Conqueror. -
Jul 29, 1066
Norman Words and Phrases
After the Norman invasion, thousands of French words were introduced to the English language. These include words such as court, castle, mansion, beauty, duke, tailor, and traitor. -
Period: Jan 1, 1101 to Jan 1, 1400
Middle English Era
-
Jul 29, 1204
100 Year War
The 100 year war between England and France had a significant impact on the development of English. English people didn't want to use French words or terms anymore, so the upper class began learning the speaking English. -
Jul 29, 1300
Chaucer's Cartebury Tales
This was a collection of stories written in the Middle English era by Geoffrey Chaucer. The tales are presented as a story telling contest between pilgrams traveling together. They were written at the end of the 14th century. -
Jul 29, 1337
Latin Words introduced to English Language
After 100 years of war between England and France (1337-1450s), new Latin words were introduced to the English language. These words were connected to religion, medicine, law, and literature. These words were immortal, scripture, history, recipe, and solar. -
Jul 29, 1348
The Black Death
When "The Black Death" disease killed a large amount of people. Since there was a shortage of laborers , the lower class became the middle. Their language then became the "common" language. -
Jul 29, 1362
The Statue of Pleading
The Statue of Pleading was a law that officially recognized English as the language of England. -
Period: Jan 1, 1401 to
Modern English Era
-
Jul 29, 1476
Renaissance Words and Phrases
During the Renaissance time period between 1476-1650, new words from accross the globe were introduced to the English language. These words included chocolate, explain. skeleton, jar, coffee, and magazine. -
Jul 29, 1492
The Discovery of the Americas
In 1492, Christopher Colombus set off on a voyage that was funded by the Italian king and queen at the time. On his journey, he discovered, the Americas sometime between 1492 and 1500. -
Cawdry
Cawdry wrote the first dictionary of hard words in 1604. -
Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio
Shakespeare's first folio was titles "Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies." It contains thirty-six plays and nine hundred pages. -
The Academy
The Academy was a group of people known as the gaurdians and rule-makers of the English language. This idea failed though, but led to the making of the standardized dictionaries. -
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson wrote a dictionary that he hoped would help refine the English language. -
The American Revolution
When the colonists of America had, had enough of the Great Britain tyrany of the queen, the rebels came together and rebelled against the government. They wanted freedom and liberty. The fight began with the Battle of Lexington in 1763 and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. -
St. Augustine
St. Augustine was a key component in Old English. H wanted to convert Britain to Christianity. Thus introducing new religious words and concepts to the English people that were Latin and Greek. -
Anglo-Saxon Words and Phrases
1/3 of Anglo-Saxon vocabulary is in modern English. This includes earth, house, food, sing, night, and sleep. -
Norse Words and Phrases
The Norse also contributed words such as anger, awkward, silver, skirt, and smile. Over all, over 2,000 words from the Norse were contributed to the English language.
