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Jan 1, 1337
The Hundred Years War
This war which lasted from 1337 to 1454, and was between England and France marked a major turning point in speaking English. Additionally, the Black Plague (which happened at the same time) caused a huge number of deaths of the French speaking churches and monasteries. -
Jan 1, 1422
Henry V---The Will that changed It All
Writing in English became en vogue. With the death of Henry V, common folk came to the belief that if their late King's will was written in English, then they too should adopt this notion. With this change, Henry's wish of "ruling England as the head of a united nation" (Jokinen) was to come true post-mortem. -
Jan 1, 1534
A Turning Point is Reached
King Henry VIII broke ties with the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Along with this Bibles started to be printed in English, allowing them to be widely read by the common man. -
Webster...Beyond the Dictionary
Noah Webster published his best selling 'Blue-Backed' American Speller, selling over 80 million. This gave him the money and influence to later publish his dictionary, which although was not as successful early on, changed American English spelling forever. -
English......Its Spreading
1788 marked the start of 100 years of English expansion, extending to such locations as New Zealand, Singapore, Rhodesia, & an island in the South Atlantic called Falkland Islands which by the year 1841 "had a British civilian lieutenant governor." (Encyclopedia Brittanica) -
American Revolution = American English
After the war, Americans wanted to assert their new independence by cutting ties with much of the 'old ways'. 'New' Americans felt a strong sense of nationalism that included their language. -
Walt Whitman
The author Walt Whitman became a household name, and thereafter proved to Americans that it was OK to follow a path different from the Old English one. This proved prophetic as "along with Emily Dickenson, Whitman is considered one of America's most important poets." (Academy of Am. Poets) -
American English Takes a Hit
Britian's House of Lords features a debate over the sad turn of events regarding unsuitable words..."English usage was going to the dogs," (McCrum, et al, p. 375) with words such as ongoing and hopefully, as well as old words such as 'gay companions' taking on new meaning. -
Dialect by Choice
In the 80's dub poetry found it's voice celebrating the Jamaican way. Dub poetry's popularity outside of it's birth country marked a change in how dialects were viewed i.e. a dialect does not mean less than English. -
Anything Can Be Marketed, Even English
English becomes a money maker by the 1980-90's as buisnesses such as 'BBC English' produce books and cassettes to sell to developing countries.
