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Around the year 500, groups of Germanic people, the Jutes, Angles and Saxons start migrating to the British Isles, and in the process, bringing with them their language which would be the precursor to Modern English.
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The period from 500 until the Norman conquest in 1066 is labelled Old English.
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The first Viking attack on Britian in 793 was the start of Viking settlement and influence that would last until the Norman Conquest, especially in the area that became known as the Danelaw. Old English is influenced by words from coming from Old Norse.
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The Norman Conquest of 1066 was the beginning of a period of great changes in the English language bringing french and a romance vocabulary to the Englsih language. This period also marks the start of the period we call Middle English.
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The period after the Norman conquest was a period of great changes in the English language.
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The printing press makes the written word available to "everybody" and in the process also making the printed word more standardized.
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The language is becoming more similar to the modern English of today. This period coincides with the Renaissance, a time period with a renewed interest in classical learning, culture and literature, and education.
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Jamestown is the first permanent English settlement in the New World, bringing the English language to North America.
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The King James Bible became the standard translation and it was read by "everybody" influencing the process of standardizing the English language.
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The English language takes the form that we know and use today.
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Australia was claimed for the British Crown by James Cook in 1770 and in the process spreading the English language to the Australian and Pacific continent.. New Zealand was claimed for England just before Australia.
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Dictionaries contributes to the standardization of the English language. The debate about prescriptive and descripive rules become central issues. The Webster dictionary comes out in 1806 and later in 1928 the Oxford English Dictionary.
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After World War II the USA become an economic, political, military and cultural superpower and are among the main reasons for the further spread of the English language.
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The colonies of the British Empire are being de-colonized. Most countries keep English as an official language and it is widely used in administration and education.
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Internet becomes widely available around the world. English is the main language being used. Social media like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and more, further expands the use of the English language.