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Period: 400 to
English Through the Years
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430
Invasions of Germanic Tribes
Germanic tribes began to settle on the east coast of Brittain and eventually began establishing permanent bases all over Brittan. Everyone spoke in a similar Germanic tongue that you can still hear bits of today. For example miel (meal), frieze (freeze), and bûter (butter). -
597
Christianity
You can find traces of influence that Christianity had on Anglo-Saxon literature after they converted to religion. The most common source of literature is the poem Beowulf that proves knowledge of Christian beliefs and traditions. -
600
Suspected date of Beowulf's writing
For years scholars have been trying to pinpoint when Beowulf was written and at first, people thought it was written between 600 and 700s because of the historical references but more recently scholars believe the poem was written in the 900s. -
793
The Vikings
Viking began to raid the east coast of Brittan using a ruthless force to settle. They spoke Old Norse resulting in about 1,000 Old Norse words permanently adding to the English Language. -
868
The invention of the Printing Press
The printing press is known for being one of the most important inventions of all time. It played a huge part in regulating plenty of languages. Printing words also made it easier to produce and spread information quickly and cheaply. -
1066
The Norman Invasion
In 1066, William the Conqueror escorted the Normans to England replacing the Anglo-Saxons and taking over lands. This led to the English people adopting thousands of French words, reconstructing the church, and changing architecture throughout the U.K. -
1154
Resurgence of English
After the invasions of Viking and Normans, the English language in Brittan seemed to be dying out. After a while, English started to regain its usage and Brittan was considered English. -
1362
English is used in English Parliament for the first time
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1387
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Between 1387 and 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales using Middle English. In no known order, these were a series of stories about 30 pilgrims of all social statuses telling two stories each to each other as they traveled to and from Canterbury. -
1400
Great Vowel Shift
The shift between Middle English and Early Modern English is the change in vowel pronunciation. It affected words of both native ancestries as well as borrowings from French and Latin. -
1492
The discovery of North America
In 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in America and claimed the land for Spain. This led to inaugurating a period of exploration, conquest, and colonization. -
The English Renaissance
Also, referred to as the Age of Shakespeare. The renaissance started classical learning that brought new words and phrases. It was also when print was becoming available so the language was stabilizing. -
The first English dictionary was published.
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Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio
Shakespeare's First Folio is a collection of 36 plays published 7 years after his death. None of the original manuscripts survived which is what made the First Folio so important. -
The American Revolution
The American Revolution was the result of tension between the 13 colonies and Great Britain. America wanted to be independent from Great Britain and they were willing to fight for it. Eventually, with help from France, North America won its independence. -
American Dialect
The biggest change from Early Modern English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. Most of the new words are derived from Greek and Latin roots. -
The Industrial and Scientific Revolution
With big events such as the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the Brittish Empire, the English language expanded greatly because all the new inventions and ideas needed names. -
Modern English
Today, Modern English is very well known because of the countless books, popular music, and the expanding internet.
