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Period: 450 to 1100
Old English
580 Suspected date of Beowulf's writing
The Norman Invasion (1066)
The approximate date of the earliest manuscript of Old English (700)
Scandinavians began to settle in Britain and Ireland: Danes settled in parts of Ireland (Late 8th Century)
Danes raid England, occupy Northumbria, and establish a kingdom at York. Danish begins to influence English. (Late 9th Century) -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle English
Chaucer's Canterbury (1340-1400)
Approximate date of the earliest surviving texts in Middle English. (1150)
The Statute of Pleading makes English the official language in England. Parliament is opened with its first speech delivered in English. (1362)
At his coronation, King Henry IV becomes the first English monarch to deliver a speech in English. (1399) -
Period: 1500 to
Early Modern English
Publication of Shakespeare's first Folio (1623)
The first grammar of English—William Bullokar's Pamphlet for Grammar—is published. (1586)
William Shakespeare writes his Sonnets and the majority of his plays. (1590-1611) -
Period: to
Late Modern English
The first issue of the journal World Englishes is published. (1981)