English Language

  • Anglo-Saxon Invasion
    449

    Anglo-Saxon Invasion

    After Rome fell, not much Latin stuck in the English language in England. The Angle-Saxon used their own language instead of adapting to what the citizens of England used.
  • Period: 500 to 1100

    Old English

  • The Christian Missionaries
    597

    The Christian Missionaries

    They began to arrive in England in 597 led by Augustine. They had a big Latin vocabulary and manuscript written in Latin, even the Bible. They made the first literacy in England.
  • Beowulf
    700

    Beowulf

    This was the suspected date of when Beowulf's writing was created
  • The discovery of North America
    1000

    The discovery of North America

    Leif Erickson was the leader of the expedition. They were the first founders of North America in 1000 and named it Vinland.
  • 1066

    Norman Invasion

    William was crowned the new kind of England. This invasion brought an important change to the English language.
  • 1100

    Capital of England

    London becomes the capital of England in 1100
  • Period: 1100 to 1500

    Middle English

  • Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
    1387

    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

    Chaucer was published in 1387. It is so important because he made the decision to write in English and not French. In the centuries following the Norman invasion, French was the language spoken by those in power. The Canterbury Tales was one of the first major works in literature written in English.
  • Printing Press
    1440

    Printing Press

    William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, and writer. He also invented the printing press. Most European texts were printed using a form of woodblock before 1440 when the printing press was invented.
  • 1500

    The Great Vowel Shift

    A drastic change in pronunciation of vowels in 1500-1700. The vowels began to be made higher and further forward in the mouth.
  • Period: 1500 to

    Early Modern English

  • 1525

    Religious Texts

    The publication of William Tyndale's bible translation was produced, but was initially banned by the Catholic Church.
  • Shakespeare's First Folio

    Shakespeare's First Folio

    In 1623 Shakespeare's first folio of his play was published. This lead the path to many successful plays for Shakespeare.
  • The American Revolution

    The American Revolution

    The Revolutionary War arose in 1775 from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain's 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown.
  • Period: to

    Late Modern English

  • English Grammar

    William Hazlitt publishes A New and Improved Grammar of the English Language.​
  • Telephone

    Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, modernizing private communication.
  • Texting

    Text messaging is introduced, and the first modern blogs go online.
  • Twitter

    Twitter

    Twitter, a social networking and micro-blogging service, is created by Jack Dorsey.