English Language

By clairetimeline
  • 450

    Arrival of Germanic Tribes

    The English Language began with the Germanic invasion of Britain. At the time, British people spoke Celtic and when the Germanic tribes invaded Britain, the Celtic speakers migrated west and north. Englisc was the language spoken by the Germanic tribe- The Angles. (English and England are derived from Englisc)
  • Period: 450 to 1100

    OLD ENGLISH ERA

    50 % of the most common words in Modern English are derived from Old English. "Be, strong, and water" are from Old English.
  • 1000

    Beowulf's writing

    A poem of the Old English Era.
  • 1066

    The Norman Invasion

    The invasion brought the French language to Britain and Middle English was created which was a combination of French and English.
  • Period: 1100 to 1500

    MIDDLE ENGLISH ERA

    For a short time period, lower classes spoke English and upper classes spoke French. Eventually Britains' language was English and it had a lot of French vocabulary in it.
  • 1340

    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

    Written between 1340-1400.
    This was a story/ tale of the Middle English Era.
  • 1440

    Printing Press

    The Printing Press was invented, leading to a more standardized English language along with the first English Dictionary.
  • 1492

    The discovery of North America

    With the discovery of North America, came the creation of a diverse creation of American English.
  • Period: 1500 to

    EARLY MODERN ENGLISH

    The Printing Press was invented during this era. In the era, English became more standardized. More people could buy books because they were cheaper and people started learning how to read. Spelling and grammar were fixed.
    "To be, or not to be"

  • First English Dictionary

    The First English Dictionary was published in 1603. It made the English language more standardized.

  • Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio

    Shakespeares' work is of the Modern English Language and it's very similar to today's language.

  • The Industrial Revolution & Technology

    New vocabulary was created for new technology and the revolution, which transitioned the English language from early modern to late modern.

  • American Revolution

  • British Contact & Renaissance of Classical Learning

    (Towards End of Middle English) During this time, a Great Vowel Shift occurred and vowels started losing their length. With global British contact and the Renaissance of Classical Learning, new words and phrases were added to the language.
  • Period: to

    LATE MODERN ENGLISH

    Vocabulary is the only difference between early and late Modern English. The Industrial Revolution and technology during this time period led to the creation of new words. Also, the language consisted of words from other languages during this time.

  • Today's English Language

    The English Language today is a combination of French, English, Spanish, Shakespeare, West African words, and British English.... Over the last 1000 years, the English Language has evolved to become what it is today.