Junius 11 14

From past to present: The English Language.

By IsabelAlbornoz
  • Earliest known Old English inscriptions were found.
    450

    Earliest known Old English inscriptions were found.

    The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Old English did not sound or look like English today.
  • Invasion of England.
    Sep 28, 1066

    Invasion of England.

    In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy invaded and conquered England.
  • May 19, 1100

    The end of Old English.

    The language was spoken until around 1100.
  • Manuscripts.
    May 20, 1150

    Manuscripts.

    Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle English.
  • English replaces Latin as the medium of instruction in schools.
    May 19, 1348

    English replaces Latin as the medium of instruction in schools.

    Oxford and Cambridge choose to keep Latin.
  • Parliment.
    May 20, 1362

    Parliment.

    English was used in Parliment for the first time.
  • The end of Middle English.
    May 19, 1500

    The end of Middle English.

    The Middle English period came to a close around 1500 AD with the rise of Modern English.
  • Early Modern English
    May 19, 1500

    Early Modern English

    The next wave of change in English came with the Renaissance.Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter.
  • The fisrt English dictionary.

    The fisrt English dictionary.

    Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the Table Alphabeticall, the first English dictionary, is published.
  • Webster Dictionary.

    Webster Dictionary.

    Webster publishes his American English dictionary.
  • Oxford English Dictionary.

    Oxford English Dictionary.

    The Oxford English Dictionary is published