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Anglo-Saxon invasion
The British Isles were invaded by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Before this the Island had a population of 500.000 people with different languages and traditions. Because of the invasion the English language was defined and the languages spoken before were nearly obliterated. The new language is what we call Old English, and it is very different from the English of today. -
Apr 11, 1066
Middle English
Because the Nomans (from France) invaded England, French also has had an influence on English. The king, his noble, and the elite spoke French, but the commons still spoke Old English. The priests spoke Latin, which has also influenced the English language. Words which have to do with religion come from Latin. -
Apr 11, 1384
Translation of the Bible
The bible was translated into English which added a lot of word to the English vocabulary :-) -
Apr 11, 1470
The language is recognizable for us!!! woohoo
The English language has developed into something we can recognize today. -
Apr 11, 1476
Printing press
William Caxton introduced the printing press. Some of the spoken words were written down - and thereby remebered! Printing books also increased the focus on correct use of the language. -
Apr 12, 1476
Early Modern English
Because of the ability to print books, the language adapted a lot of foreign words. People wanted to read about what was happening around the world. -
Shakespeare
Shakespeare invented many words and idioms, which today are common in Modern English. -
King James Bible
As well as Shakespeare's works, King James Bible also introduced words and idioms to the language. (E.g. "An eye for en eye".) -
The first dictionary
Until now there were no rules of spelling. A dictionary was a very good thing. -
Modern English
A lot of new words became a part of the English vocabulary because of the imperialism, urbanization and industrialization. -
Jane Austin and Early Modern English
Even though Jane Austin's language is very similar to Modern English, some of the words she used has changed their meanings when we use them today. -
Global English
Because of US's important role in the world, English has become a global language. And it continues to influence languages all around the world, as well as other languages influence the English language. -
Vikings
The Danish Vikings raided Britain (until 1066). They had a big influence on the language, especially on the colloquial words. E.g. knife, hat, you, bull, and so on... -
Danelaw
The establishment of the Danelaw had a great impact on the English language because the Danish Vikings lived here for about 200 years.