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Period: 400 to 1150
Old English Era
Old English has 4 main dialects, Mercian, Northumbrian, Kentish and West Saxon. Here is some old English text:
The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)
Fæder ure
ðu ðe eart on heofenum
si ðin nama gehalgod
to-becume ðin rice
geweorþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofenum.
Urne ge dæghwamlican hlaf syle us to-deag
and forgyf us ure gyltas
swa swa we forgifaþ urum gyltendum
ane ne gelæde ðu us on costnunge
ac alys us of yfle. -
700
Beowulf's Writings
Beowulf's writing were poems written in old English and is referred as the first English text consisting of 3,182 alternative lines. -
789
Viking Invasion of England
The vikings would continues to raid England for year but because of this Old English was mixed with Old Norse and added 2000 word to the local English speakers vocabulary. -
1066
The Norman Invasion
The Norman Invasion was a military takeover of modern day United Kingdom and brought a new age of dialect with the new inhabitants bringing new language principles with them. -
Period: 1150 to 1500
Middle English Era
In the Middle English era there are 5 Main dialects Northern, East Midlands, West Midlands, Southern, and Kentish. -
1387
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
This text was composed in the Middle English Era around 1387 to 1400
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
"Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour..."
["When the sweet showers of April have pierced
The drought of March, and pierced it to the root
And every vein is bathed in that moisture
Whose quickening force will engender the flower..."] -
1450
The invention of the Printing Press
The Printing press allows mass production of literature and wider spread of information. -
1497
The discovery of North America
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Period: 1500 to
Early Modern English Era
Early Modern English comes to light soon after the invention of the printing press stabilizing and slowing changes of the language. -
Shakespeare's First Folio
Shakespeare's First Folio is a way for people to hear the stories that Shakespeare's brought to life without having to attend the actual play allowing more people to listen to English masterpieces. -
The American Revolution
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Period: to
Modern English Era
The Modern English Language Era is we have today and have accustom to.
