History of English

By catherinegates
  • 55 BCE

    The Romans

    Very little survives directly from the Latin the Romans spoke.
  • Period: 55 BCE to Oct 21, 1100

    Eth

    Used in Old English and Middle English
    interchangeable with thorn
    represented the <th> sound
    originated from Irish
  • 432

    The Anglo-Saxons

    Their language is the most important basis of the English language. The areas where they settled gave rise to the different regional accents and dialects which still survive today: Northumbria (Northern dialect), Mercia (Midlands), Anglia (East) and Wessex (South and West)
    Anglo-Saxon was an inflected language. Most of the words in the grammatical groups - pronouns, prepositions, determiners, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs - come from this source.
  • 432

    Christianity

    Also during this time England gradually become Christian as missionaries arrived from Rome; they spoke Latin. They wrote using the Roman alphabet but they borrowed some Anglo-Saxon letters called 'runes' for sounds that did not exist in Latin such as thorn.
  • Sep 25, 600

    The Vikings

    Began to arrive as raiders in the 7th century from Scandinavia and terrorised the North East of England. The language they spoke was Old Norse.
  • Oct 20, 878

    Danelaw

    Norse territory. But Northumberland, |Mercia, Wessex remained English. Created 14 shires including, York, Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, etc.
  • Sep 25, 1066

    The Normans

    William the Conqueror invaded England and won the Battle of Hastings and brought Norman French to the country. At first French was the language of the rich. The vocabulary gradually came into English speech, words like castle and battle (words of power)
  • Oct 20, 1066

    Battle of Hastings

    10,000 ne word brought t England. KingHarold defeated by William the Conqueror. Normans invaded and spoke French. Ellivated polysyllabic lexis - semantic fields of food, power and wealth. Voice fricatives (/z/ /s/) - no effect on English grammar. qu, gh, ch, oo word clusters were also brought.
  • Sep 25, 1150

    Latin

    Latin was the language of the Church, the Law and Universities. Both French and Latin were prestigious languages. English had absorbed so much French it had become Middle English.
  • Period: Nov 1, 1154 to Nov 2, 1485

    MIddle Ages

    Far from their dour reputation, the Middle Ages were a period of massive social change, burgeoning nationalism, international conflict, terrible natural disaster, climate change, rebellion, resistance and renaissance.
    Henry II: The Birth of a State
    The Black Death
    How did a 'squalid disease' induce massive social change that transformed Britain?
    •Paston Family Letters
  • Period: Oct 20, 1346 to Oct 21, 1353

    Plague (Black Death)

    around 75-200 million people died due to black death. This caused English to become the first language as many of the clergy (Latin speakers) died leaving the peasants who spoke English.
  • Oct 20, 1380

    First Translation of the Bible

    John Wycliffe translated the Bible from Latin to English - which posed the problem of Latin syntax. He was opposed to power and wealth of the church. The church was opposed to this translation a they thought the popularity of attending church. He was condemned for heresy but he did before his sentence could be carried out so his bones were dug up and burnt.
  • Oct 20, 1388

    Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales

    Written in Middle English. Featured many different dialects that were all around the country, therefore held as very valuable in linguistics as it is the only account of which dialects were around. 24 stories in total, many with the semantic field of romance and chivalry.
  • Period: Sep 25, 1400 to

    The Great Vowel Shift

    All long vowel sounds in words changed. Dipthongs created. Lead to a change in pronunciation and spelling.
  • Period: Oct 20, 1400 to

    Mute

    Old English - was the result of the survival of grammatical inflections.
    1500s it wasn't pronounced but still remained in spelling due to standardisation - elision of sounds.
    justify the line
    1450 - represented a proceeding vowel sound.
    Great Vowel Shift
    French influence
  • Period: Oct 20, 1422 to Oct 21, 1509

    The Paston Letters

    collection of letters from the same family over a large time period, helpful to linguists as it shows language changfe over time all in one family.
  • Sep 25, 1476

    Printing Press

    William Caxton introduced the printing press which began the standardisation of the language. It came frm Europe. many texts could now be mass produced, spelling and punctuation began to become fixed. Many Greek and Latin texts translated into English. 20,000 books printed over next 150 years.
  • Oct 20, 1485

    War of the Roses

    Between Yorkshire and Lancashire (won). Battle of Bosworth - Richard III was murdered and Henry Tudor won. Entering the Tudor period.
  • Nov 3, 1485

    Henry VII seizes the throne

    Henry Tudor is crowned King of England on the battlefield at Bosworth after his army defeats and kills Richard III.
    Henry VII presents himself as the unifier of the warring Lancaster and York dynasties – symbolised by his adoption of the red and white Tudor Rose. His reign brings 85 years of civil war to an end. He marries Elizabeth, daughter of the Yorkist king Edward IV. Within a year they have a son, Arthur, later followed by another, Henry.
  • Period: Oct 20, 1491 to Oct 21, 1547

    The Reformation of the Church

    Establishmentofth Chruch of England, lea to promotion of English in religious devotion. Created with intention of allowing divorce with Catherine of Aragon.
  • Oct 20, 1492

    Discovery of America

    Christopher Columbus found America. In 1602 pilgrim fathers set sail for America making the English language global.
  • Period: Oct 20, 1500 to

    The Renaissance

    Meant 'rebirth'. The age of discovery and learning, arts, science, literature, philosophy.
    Began prescriptiveism.
    It was a rebirth of education, science, art, literature, music, and a better life for people in general.
    A big part of the Renaissance was a cultural movement called humanism. Humanism was a philosophy that all people should strive to be educated and learned in the classical arts, literature, and science. It looked for realism and human emotion in art.
  • Period: Nov 3, 1502 to Nov 4, 1503

    Peace Treaty With Scotland

    Henry wants to keep his kingdom secure and creates several foreign alliances to try to avoid wars.
    He arranges the marriage of his 13-year-old daughter Margaret to James IV to secure peace between England and Scotland. Although the peace doesn't last, the couple's great-grandson, James I of England and VI of Scotland, will unite the crowns of Scotland and England 100 years later.
  • Nov 3, 1509

    Henry VIII crowned King

    The 17-year-old Henry succeeds to the throne on the death of his father, Henry VII. His older brother Arthur had died seven years earlier. The Pope gives a special dispensation for the young king to marry his late brother’s wife Catherine of Aragon. Three years later Henry invades France in pursuit of an ancient claim to the throne. He is aided and abetted by his advisor Thomas Wolsey, who he appoints Lord Chancellor in 1514.
  • Nov 3, 1512

    Royal Mail

    Henry VIII orders the creation of the first national postal service for royal mail. Called 'The King’s Posts', it was devised by Sir Brian Tuke and commanded all towns to have a fresh horse available for anyone carrying mail from the Tudor Court. This royal mail system was opened to the general public in 1635 by King Charles I - the start of the postal system we use today.
  • Period: Nov 3, 1534 to Nov 4, 1539

    Church of England

    Henry requests an annulment of his marriage with Catherine from the Pope in order to marry Anne Boleyn. The request is refused. In response, Henry breaks from the authority of the Pope and is declared head of the English Church by Parliament. To cancel out the power of the Catholic church in England, he dissolves over 800 monasteries and transfers their wealth and lands transferred to the crown. Years of discord between Protestants and Catholics follow.
  • Nov 3, 1547

    England becomes Protestant

    Henry dies and his son Edward, aged nine, becomes king. Edward's uncle Edward Seymour seizes power by establishing himself as protector. In order to make England a truly Protestant state, the Book of Common Prayer is introduced and religious imagery in churches is destroyed. Seymour is arrested and later executed after he fails to solve England's near bankruptcy. The king dies aged fifteen, never ruling in his own right. The cause of his death is not certain.
  • Nov 3, 1553

    Mary I Crowned Queen

    Edward's half-sister Mary takes the throne, after a power struggle with Edward's advisers who want his cousin Lady Jane Grey to be queen. At first Mary I enjoys widespread popular support. But many oppose her decision to marry Catholic Phillip II of Spain and reconcile with Rome. She attempts to take England back to Catholicism. During her reign nearly 300 Protestants are burned for refusing to reconvert, earning her the nickname 'Bloody Mary'.
  • Oct 20, 1554

    Phillip Sidney

    Elizabeth I knights and poets turned English language into literature. One particular person being Sidney who was Elizabeth's ambassador and poet who coined the term "thy need is greater than mine". He brought 2225 new words to English.
  • Nov 3, 1558

    Elizabeth I crowned Queen

    When Mary dies, her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, becomes queen. Elizabeth returns England to Protestantism, but she does not enforce strict religious conformity and declares she does not want to 'make windows into men's souls'. Elizabeth chooses never to marry as she wants England free from the influence of foreign princes and the dissent and infighting a marriage to a fellow countryman might bring.
  • Oct 20, 1562

    Second Translation of the Bible

    Tyndale translated the Bible from Greek and Hebrew and used English syntax. It was for 'every boy who driveth the plough' to be able to read the Bible. He was also condemned for heresy in 1535 and was executed in the following year. Created many idioms that are still used today, 'let there be light'.
  • Oct 20, 1563

    Thorn

    A rune which represented the th sound in English. The Gothic-style transformed thorn into y.
  • Oct 20, 1564

    William Shakespeare

    Born in Stratford, London.
  • Oct 20, 1564

    Shakespeare

    Wrote 38 plays. Influenced society as it brought it closer together as there became a demand for more literature and entertainment. Introduced 2000 new words and 33,000 quotes into the English vocabulary. Idioms created thta we still use today include 'minds eye' and 'vanish into thin air'.
  • Nov 3, 1571

    Trade Flourishes

    Sir Thomas Gresham, known as the father of English banking, sets up the Royal Exchange – the first purpose-built centre for trading stocks in London. However stock brokers are not allowed inside the building because of their rude manners, instead they operate from nearby coffee houses. Gresham helps persuade Elizabeth I's parliament to legalise money-lending, which allows the Crown to raise loans from home rather than abroad.
  • Oct 20, 1574

    End of Feudalism

    Elizabeth I ended it after peasant revolt due to the way they were treated by the land owners in 1381. Feudalism was a combination of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.
  • Period: Sep 25, 1582 to

    Prescriptivism

    Richard Cawdry produced the first dictionary
    Richard Mulcaster produced a list of 7000 words and how to spell them (beginning standardisation)

  • Richard Mulcaster

    School teacher who produced a list of 7000 words and how to spell them - beginning of standardization

  • First British colony in America

    England wants to compete with Spain and Portugal, whose American colonies generate great wealth. Sir Walter Raleigh sets up a colony of about 100 men on the east coast of North America, which he names Virginia after Elizabeth I, ‘the Virgin Queen’. Although Raleigh's settlement fails after a year it marks the start of an effort by England to colonise North America. The first successful permanent settlement is founded in 1607.

  • Defeat of Spanish Armada

    Philip II of Spain launches a great fleet of ships, known as the Spanish Armada, to overthrow Elizabeth and restore Catholicism to England. The Armada of 130 ships sails up the English channel towards the Spanish Netherlands to pick up troops for the invasion. However, they are engaged by the Royal Navy and driven to the North Sea by strong winds. Only around half of them make it back to Spain.

  • Provisions for the poor

    The dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII leaves many of the poorest without a safety net. Poor laws are introduced to help. The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 requires each parish to provide for the 'lame, impotent, old and blind'. Overseers collect a regular amount from parishioners according to their ability to pay. Over time this evolved into a more centralised system which is replaced by the modern welfare state in the 20th Century.

  • End of Tudor Dynasty

    Elizabeth I dies aged 69. The Virgin Queen never married or had children. James VI of Scotland was her closest royal relative as they were both direct descendants of Henry VII. He is named King James I on the day of Elizabeth's death. One of Britain's greatest and most influential dynasties finally reaches its conclusion.
  • Period: to

    Civil War and Revolution

    The Stuart dynasty spanned one of the most tumultuous periods in British history - years of civil war, assassination attempts, usurpations, national disaster and revolution.
    The Gunpowder Plot
    The Great Fire of London

  • Robert Cawdery

    First dictionary - Table Alphabetical which consisted of 2543 words. Only included the elevated lexis of Latin/French/Greek so English could recognize the upper state. Only half population could read.

  • King James Bible

    Created by James I. According to David Cyrstal he created 257 idioms that are still in use to this day, e.g. "How the mighty have fallen". Translated from the original Latin. Used 80% of Tyndale's Bible to aid in translation.

  • Death of William Shakespeare

    Buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford

  • Restoration of Charles II

    Restoration of the English monarchy began after the Interregnum that followed the laws of the Three Kingdoms.

  • The Royal Society

    formed as an invisible college, saw revolutionary advances in science. Hooke's Philosophical Transactions was published in 1665.
  • Period: to

    Empire and Sea Power

    Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar
    Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo
    Rebellion, Revolution and Union
    The British Empire and the Rise of Industry
    Slavery and Abolition
    The Voyages of Captain Cook

  • Dictionary

    Samuel Johnson published the first comprehensive dictionary.
    Robert Lowth published a book of grammar with the intention of telling people how to speak 'correctly'

  • American Independence

    America gained independence from the British Empire but continued to speak English. Senate held to vote for English to be their first language against German.
  • Period: to

    Victorian Britain

  • Forster Act

    Became compulsory for children under 10 to attend school which meant many more people became literate.

  • BBC

    The BBC began, causing an increase in RP pronunciation.

  • Oxford English Dictionary