-
England was conquered by the Normans, influencing the French language upon the country. French was established as England's official language (for the next 150 years). The leaders/ upper class of England spoke French, however the lower class people continued to speak English because they lacked the knowledge of the French language.
-
Invading tribes (Jutes, Angles, and the Saxons) pushed the Celts into Britain. The English language evolved within these three groups when they migrated to England.
-
England entered a long conflict with France after England lost control of Normandy.
-
To change the official language of court business from French and English, Parliament enacted the Statute of Pleading in 1362.
-
In the 18th century, grammer books and dictionaries were established and taught in schools throughout the country of London to broadcast London based rules for spelling and grammer.
-
Jamestown was established as the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607. A majority of the settlers came and represented a diversity of social-class backgrounds. The the diffusion of the English dialect is dispersed because of the independent and isolated colonies in the 17th century.
-
In the year 1899, Spain ceded to the United States. The English language has diffused to a multiple of places, expecially noticable in the Philippines.
-
Hans Kurath found the greatest diversity of dialects in the easter part of the country (vocabulary on farms)/. He divided the U.S. into three major dialect regions: Northern, Midlands, and Southern.