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The start of the English language began roughly in the year 400 when the Anglo-Saxon tribes invaded what is now known as England. Their language is what is known as Old English.
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The writing of Beowulf was set in the 500's, but it was actual written in the time span of the years 700 and 800 spanning over 100 years.
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The Danes invaded England in 980 and the war dragged into 1016. The reason for the Danes invading was simply for wealth in the beginning.
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William the Duke of Normandy invaded England in 1066. The decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings led to England becoming more closely linked to Continental Europe and made Scandinavian influence less important. The Norman invasion led to Anglo-Norman royalty speaking English. The lower class spoke more French than English. This led to English being heavily influenced by French.
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The Danes or better known as Vikings surrendered to English rule and left England returning to Scandinavia.
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Water - wæter
My - mīn
Good morning - gōdne morgen -
The Hundred Years' War was a war between the French and English Kingdoms. It lasted 116 years and was interrupted by several truces and treaties. The war ended in French victory. In England the French language was considered the language of the enemy and thus led to the founding of Oxford and Cambridge university.
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The Black Death was a devastating pandemic that struck Europe. The Black Death arrived in Europe on 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. The Black Death killed roughly 60% of Europe.
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The Great Vowel Shift was a long span of time where the pronunciation of the English language started to change. Vowels and consonants started to change and some even started to be spelt differently. The Great Vowel Shift spanned from the Middle English era all the way to the Modern English era.
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The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales are a collection of 24 stories that have over 17,000 lines of Middle English combined. They were written between 1387 and 1400
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Chaucer's death marked the end of Middle English and the beginning of Early Modern English.
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Will - Willen
Should - Schulen
Need - Thurfen -
Made by German inventor Johannes Gutenberg in 1450. The printing press was invented in 1440 and perfected for commercial use in 1450. The printing press made it easier for people to learn how to read and write due to the fact that books and reading material became more accessible to the populace.
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North America was discovered by Giovanni Caboto and Italian explorer. Caboto was commissioned under Henry VII of England. The discovery of North America led to English settlers later colonizing the east coast. This discovery of North America and the native tribes led to the English language changing. A new kind of English started to emerge which is fairly close to what we speak today.
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The Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio, was published 7 years after his death. The Folio was a collection of 36 plays 18 of which were never published. These plays are important because they teach us about Middle English and how it was written and spoken.
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The American Revolutionary War started in 1775 and "ended" in 1776. July 4, 1776 marked when the 13 colonies severed their political ties with Great Britain. The American Revolution had a great impact on the English language. American's did everything they could to succeed from Great Britain and one of those things was slight change in language. During the American Revolutionary War, getting information out to the people was crucial and some words were simplified or changed.
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BBC was found in 1922 and is the largest news broadcasting corporation. BBC was able to spread news to the entire world which spread the English language to most of the world.
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The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) was the main historical dictionary of the English language. The OED is a comprehensive dictionary that tracks the development of the English language.
