The History of the English Language

  • 450

    Earliest Old English Inscriptions

    These are the earliest English inscriptions to survive as short runic inscriptions on metal objects.
  • Period: 450 to 1100

    Old English

  • 660

    "Caedmon's Hymn" composed in Old English

    A short Old English poem written by Caedmon. This is his sole surviving composition
  • Beowulf's Writings
    800

    Beowulf's Writings

    An Old English story about a brave warrior who defeats monsters and goe to become king.
  • 1066

    The Norman Invasion

    A conquest of armies led by William The Conqueror invading England. While doing this they brought a new language called French to the English people
  • 1086

    "Domesday Book" Compiled

    William the Conqueror commissioned this book in order to raise taxes to pay for his army.
  • Period: 1100 to 1500

    Middle English

  • 1362

    The Statute of Pleading

    This was an act to replace French with English as the language of law.
  • Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales"
    1387

    Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales"

    24 stories written over 17,000 lines by Geoffrey Chaucer
  • 1450

    The Great Vowel Shift

    A series of changes in the pronunciation of the English language. It changed vowels without merger.
  • 1450

    Invention of Printing Press

    With the printing press being invented it created a common language in print
  • Jun 24, 1497

    The Discovery Of North America

    The voyages of Christopher Columbus led to the discovery of North America
  • Period: 1500 to

    Early Modern English

  • 1539

    "The Great Bible" published

    Authorised by King Henry VIII of England to be read aloud in church services of the Church of England
  • Publication of the First English Newspaper

    The first English newspaper to be published was either the "Courante" or "Weekly News"
  • Shakespeare's First Folio

    Shakespeare's First Folio

    A collection of Shakespeare's writings. Considered one of the most influential books.
  • The American Revolution

    The American Revolution led the thirteen colonies to freedom from the British
  • Publication of "The American Spelling Book"

    Noah Webster published the first spelling book in English
  • Period: to

    Late Modern English

  • First edition "Oxford English Dictionary"

    This was written by Herbert Coleridge
  • First Email

    The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson to himself. This was the first electronic messaging.
  • First Computer Invented

    The first computer was invented which led to a new change in the way we communicate
  • Second Edition "Oxford English Dictionary"

    The creator of the second edition was Samuel Johnson
  • First Smartphone Created

    First Smartphone Created

    IBM created the first smartphone
  • First Text Message

    The first text was sent by Neil Papworth
  • First Apple Iphone

    First iphone that started our main way of communication today
  • Text Abbreviations Started taking Place

    Such as LOL, OMG, ASF

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