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500
The Old English Period
Three Germanic tribes: the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded Britain during this period of time. The groups overtook Britain's Celtic language as well. This was the start of the evolution of the English language. -
600
The Old English Period
The suspected dates of Beowulf's writings took place during this time. Old English was also born in this time period. -
1066
The Middle English Period
The Duke of Normandy invaded and overtook England. A class division began among the people, and the Norman's French language became the dominant language. -
1100
The Old English Period
Old English is transformed. Old English words used:
"Uhtceare" meaning "lying awake before dawn and worrying"
"Expergefactor" meaning anything that wakes someone up. -
1400
The Middle English Period
The time Chaucer's Canterbury Tales was written. The English language became dominant again, but with a lot of Norman influence. Many French words were added to the English language. -
1492
The Middle English Period
North America was discovered. Some words used in the Middle English Period.
"ehta" meaning "eight"
streht" meaning "straight"
"heh" meaning "high" -
1500
Early Modern English
The "Great Vowel Shift" began, meaning that vowels were now pronounced shorter than they had previously been. Examples of words:
"Blood" was now pronounced as a short vowel, similar to "bud".
"Bread" became pronounced as a short vowel, and was pronounced like "led". -
The Early Modern English Period
The printing press was invented, which helped standardize the English language. Many new English words were fabricated during this time as well. -
The Early Modern English Period
The first English dictionary was created--the English language was standardized. -
The Early Modern English Period
Shakespeare's first folio was published. -
Early Modern English Period
The industrial revolution begins; more words were added to the English language, as new things demanded new words. -
Late Modern English Period
More and more words continued to be added to English because the industrial revolution continued to bring forth new inventions. New words were also added to English as a result of Britain's surrounding countries. More rules about spelling and grammar were made and set as the standard. -
Late Modern English Period
The American Industrial revolution ended. Many of the new English words were set in stone. However, as new things are still invented today, the English language continues to gain more and more words.
