Timeline of the English Language (400-2000)

By Maria Lagunas
  • 400

    Old english era

  • Period: 500 to 500

    Anglo-Saxon Settlement

    Germanic tribes settle in Britain, forming the base of Old English.
  • Period: 597 to 597

    St. Augustines Mission

    Christianity spreads to England, adding Latin words to Old English.
  • Period: Jan 1, 700 to Dec 31, 700

    Beowulf Written

    Oldest surviving epic poem in English, a major work of Old English literature.
  • 1055

    Middle English Era

  • Period: Jan 1, 1066 to 1066

    The Norman Invasion

    William the Conqueror defeats England; French words flood English vocabulary
  • Period: 1215 to 1215

    Magna Carta Signed

    Influential English legal charter that shaped law and language
  • Period: 1387 to 1387

    The Canterbury Tales

    Geoffrey Chaucer writes The Canterbury Tales, proving Middle English can be literacy language.
  • Period: 1476 to 1476

    Printing press in England

    William Caxton sets up the first English printing press, helping standardize spelling
  • 1490

    Modern English Era

  • Period: 1492 to 1492

    Discovery of the Americas

    English spreads globally as exploration and colonization begin
  • Period: to

    Shakespeare's First Folio

    Collection of Shakespeare's plays, shaping English literature
  • Period: to

    Samuel Jhonsons Dictionary

    First major dictionary to standardize English spelling and definitons.
  • Period: to

    American Revolution

    Colonists win independence; American English begins to form.
  • Period: to

    Oxford English Dictionary

    Comprehensive record of English vocabulary and word history.
  • Period: to

    World War 2

    English becomes dominant as a global language of diplomacy and science