-
Period: 400 to 1100
Old English
During the fifth century AD, Germanic tribes invaded Britain. The language Britain originally spoke a Celtic language but most of the Celtic speakers were pushed north and west during the invasion. The Germanic invaders were from Englaland with the language called Englisc which from there on it developed into English. -
450
The Tribes
The three Germanic tribes that invaded Britain were called the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The tribes crossed the North Sea from Germany and pushed the Britain's to the north and west which is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. -
1066
The Normans
William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy invaded England and conquered it. The conquers were called the Normans and when they invaded they brought the French language with them which became the language of the Royal court. Meaning that the poorer people spoke English and the richer people spoke French. -
1100
Old English
The Germanic invaders spoke a similar language and in Britain the language developed into "Old English". Old English is very different than the English language today. Old English was spoken until around 1100. -
Period: 1100 to 1500
Middle English
The Normans took over and conquered England and brought the French language with them. Middle English is a combination of English and French words. -
1500
Middle English
During the 14th century English in Britain became dominant again but there was still many french words added. The two languages combined are called Middle English. A poet named Chaucer spoke was able to speak this language. -
1500
16th Century
During the 16th century Britain had contact with many other people in the world. The contact with other people along with the Renaissance of Classical learning, many new words and phrases started to surface in the English Language. -
Period: 1500 to
Early Modern English
Towards the end of Middle English, a distinct change in pronunciation the Great Vowel Shift started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. -
Printing Press
The invention of the printing press allowed for a common language to be printed, which also led to more people learning how to read. Printing brought standardization to the English language because it fixed spelling and grammar allowing more people to learn the language. In 1604 the first English dictionary was released. -
Period: to
Late Modern English
The difference between Late modern English compared to Modern English is Late Modern English has more words added to the vocabulary. -
Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution and technology made it so new words needed to be added to the English Language. Also the British Empire covered one quarter of earth surface and made it so English adopted foreign words from other countries.
