Lines from Hamlet, written in Early Modern English by Shakespeare (public domain) Late Modern English (1800-Present) In 1604 the first English dictionary was published. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London, where most publishing houses were, became the standard. Printing also brought standardization to English. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant that many new words and phrases entered the language. From the 16th century the British had contact with many peoples from around the world.
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. Modern English Early Modern English (1500-1800) It was the language of the great poet Chaucer (c1340-1400), but it would still be difficult for native English speakers to understand today.Īn example of Middle English by Chaucer (public domain) In the 14th century English became dominant in Britain again, but with many French words added. For a period there was a kind of linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke English and the upper classes spoke French. The new conquerors (called the Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which became the language of the Royal Court, and the ruling and business classes. In 1066 William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy (part of modern France), invaded and conquered England. Part of Beowulf, a poem written in Old English (public domain) Middle English (1100-1500) Old English was spoken until around 1100. The words be, strong and water, for example, derive from Old English. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English roots. Native English speakers now would have great difficulty understanding Old English. Old English did not sound or look like English today. The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar languages, which in Britain developed into what we now call Old English. Germanic invaders entered Britain on the east and south coasts in the 5th century Old English (450-1100 AD) The Angles came from "Englaland" and their language was called "Englisc" - from which the words "England" and "English" are derived. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. This page is a short history of the origins and development of the English language
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