HISTORY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

What is a
History of English?

Ahmad Syahrul Mubarok - 11200140000073

Siska Lismawati Putri - 11200140000082
Putri Alfiana Amalia - 11200140000090
 Table of Contents
1. History of English
2. Old English (450-1100 AD)
3. Middle English (1100-1500)
4. Modern English
a. Early Modern English (1500-1800)
b. Late Modern English (1800-Present)
5. A brief chronology of English
 History of English

Proto-English (5 AD)

Started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes: the Angles, the jutes,
and the Saxons, who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD.
These tribes (Angles, Saxon, Jutes) come by crossed the North
Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany.
At the time, the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language.
Most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the
invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
The Angles came from Englaland and their language was called
(Germanic invaders entered Britain onthe
Englisc (from which the words "England" and "English" are derived). east and south coasts in the 5th century)
Traditionally histories of the English language have divided their account into three major periods:
Old English (sometimes referred to as Anglo-Saxon), Middle English and Modern English. The last period is
sometimes divided into two to give Early Modern English and Late Modern English. The reasons for this
division are as much political as linguistic.

1. Old-English (450-1100 AD)

Old English was the result of the Germanic tribes invasion.
Old English did not sound or look like English today.
The Old English period is also called the era of Alfred.
About half of the most commonly used words in Modern
English have Old English roots, the word such as: be, strong,
water, for example. That word derive from Old English.
The most famous surviving work from the Old English period
is the epic poem Beowulf, composed by an unknown poet.
Old English was spoken until around 1100 AD. Part of Beowulf, a poem written
in Old English (public domain)
2. Middle English
(1100-1500)
Middle English was the language spoken in
England from about 1100 to 1500. The Norman
Conquest had an irreversible effect on the
linguistic situation in Britain. As the Normans
emerged victorious after the battle of Hastings on
October 14, 1066 and a new French-speaking king,
William the Conqueror, came to the throne,
French together with Latin became the languages
of state, law, army, and church.
About 1400 the importance of French
and Latin began to wane, and the need
for a new standard in English emerged.
This period is marked by the literary
life of Geoffrey Chaucer. In the 14th
century, Geoffrey Chaucer was very
dominant compared to other writers in
England. This is why this period is
called the “Chaucer Age (Chaucerian
Age)”. His masterpiece is THE
CANTEBURY TALES, which was written
since the 1380s. THE CANTEBURY
TALES is a collection of stories narrated
by fictional pilgrims travelling to the
Cathedral in Canterbury. These stories
later helped form the English literature.
The end of this era was marked by the
introduction of printing technology for
the first time.
 a. Early Modern English (1500 - 1800)
The initial time of the Early Modern English started with the Great Vowel Shift.
The Great Vowel Shift is a radical change in the pronunciation, in which the vowel sounds are higher and
longer finally separating the English words from their foreigner counterparts.
·The Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural development initially inspired by the desire to revive
Greek and Latin culture, as indicated by its name, meaning ‘rebirth’.
The Renaissance also fostered scientific and scholarly inquiry and a humanistic world view. It was
associated with the rebirth of societal and cultural movements, and while slow to gather steam during
the initial phases, it celebrated the heights of glory during the Elizabethan Age.
Cover of Le Morte d'Arthur
(1906 edition), Volume I

In 1476, William Caxton introduced the printing press in London.

The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became
cheaper and more people learned to read.
Printing also brought standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect
of London, where most publishing houses were, became the standard.
Caxton’s publishing of Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (the Death of Arthur) is regarded as print
material’s first bestseller. It lists approximately 3000 words,
defining each one with a simple and
In 1604 the first English dictionary was published. brief description.
 William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) is the most famous writer from this period.
Many people call him "the father of modern English"
He created several other outstanding works, including the world's famous
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Henry VI. The language in which Shakespeare
wrote is referred to as Early Modern English.

William Shakespeare took the advantage of the flexibility of

English at the time, and changed grammatical rules and
created words.
William Shakespeare created over 2000 neologisms, such as
critical, majestic, monumental, homicide, obscene,
countless, premeditated, excellent, hint, lonely, pedant,
accommodation and others that are common until today.
b. Late Modern English (1800 - Present)
Late modern English began with the industrial and scientific revolutions.
The advances and discoveries in science and technology during the Industrial
Revolution required new words, phrases, and concepts to describe these ideas and
inventions.
Due to the nature of these works, scientists and scholars created words using Greek
and Latin roots such as :
oxygen, nuclear, protein, bacteria, caffeine, electron, train, electricity,
camera, telegraph, and many others.

During this period, Britain Empire ruled for almost 200 years between the 18th and 20th centuries.
At the height of the British Empire, Britain ruled Canada, Australia, India, Caribbean, Egypt, South Africa, and Singapore.
While scientific and technological discoveries were among the benefits that could be shared, colonial Britain saw it not
only as a way to teach their language but impart their culture and traditions upon societies they deemed as backward,
particularly those in Africa and Asia.
English adopted a large number of foreign words that are now an integral part of the English language and its colonies,
such as boomerang and kangaroo from Australia, thug, jungle, candy and shampoo from India, yoghourt from Turkish,
carnival, design, piano and fiasco from Italian, and many other words.
 Brief Chronology of English

55 BC Roman invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar

Roman invasion and occupation. Beginning of
AD 43
Roman rule of Britain
436 Roman withdrawal from Britain complete

449 Settlement of Britain by Germanic invaders begins

450-480 Earliest known Old English inscriptions

William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invades
1066
and conquers England

c1150 Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle English

English replaces Latin as the language of instruction
1348
in most schools
 Brief Chronology of English

English replaces Latin as the language of instruction in

1362
most schools
c1388
Chaucer starts writing The Canterbury Tales
c1400 The Great Vowel Shift begins

1476 William Caxton establishes the first English printing press

1564 Shakespeare is born

Tablet Alphabetical, the first English dictionary, is
1604
published

1607 The first permanent English settlement in New World

(Jamestown) is established
1616 Shakespeare dies
 Brief Chronology of English

1623 Shakespeare’s First Folio is published

The first daily English-language newspaper, The Daily
1702
Courant, is published in London

1755 Samuel Johnson publishes his English dictionary

Thomas Jefferson writes the American Declaration of
1776
Independence
1782 Britain abandons its colonies in what is later to become the
USA
1828 Webster publishes his American English dictionary

The British Broadcasting Corporation is founded

1922

1928 The Oxford English Dictionary is published

 Thank ou for
your attention
"Language is the most extraordinary invention in the history of humanity, the
one which came before everything, and which makes it possible to share
everything." - J. M. G. Le. Clezio