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450
Anglo-Saxon invasion of Great Britain
When they invaded Great Britain, they brought with them Germanic dialects that form the basis of Old English. -
793
The Northumbrian speech group was destroyed by the Viking invaders
In the 8th century, the Northumbrian speech group led in literature and culture, but that leadership was destroyed by the Viking invaders, who sacked Lindisfarne, an island near the Northumbrian mainland, in 793. -
871
The Parker Chronicle was written
During King Alfred’s reign, in the last three decades of the 9th century, Winchester became the chief centre of learning. There the Parker Chronicle (a manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) was written; there the Latin works of the priest and historian Paulus Orosius, St. Augustine, St. Gregory, and the Venerable Bede were translated; and there the native poetry of Northumbria and Mercia was transcribed into the West Saxon dialect. -
1066
The four dialects of Old English equalized more or less to the same level
One result of the Norman Conquest of 1066 was to place all four Old English dialects more or less on a level. However, the five dialects of Middle English (Northern, West Midland, East Midland, South West and South East) followed their own paths and developed their own characteristics. -
1066
The Norman Conquest of England
The Norman Conquest of England, led by William the Conqueror, took place between 1066 and 1071. This introduced thousands of Norman French words into English. Mark Cartwright (2019). Norman conquest of England. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-17033/conquista-normanda-de-inglaterra/ (31/01/2025) -
1258
The "Oxford Provisions" are established
The Provisions of Oxford were instituted in 1258 by a group of barons led by Simon V de Montfort, Earl of Leicester; these documents are often regarded as England's first written constitution. Wikipedia (2024). Provisions of Oxford. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisions_of_Oxford (31/01/2025) -
1400
The death of Chaucer
The death of Chaucer at the close of the century marked the beginning of the period of transition from Middle English to the Early Modern English stage. -
1476
The importance of the initiation of the printing by William Caxton
When William Caxton started printing at Westminster in the late summer of 1476, he was painfully aware of the uncertain state of the English language. In his prologues and epilogues to his translations, he made some revealing observations on the problems that he had encountered as translator and editor. -
1497
John Cabot's Explorations and the Expansion of English
He explored North America, and although English was not a global language, this event would mark the beginning of its expansion into Europe. Mark Cartwright (2020). John Cabot. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-18854/juan-caboto/#:~:text=Patrocinadas%20por%20Enrique%20VII%20de,en%20desembarcar%20y%20explorar%20Norteam%C3%A9rica. (31/01/2025) -
1525
Lord Berners finishes the translation of Jean Froissart's chronicle and William Tyndale translated the new testament
In 1525 Lord Berners completed his translation of Jean Froissart’s Chronicle, and William Tyndale translated the New Testament. -
"Romeo and Juliet" was written by William Shakespeare
This play written by William Shakespeare had a significant impact on the English language, bringing new words, phrases and expressions such as "so-so", "fight fire with fire", among many more. -
“A Proposal for Correcting, Improving, and Ascertaining the English Tongue.”
In 1662 the Royal Society of London for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge received its charter.
The committee, however, achieved no tangible result, and failed in its attempt to found an authoritative arbiter over the English tongue.
A second attempt was made in 1712, when Jonathan Swift addressed an open letter to Robert Harley, earl of Oxford, then Lord Treasurer, making “A Proposal for Correcting, Improving, and Ascertaining [fixing] the English Tongue.” -
The first English dictionary was published
The first authoritative, full-featured English dictionary, "A Dictionary of the English Language", was published by Samuel Johnson in 1755. Wikipedia (2025). History of English. Wikipedia. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_del_idioma_ingl%C3%A9s (30/01/2025) -
The appearance of Murray's English Grammar
Murray’s English Grammar appeared in 1795, became immensely popular, and went into numerous editions. It was followed by an English Reader (1799) and an English Spelling Book (1804), long favourite textbooks in both Old and New England. -
The publication of the Oxford English Dictionary
A revised edition of the dictionary, known as The Oxford English Dictionary, was published in 1933, and a second edition was published in 1989. Online publication of the dictionary’s corpus enabled ongoing revision and expansion.