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Every article on the history of English, newest first.
English Language History
Late Modern English (c. 1800 – Present)
The Industrial and Scientific Revolution The dates may be rather arbitrary, but the main distinction between Early Modern and Late Modern English (or just Modern English as it is s…
English Language History
Middle English (c. 1100 – c. 1500)
Norman Conquest The event that began the transition from Old English to Middle English was the Norman Conquest of 1066, when William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy and, later, Wil…
English Language History
Old English (c. 500 – c. 1100)
Invasions of Germanic Tribes More important than the Celts and the Romans for the development of the English language, though, was the succession of invasions from continental Euro…
English Language History
Before English (Prehistory – c. 500AD)
Indo-European The English language, and indeed most European languages, traces it original roots back to a Neolithic (late Stone Age) people known as the Indo-Europeans or Proto-In…
English Language History
Early Modern English (c. 1500 – c. 1800)
Great Vowel Shift A major factor separating Middle English from Modern English is known as the Great Vowel Shift, a radical change in pronunciation during the 15th, 16th and 17th C…
English Language History
English Language History
The history of the English language is a complex tapestry of gradual developments and short, sharp shocks, of isolation and mutual influences, of borrowings and obsolescences. I am…