EXTERNAL HISTORY OF LANGUAGES IN BRITAIN I.e. history of English in relation to other languages spoken in what is now the UK, and the non-linguistic historical and cultural events that impinged on the language… Some key dates.
The Prehistoric period BC6500 BRITAIN BECOMES AN ISLAND 4000+ PROTO-INDOEUROPEAN ANCESTOR OF ENGLISH SPOKEN NEAR THE BLACK SEA 3000 NEOLITHIC FARMERS ARRIVE IN BRITAIN 2000 STONEHENGE BUILT BY BRONZE AGE PEOPLE
The Celtic period BC 500+ IRON AGE CELTS IN EUROPE AND BRITAIN. GOEDELIC, BRYTHONIC 390 CELTS SACK ROME 55 JULIUS CAESAR INVADES BRITAIN…. AND LEAVES
The Roman period AD 43 CLAUDIUS CONQUERS ENGLAND. LATIN 61 BOADICEA REBELS AGAINST THE ROMANS, SACKS COLCHESTER 200+ GERMANIC PEOPLES INVADE ROMAN EMPIRE 407+ ROMANS LEAVE BRITAIN (410 GOTHS SACK ROME)
The Anglo-Saxon period 410+ CELTIC MONASTERIES (St PATRICK 5th Cent.); ‘THE DARK AGES’ 449+ ANGLES, SAXONS, JUTES SETTLE IN BRITAIN. SAXON KINGDOMS OF WESSEX, MERCIA etc. OE 597 ST AUGUSTINE BRINGS CHRISTIANITY… AND LATIN (again) 700 FIRST OE TEXTS (1000 BEOWULF)
The Viking period 878 ALFRED GRANTS DANELAW TO VIKINGS. ON 911 ROLLO/HROLF COLONISES NORMANDY 991 BATTLE OF MALDON 1011 DANES SACK CANTERBURY 1016 CNUT KING OF ENGLAND
The Norman French period 1066 NORMAN CONQUEST OF ENGLAND. FRENCH, ME 1204 NORMANDY LOST BY ENGLISH KINGS 1277 EDWARD I CONQUERS GWYNEDD
The Norman English period 1362 STATUTE OF PLEADING 1385+ CHAUCER'S CANTERBURY TALES 1400 HENRY IV FIRST ENGLISH SPEAKING KING, CHANCERY ENGLISH 1476 PRINTING INVENTED. CAXTON
The Tudor consolidation period 15OO+ RENAISSANCE - GREEK AND LATIN (again) AMERICA. ENE 1525 TYNDALE TRANSLATES NEW TESTAMENT INTO ENGLISH 1588 BISHOP MORGAN - BIBLE INTO WELSH. SPANISH ARMADA 1564 SHAKESPEARE BORN
The Imperial expansion period 1600 EAST INDIA COMPANY FOUNDED; MONARCHY IS RESTORED; BRITISH EMPIRE. NNE, MANY LANGUAGES 1755 DR JOHNSON COMPLETES HIS DICTIONARY. INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 1770+ AUSTRALIA, AFRICA EXPLORED
The Imperial fragmentation period 1776 US DECLARES INDEPENDENCE 1828 WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY 1863 CAMBRIDGE OVERSEAS EXAMINATIONS 1947 INDIA AND PAKISTAN BECOME INDEPENDENT
The Modern international period c1955 LATIN NO LONGER REQUIRED AT OXBRIDGE 1962 CATHOLIC MASS IN ENGLISH NOT LATIN 1967 WELSH LANGUAGE ACT 2007 ENGLISH SPOKEN BY 1.8 BILLION PEOPLE