History of English

Old English was spoken in England from roughly 450 to 1100 AD and is very different from Modern English. It was a highly inflected language with a rich vocabulary drawn mainly from Germanic roots.

Middle English emerged after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when French became the language of the ruling class. This period saw the simplification of grammar and the infusion of thousands of French and Latin words.

Early Modern English (c. 1500–1700) was shaped by the Renaissance, the printing press, and standardization efforts. Writers like Shakespeare expanded the language and popularized new vocabulary and expressions.

Late Modern English (from about 1700 onward) saw continued vocabulary growth from science, industry, and empire. Dictionaries and grammar guides helped codify usage, and English spread globally through colonization and trade.

English varieties have developed in the US, Canada, Australia, India, Africa, and elsewhere, each with unique accents, vocabulary, and expressions. Global English continues to change through media, education, and cross-cultural contact.

English evolved from Anglo-Saxon dialects through successive layers of influence—Norse, Norman French, Latin—and was shaped by historical events like the printing revolution and empire. Today it is a dynamic world language with many regional forms.