History of English
Below you can find a series of commentaries on the History of English, charting the history of the English language from Old English to the present day.
You will find introductions to Old English and Middle English by Philip Durkin, OED Deputy Chief Editor, and similar overviews of early modern English by Edmund Weiner, OED Deputy Editor. The cultural context and distinguishing characteristics of nineteenth-century English are outlined by Lynda Mugglestone, Professor of History of English at University of Oxford. Lexicographer John Ayto outlines trends and features of English in the twentieth century. And we also examine some Topics in twenty-first-century English.
Should you wish to explore the history of English further, you can read our guide to Early modern English: grammar, spelling, and pronunciation.
For detailed explanations of OED’s handling of evidence from the pre-1550 era, see the articles Old English in the OED and Dating Middle English evidence in the OED.
Old English – an overview
Old English refers to the language as it was used in the long period of time from the coming of Germanic invaders and settlers to Britain up to the Norman Conquest of 1066, and beyond into the first century of Norman rule in England.
Old English in the OED
Old English is the term used to refer to the oldest recorded stage of the English language, i.e. from the earliest evidence in the seventh century to the period of transition with Middle English in the mid-twelfth century.
Middle English – an overview
Middle English is framed at its beginning by the after-effects of the Norman Conquest, and at its end by the arrival in Britain of printing, the important impacts of the English Reformation, and the ideas of the continental Renaissance.
Dating Middle English evidence in the OED
These notes explain some of the principles and procedures involved in the dating of Middle English sources in the OED.
Early Modern English – an overview
The early modern English period follows the Middle English period towards the end of the fifteenth century and coincides closely with the Tudor (1485–1603) and Stuart (1603-1714) dynasties.
Early modern English: grammar, pronunciation, and spelling
In the late-fifteenth century printers began printing books written in the form of London English which had already become a kind of standard in manuscript documents.
Nineteenth-century English – an overview
As in previous eras, language serves as an admirable witness to both history and change. Nineteenth-century conflicts such as the Crimean War (1854-6) are memorialized in words such as cardigan (named after James Brudenell, seventh earl of Cardigan who led the Charge of the Light Brigade) and balaclava (which derives from the name of a Crimean village near Sebastopol).
Twentieth century English – an overview
At the dawn of the 20th century, English was still recognizably a single homogeneous language, albeit one with a major distinctive variety, in North America.
