English in time

Here you'll find articles tracing the story of English from the Anglo-Saxons to the modern day. Expert overviews are combined with accounts of key episodes and themes to introduce you to the history of English.

New articles will be published regularly in the coming months.

c.700-c.1150

• Old English—an overview, by Philip Durkin
• Old English in the OED, by Anthony Esposito

c.1150-1500

• Middle English—an overview, by Philip Durkin

1500-1700

• Early modern English—an overview, by Edmund Weiner
• Early modern English pronunciation and spelling, by Edmund Weiner
• Grammar in early modern English, by Edmund Weiner
• The first dictionaries of English, by John Simpson
• ‘Fly in the ointment’? Assessing the influence of the King James Bible (1611), by David Crystal

1700-1800

• Eighteenth-century English—an overview, by Joan C. Beal (coming soon)

1800-1900

• Nineteenth-century English—an overview, by Lynda Mugglestone

1900-2000

• Twentieth-century English—an overview, by John Ayto

Aspects of English: as well as the history of the language, explore how English has been shaped and is used, along with the stories behind some everyday words. More>