Key Events in the Formation of Present-Day English

The English language has a history of about one thousand and five hundred years since it began to be spoken from around the middle of the fi fth century in England. During that time many internal and external events which are associated with the history, the culture, and society of England infl uenced the language at each stage. These events have brought changes to the system of the language and qualitative improvement directly or indirectly in every stage of the history of the English language. This paper focuses on the period stretching from Old English to Early Modern English, and its purpose is to discuss what sort of events were involved in the forming of Present-day English.