English language than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of West Germanic (Ingvaeonic) dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century, are called Old English. Middle English began in the late 11th century with the Norman conquest of England and was a period in which the language was influenced by French. Early Modern English began in the late 15th century with the introduction of the printing press to London, the printing of the King James Bible and the start of the Great Vowel Shift. Through the worldwide influence of the British Empire, Modern English spread
Influence of French on English from the 1066 conquest that proto-English became massively impregnated with Old French, then modern French. It should be noted, however, that only French influenced English in the centuries following the conquest. The reverse contribution of English to French was only real from the eighteenth century. The arrival of William the Conqueror and his barons significantly changed the linguistic situation in England. Norman was essentially imposed in the upper layers of society. The Anglo-Saxon dialects were supplanted by Norman in the circles of the court and aristocracy, justice and the Church. The influential circles, who came from Normandy and settled in