The Germanic Family of Languages English is a member of the Germanic family of languages. Germanic is a branch of the Indo-European language family. A brief chronology of English 55 BC Roman invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar. AD 43 Roman invasion and occupation. Beginning of Roman rule of Britain. 436 Roman withdrawal from Britain complete. 449 Settlement of Britain by Germanic invaders begins Local inhabitants speak Celtish 450-480 Earliest known Old English inscriptions. 1066 William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invades and conquers England. Old English c Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle English. 1348 English replaces Latin as the language of instruction inmost schools. 1362 English replaces French as the language of law. English is used in Parliament for the first time. c Chaucer starts writing The Canterbury Tales. c The Great Vowel Shift begins. Middle English 1476 William Caxton establishes the first English printing press. 1564 Shakespeare is born. 1604 Table Alphabeticall, the first English dictionary, is published. 1607 The first permanent English settlement in the New World Jamestown) is established. 1616 Shakespeare dies. 1623 Shakespeare's First Folio is published 1702 The first daily English-language newspaper, The Daily Courant, is published in London. 1755 Samuel Johnson publishes his English dictionary. 1776 Thomas Jefferson writes the American Declaration of Early Modern English
8 Independence. 1782 Britain abandons its American colonies. 1828 Webster publishes his American English dictionary. 1922 The British Broadcasting Corporation is founded. 1928 The Oxford English Dictionary is published. Late Modern English
