Pre-English and Old English
Who were the earliest known inhabitants of Britain mentioned in the text?
Beaker people
Who were the invaders that began attacking England in 793?
The Vikings
What war (1337–1453) increased the importance of English in England?
The Hundred Years’ War
What is the name of the earliest known Old English poem?
Cædmon’s Hymn
Which group invaded Britain in 43 AD and ruled it for several centuries?
the Romans
Which Anglo-Saxon king defeated the Vikings and made a treaty in 878?
Alfred the Great
What law in 1362 made English the language of courts and Parliament?
The Statute of Pleading
What writing system was used before the Latin alphabet in Old English?
Runes (runic alphabet / Anglo-Saxon Futhorc)
What event around 410 AD led to the end of Roman rule in Britain?
The collapse of the Roman Empire and the Roman withdrawal from Britain
What was the Danelaw?
A region of England under Viking control, dividing the country between Vikings and Anglo-Saxons
Who wrote The Canterbury Tales?
Geoffrey Chaucer
Name one major dialect of Old English.
Any one of: Northumbrian / Mercian / West Saxon / Kentish
Name the three main Germanic tribes that settled in Britain in the 5th–6th centuries.
The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
What major event in 1066 changed the ruling class of England?
The Battle of Hastings (Norman Conquest, 1066)
What invention introduced to England in 1476 helped standardise spelling?
The printing press (introduced by William Caxton)
What are the three types of dialect differences in Middle English?
Phonological, morphological, and lexical differences
What was the Heptarchy, and how many kingdoms did it include?
The Heptarchy was a group of seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (7 kingdoms total)
After 1066, what were the three main languages used in England, and which one was least prestigious?
English, Latin, and Norman French — with English being the least prestigious
Why did English begin to replace French as a dominant language in England during the Middle English period? (Give one reason)
Because French became associated with the enemy (e.g., during the Hundred Years’ War), which increased the status of English
Why are Chaucer’s spellings inconsistent across manuscripts?
Because different scribes copied the texts and there was no standardized spelling