A brief chronology of English

55 BC Roman invasion of Britain by Julius

Caesar

Local
AD 43 Roman invasion and occupation. inhabitants
Beginning of Roman rule of Britain speak
Celtic

436 Roman withdrawal from Britain

complete

449 Settlement of Britain by Germanic

invaders begins

450-480 Earliest known Old English inscriptions

Old
English
1066 William the Conqueror, Duke of
Normandy, invades and conquers
England

c1150 Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle English

Middle English

1348 English replaces Latin as the language

 of instruction in most schools

1362 English replaces French as the

language of law. English is used in
Parliament for the first time Middle
English

c1388 Chaucer starts writing The Canterbury

Tales

c1400 The Great Vowel Shift begins

3) Give your own insight about the status of the English language at present. Why
that most of the students can’t speak correct and exact English?
 At present, English language doesn’t have the largest number of native
speakers in the world, it has the widest reach of any language spoken today. Both
native and second-language speakers of English are found on every continent, and
English has become the lingua franca in many fields, including business, politics,
science, technology, and entertainment, to name a few. English is the working
language of many international organizations, like NATO and the European Union,
and it’s the language of global advertising. It is also the most-used language of the
internet, accounting for more than half of all websites. For many people, learning
English is a way to get access to a broader range of information, connections, and
opportunities. The importance of English is clear.
Most students can’t speak correct and exact English because English is not
taught clearly and adequately in grade school, particularly the parts of speech. If
students acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in the language in their
formative years they will not have a hard time in high school. As we know, the
older a student gets, the harder it is for a student to learn a new language. A
second problem is that many students feel intimidated by someone who speaks
fluent English. This should not be the case. No language should be viewed as
superior to others. We teach and learn English not because it is a better language
than the others but because, for now at least, it is the global language for
business, media, science and many more human activities. And lastly, it’s due to
malpractice. News reports tell us of errors in textbooks, especially those to be
used in K-12 (Kindergarten to Grade 12). The errors can be corrected, but what is
beyond our control is the students’ choice of reading materials when they are on
their own.