What is the first recorded date of the English language?

Answer 1

The first recorded "English" language was in 450-480BCE. At that time it was called Englisc. Over the next centuries, 4 dialects were formed:

* Northumbrian in Northumbria, north of the Humber
* Mercian in the Kingdom of Mercia
* West Saxon in the Kingdom of Wessex
* Kentish in Kent

English was derived from the Scandinavian and Latin languages, and later French.

Answer 2

There is no specific date. English is a Germanic language that developed over centuries. Old English is the oldest form. Middle English developed from that and was spoken approximately between the Norman (northern French) invasion and the mid-15th century. Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" is written in Middle English, but is poetry and not exactly what would have been spoken then. What we know as English began around the 1500s. Language never stops changing until it dies out completely (e.g., Latin).

Answer 3

That's a Catch 22 question. In order to answer it you need to define, from which time on you could call the language "English".

Answer 4

If you are referring to modern English, that would be the around 1600. Shakespeare actually put English on the map. Before that, the educated spoke Latin and the average person spoke local dialects,