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The evolution of English: From the 17th century to the present day

Updated Thursday, 1 July 2021
Part two: The history of colonialism was a major factor in the development of English. Follow the global spread of English from the 17th century to the present day.

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Scroll back and forth through the dates in the timeline below using the arrows either side. You can then read more about each time period, see images and even play videos.

 

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