CATEGORY

KEY HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS

ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENTS (from own research, 2/3 per category)

Links to the development of English

Equality and Diversity- equal rights for all genders, ethnicities, and sexualities

1. THE PILL (1960)

2. EQUAL PAY ACT (1970)

3. SEX DISC. ACT (1975)

4. MARRIAGE ACT LEGALISES SAME-SEX (2013)

1. Abolition of the Slave Trade 1807 and Slavery Abolition Act of 1933 contributed new terms like ‘abolition’, emancipation’, and ‘freedom’

2. Post-war immigration and the Windrush Generation led to new words and expressions like Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Jamaican and Patois e.g. curry, yoga, bungalow. New dialects and colloquialisms

1. Introduce terms related to sexual freedom and women’s rights into mainstream discussions. Phrases like “sexual autonomy” and “reproductive rights” became more prevalent.

2. "Gender Equality": The Act helped popularise terms related to gender equality and workplace rights. Phrases like “gender equality” and “equal opportunities”

Literacy and Education

1. (1564) Shakespeare is born

2. (c.1440) the printing press is invented

3. (1880) Primary education compulsory

1. The Reformation and English Bible (16th century). Translated Bible into English so standardised English in vocabulary and syntax

2. Launch of open university (1969) aimed to make higher education accessible to those unable to attend traditional universities. The introduction of distance learning introduced terms such as “open university,” “distance education,” and “e-learning” into the English language. These terms became key components of discussions about non-traditional education methods.

1. Came up with 2-3000 new words, catchphrases, and correctly spelt words became more common. Contributed to the standardisation of English: created compound words, adverbs and adjectives from verbs. Different grammatical structures.

2. Distribute information faster and to more people, develop a standard language

3. Vocabulary expansion, more people learn to read and write in English. More people engaged with literature and absorbed new words and expression from different sources e.g. science.

Science and medicine

1. (1831) Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction

2. (1928) Fleming discovers penicillin

1. Climate Change movement (2000s-now) introduced phrases like reduce, reuse, recycle and terms like carbon footprint

1. Faraday’s work contributed to the era’s technological progress, influencing the language used to describe emerging technologies e.g. ‘Faraday’s Cage) "electricity" and "magnetism," became familiar to the general public

2. The term "penicillin" became synonymous with the concept of antibiotics. Influenced public perceptions of medical treatment and introduced new medical terminology into everyday language.

Technology

1. (1989) World-wide web is invented

2. (1922) BBC founded- first programme broadcast in 1928

1. Voice assistant/AI Terms such as “voice assistant,” “natural language processing,” and “voice command” have emerged.

   Voice interfaces have led to more conversational and concise language in how people phrase questions and commands.

2. Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone in the 1870s introduced terms like “telephone” and “phone call,” shaping communication styles and conversational etiquette.

1. More technological, emoticons, slang, neologisms, acronyms

2. Received Pronunciation (RP): The BBC popularised "Received Pronunciation" (RP), also known as the “BBC accent,” which became the standard for broadcasting and was seen as prestigious.

   The BBC's use of standard English helped unify pronunciation and language use across regions, promoting a more consistent public discourse.

Socio-political change and development

1. (1940s) The welfare state developed in the UK bringing benefits for the unemployed and socially deprived

2. (1946) Aneurin Bevan, Labour Health Minister, establishes the NHS providing free healthcare at point of service

1. Brexit 2016- New terms like “Brexit,” “leave campaign,” and “EU referendum” emerged

2. Marriage act (2013) LGBTQ TERMS- “same-sex marriage” and “marriage equality”

They introduced new terminology e.g. welfare, benefits, NHS used in colloquial language. The focus on equality and social justice led to the adoption of more inclusive and politically correct language over time. Terms like "social justice," "equal opportunity," and "public health" became more prominent