The First Record of the English Language in Parliament
Poets involved
What happened
In 1362, the English language was used for the first time in the opening of Parliament, a significant marker of the growing importance of English in official and legal contexts. The Statute of Pleading, passed in 1362, also required that English be used in court proceedings. This legal recognition of English was a crucial step in its establishment as the national language of England.
Literary impact
The official use of English in Parliament and the courts in 1362 gave a major boost to the development of English as a literary language. It encouraged poets like Geoffrey Chaucer and William Langland to write in the vernacular, confident that their work would be understood by a broad audience. This event is a milestone in the history of English literature, paving the way for the flowering of Middle English poetry.
Source: Wikipedia
