I created a visual timeline of the history of English to show how the language grew from a Germanic foundation into the global language we use today.
The timeline moves through Celtic Britain, Roman contact, Old English, Viking influence, the Norman Conquest, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern English. Each era includes a short explanation and familiar example words, making the different layers easy to compare at a glance.
It also explains why English often has several words for a similar idea. Everyday vocabulary is often Germanic, formal vocabulary often comes from French or Latin, and scientific vocabulary frequently draws from Latin or Greek.