English language
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| - | English is a West Germanic language | + | '''English''' is a [[West Germanic language]] that was first spoken in [[England]] and is now the most widely used language in the world.<sup>[]</sup> It is spoken as a first language by a majority of the inhabitants of several nations, including the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[New Zealand]] and a number of [[Caribbean]] nations. It is the third most common native language in the world, after [[Mandarin Chinese]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]].<sup>[]</sup> It is widely learned as a [[second language]] and is an [[official languages of the European Union|official language of the European Union]], many [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries and the [[Official languages of the United Nations|United Nations]], as well as in many world organisations. |
| - | Historically English originated from the dialects, now | + | English arose in the [[Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon]] kingdoms of [[England]] and what is now south-east [[Scotland]], but was then under the control of the kingdom of [[Northumbria]]. Following the extensive influence of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and the [[United Kingdom]] from the 17th century to the mid-20th century, via the [[British Empire]], and of the [[United States]] since the mid-20th century,<sup>[]</sup><sup>[]</sup><sup>[]</sup><sup>[]</sup> it has been [[English-speaking world|widely propagated]] around the world, becoming the [[World language|leading language]] of international discourse and the ''[[lingua franca]]'' in many regions.<sup>[]</sup><sup>[]</sup> |
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| + | Historically, English originated from the fusion of closely related dialects, now collectively termed [[Old English]], which were brought to the eastern coast of Great Britain by [[Germanic]] ([[Anglo-Saxons]]) settlers by the 5th century – with the word ''English'' being derived from the name of the [[Angles]], and ultimately from their ancestral region of [[Angeln]] (in what is now [[Schleswig-Holstein]]).<sup>[]</sup> A significant number of English words are constructed based on roots from [[Latin]], because Latin in some form was the ''[[lingua franca]]'' of the Catholic Church and of European intellectual life.<sup>[]</sup> The language was further influenced by the [[Old Norse|Old Norse language]] due to [[Danelaw|Viking invasions]] in the 8th and 9th centuries. | ||
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| + | The [[Norman conquest of England]] in the 11th century gave rise to heavy borrowings from [[Norman language|Norman-French]], and vocabulary and spelling conventions began to give the appearance of a close relationship with [[Romance languages]]<sup>[]</sup><sup>[]</sup> to what had then become [[Middle English]]. The [[Great Vowel Shift]] that began in the south of England in the 15th century is one of the historical events that mark the emergence of [[Modern English]] from Middle English. | ||
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| + | Owing to the assimilation of words from many other languages throughout history, modern English contains a very large vocabulary, with complex and irregular spelling, particularly of vowels. Modern English has not only assimilated words from other European languages but also from all over the world, including words of [[List of English words of Hindi or Urdu origin|Hindi]] and [[List of English words of African origin|African]] origin. The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' lists over 250,000 distinct words, not including many technical, scientific, and [[slang]] terms.<sup>[]</sup><sup>[]</sup> | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language Wikipedia article on the English Language] | * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language Wikipedia article on the English Language] | ||
Revision as of 13:50, 11 September 2012
English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in England and is now the most widely used language in the world.[] It is spoken as a first language by a majority of the inhabitants of several nations, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations. It is the third most common native language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.[] It is widely learned as a second language and is an official language of the European Union, many Commonwealth countries and the United Nations, as well as in many world organisations.
English arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and what is now south-east Scotland, but was then under the control of the kingdom of Northumbria. Following the extensive influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 17th century to the mid-20th century, via the British Empire, and of the United States since the mid-20th century,[][][][] it has been widely propagated around the world, becoming the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions.[][]
Historically, English originated from the fusion of closely related dialects, now collectively termed Old English, which were brought to the eastern coast of Great Britain by Germanic (Anglo-Saxons) settlers by the 5th century – with the word English being derived from the name of the Angles, and ultimately from their ancestral region of Angeln (in what is now Schleswig-Holstein).[] A significant number of English words are constructed based on roots from Latin, because Latin in some form was the lingua franca of the Catholic Church and of European intellectual life.[] The language was further influenced by the Old Norse language due to Viking invasions in the 8th and 9th centuries.
The Norman conquest of England in the 11th century gave rise to heavy borrowings from Norman-French, and vocabulary and spelling conventions began to give the appearance of a close relationship with Romance languages[][] to what had then become Middle English. The Great Vowel Shift that began in the south of England in the 15th century is one of the historical events that mark the emergence of Modern English from Middle English.
Owing to the assimilation of words from many other languages throughout history, modern English contains a very large vocabulary, with complex and irregular spelling, particularly of vowels. Modern English has not only assimilated words from other European languages but also from all over the world, including words of Hindi and African origin. The Oxford English Dictionary lists over 250,000 distinct words, not including many technical, scientific, and slang terms.[][]
