Professional Documents
Culture Documents
kingdoms of England . The language spread into what had become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglican medieval kingdom of Northumbia. Following the economic, political, military, scientific, cultural, and colonial influence
of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century via the British Empire and of the United States since the mid-20th century
It has been widely dispersed around the world, becoming the leading
language of international discourse, and the main universal language. It is used as an official language of the European Union and many Commonwealth countries, as well as in many world organizations.
English Origins
English originated from the fusion of languages and dialects, now
collectively termed Old English, which were brought to the eastern coast of Great Britain by Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) settlers by the 5th century. A significant number of English words are constructed based on roots from Latin. The language was further influenced by the Old Norse Language with Viking Invasions in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Normand conquest of England in the 11th century gave rise to heavy borrowings from Norman-French, and vocabulary and spelling conventions starting a new period called 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.
English is spoken: As a native language - 375 million speakers As a second language - 370 million speakers As a foreign language - 750 million speakers Is believed that in the future there will be more second language English
One out of four of the world's population speak English to some level of
Native - the language you learned at home with your family when you
were young.
has official or special status in at least seventy-five countries with a total population of over two billion. English is spoken as a native language by around 375 million and as a second language by around 370 million speakers in the world. Speakers of English as a second language will soon outnumber those who speak it as a first language. Around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language. One out of four of the world's population speak English to some level of competence. Demand from the other three-quarters is increasing."