![]() Some scholars have argued that English can be considered a mixed language or a creole-a theory called the Middle English creole hypothesis. These left a profound mark of their own on the language, so that English shows some similarities in vocabulary and grammar with many languages outside its linguistic clades-but it is not mutually intelligible with any of those languages either. Unlike Icelandic and Faroese, which were isolated, the development of English was influenced by a long series of invasions of the British Isles by other peoples and languages, particularly Old Norse and Norman French. English is not mutually intelligible with any continental Germanic language, differing in vocabulary, syntax, and phonology, although some of these, such as Dutch or Frisian, do show strong affinities with English, especially with its earlier stages. Like Icelandic and Faroese, the development of English in the British Isles isolated it from the continental Germanic languages and influences, and it has since diverged considerably. Particular dialects of Old and Middle English also developed into a number of other Anglic languages, including Scots and the extinct Fingallian dialect and Yola language of Ireland. Old English evolved into Middle English, which in turn evolved into Modern English. Low German/Low Saxon is also closely related, and sometimes English, the Frisian languages, and Low German are grouped together as the Ingvaeonic (North Sea Germanic) languages, though this grouping remains debated. The Frisian languages, which together with the Anglic languages form the Anglo-Frisian languages, are the closest living relatives of English. Old English originated from a Germanic tribal and linguistic continuum along the Frisian North Sea coast, whose languages gradually evolved into the Anglic languages in the British Isles, and into the Frisian languages and Low German/Low Saxon on the continent. Yiddish A family tree of the West Germanic language familyĮnglish is an Indo-European language and belongs to the West Germanic group of the Germanic languages. English exists on a dialect continuum with Scots and then is most closely related to the Low Saxon and Frisian languages. Thus, although most of its total vocabulary now comes from Romance languages, its grammar, phonology, and most commonly-used words keep it genealogically classified under the Germanic branch. Then, Middle English borrowed words extensively from French dialects, which make up about 28% of Modern English vocabulary, and from Latin, which also provides about 28%. Late Old English borrowed some grammar and core vocabulary from Old Norse, a North Germanic language. Old English emerged from a group of West Germanic dialects spoken by the Anglo-Saxons. English accounts for at least 70% of total speakers of the Germanic language branch, and as of 2005, it was estimated that there were over two billion speakers worldwide. It has also become the de facto language of diplomacy, science, international trade, tourism, aviation, entertainment and the internet. It is a co-official language of the United Nations, the European Union, and many other international and regional organisations. In some other countries, it is the sole or dominant language for historical reasons without being explicitly defined by law (such as in the United States or United Kingdom). ![]() It is also the most widely learned second language in the world, with more second-language speakers than native speakers.Įnglish is either the official language or one of the official languages in 59 sovereign states (such as in India, Ireland, and Canada). ![]() The namesake of the language is the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the island of Great Britain.Įnglish is the most spoken language in the world and the third-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.Įnglish is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, whose speakers, called Anglophones, originated in early medieval England. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Countries and territories where English is an official or administrative language but not a majority native language
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |