Properties

Linguistics

History

English is the dominant language of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and a number of other countries. It is extensively used as a second language and as an official language in many other countries, and is the most widely taught and understood language in the world. An estimated 300-500 million people speak English as their first language. One recent estimate is that 1.9 billion people, nearly a third of the world's population, have a basic proficiency in English. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, diplomacy and the internet. English is well on the way to becoming the first genuine world language[neutrality disputed]. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945.

English originated in England, and is a West Germanic language which developed from Old English, the language of the Anglo-Saxons. As a result of the Norman Conquest and other events in English history, it has been heavily influenced, more than other Germanic languages, by French and Latin. From England it spread to the rest of the British Isles, then to the colonies and territories of the British Empire (both outside and inside the current Commonwealth of Nations) such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, and others, particularly those in the Anglophone Caribbean. As a result of these historical developments English is the official language (sometimes one of several) in many countries formerly under British or American rule, such as India, Nigeria, South Africa, and the Philippines.

Only Chinese and Hindi have more native speakers. English is also the most widely spoken of the Germanic languages. English was spread to many parts of the world through the expansion of the British Empire, but it did not acquire a lingua franca status in other parts of the world until the late 20th century. Following World War II the economic and cultural influence of the United States increased dramatically and English permeated other cultures, chiefly through the development of telecommunications technology. Because a working knowledge of English is required in many fields and occupations, education ministries around the world mandate the teaching of English to at least a basic level (see English as an additional language).