| Most people know that the English language is spoken by millions of people around the world. |
| However, few people are aware of the history of the English language. |
| Today, English is one language, |
| but in some ways it’s a mixture of many different languages. |
| The English language is most closely related to a group of languages called the Germanic languages. |
| This group also includes languages such as German and Dutch. |
| About 1500 years ago, these languages were not yet distinct from each other. |
| Some of the people of Germany and the Netherlands then moved to England. |
| Those people were called the Anglo-Saxons, |
| and their language then evolved into English. |
| Most of the basic words of the English language |
| are derived from these very old Anglo-Saxon languages. |
| For example, words for the parts of the body, |
| for numbers, and for animals are mostly Anglo-Saxon words. |
| Some new words were brought to England over 1000 years ago |
| by people who came from the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe. |
| Many words that begin with the letters “sk”, |
| such as skim and skill, are Scandinavian words. |
| A major change happened in the English language after the year 1066. |
| In that year, England was conquered by a king from the northern part of France. |
| He and his followers spoke French, |
| so French became an important language in England. |
| During the next few hundred years, |
| the English language absorbed a very large number of French words. |
| In fact, today’s English dictionaries contain more words of French origin |
| than of Anglo-Saxon origin. |
| Part of the reason why the English language has so many words |
| is that it often has two words for each idea |
| one word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and one word of French origin. |
| Many more words entered the English language a few hundred years ago, |
| when science and technology became more widespread. |
| Most scientific and technical words are derived from words of the ancient languages of Latin and Greek. |
| Because there are so many of these scientific and technical words in the English language today, |
| the influence of Latin and Greek has been quite large. |
| Other languages have also contributed many words to the English language. |
| Some words have come from the Celtic languages, |
| spoken in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. |
| Many words have been added to the English language by immigrants |
| who came to North America from various countries of Europe. |
| Also, many more words have been adopted from the Native languages of North America, |
| Australia, and the Pacific, and from the languages of the peoples of Africa and Asia. |
| All of these words have made English a very interesting language! |
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