English (2024)

FAQs

Why is it called English? ›

For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. English is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the island of Great Britain, and its speakers are called Anglophones.

The earliest form of English was known as Old English, which was spoken until around the 11th century. Middle English emerged after the Norman Conquest of 1066, and it was spoken until the late 15th century. Modern English began to develop in the 16th century, and it has continued to evolve since then.

British and American culture. English has its roots in the Germanic languages, from which German and Dutch also developed, as well as having many influences from romance languages such as French. (Romance languages are so called because they are derived from Latin which was the language spoken in ancient Rome.)

Its emergence as a major political superpower in the years after World War II, combined with the influence of Hollywood movies and the journalistic work of the BBC, helped keep the English language spreading throughout the century.

The closest language to English is one called Frisian, which is a Germanic language spoken by a small population of about 480,000 people. There are three separate dialects of the language, and it's only spoken at the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany.

Historians and linguists generally agree that Sumerian, Akkadian and Egyptian are the oldest languages with a clear written record. All three are extinct, meaning they are no longer used and do not have any living descendants that can carry the language to the next generation.

As far as the world knew, Sanskrit stood as the first spoken language because it dated as back as 5000 BC. New information indicates that although Sanskrit is among the oldest spoken languages, Tamil dates back further. Tamil dates as far back as 350 BC—works like the 'Tholkappiyam,' an ancient poem, stand as evidence.

Mandarin Chinese

Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons.

To learn English without a teacher, you will need to be realistic about your studying. If you want to know how much English you already know, take an online English level test to check. Now, decide how long you will study English every day. Thirty minutes is good, but if you can do more that's even better.

To speak fluent English in 30 days, you must also spend an hour or two every day studying basic grammar as well as learning a set of 5-10 new words. Read a newspaper every day or start reading a good English book. Make flashcards to learn new words or download a vocabulary-building app on your smartphone.

Why is English called English and not Saxon? ›

The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they were known as the Angelcynn, meaning race or tribe of the Angles. Their ethnonym is derived from the Angles, one of the Germanic peoples who migrated to Great Britain around the 5th century AD.

The language of England is called English because it developed from the language of the Angles, the people who lived in England in mediaeval times. It's not named after the country. In fact the country is also named after the people.

Because it's the English Language, not the British Language. It's the language developed by, and spoken by the English people, in England, not the British people in Britain.

The OED defines the usage as “U.S. Sport (originally Billiards). Spin imparted to a ball by striking it on one side rather than centrally so as to affect its course, esp. after an impact or bounce.” The dictionary says the word “English” here is a synonym for the British term “side.”