If you are thinking about learning English, then why not
learn some history and facts about it as well? I mean, it will only benefit
your understanding of English, and even if you’re a native English speaker it’s
still great to learn the language’s heritage and some groovy facts, and also to
learn how some of the words have been adapted and how new words have been born. So, sit back and read some of the most surprising facts about the English
language…
Bit of History
The English language changed the most when Britain was
invaded by tribes from different countries; for example the Angles, Saxons and
the Jutes, (we won’t go too far down this road though, as this isn’t a schoolboy
history lesson). Since 450AD, the English language has evolved dramatically; from
Old English between 450 and 1100AD, to Middle English between 1100 and 1500,
and finally into Modern English between 1500 and 1800, at which point vowel
sounds were becoming shorter and shorter. Late Modern English is still spoken
today.
Origin of Words
English has developed a lot over time, and has taken
on many words from different languages. Here are words from six different
countries that have been added to the English dictionary…
Indian
Origin
|
|
Jungle
|
Pyjama
|
Bungalow
|
Thug
|
Pundit
|
Loot
|
African
Origin
|
|
Cola
|
Zombie
|
Jumbo
|
Banana
|
Zebra
|
Voodoo
|
Arabic
Origin
|
|
Assassin
|
Safari
|
Mattress
|
Zero
|
Admiral
|
Algebra
|
Chinese
Origin
|
|
Chi
|
Silk
|
Chow
|
Tea
|
Ketchup
|
Kung-Fu
|
Spanish
Origin
|
|
Platinum
|
Hurricane
|
Siesta
|
Cigar
|
Vanilla
|
Macho
|
Italian
Origin
|
|
Balcony
|
Saloon
|
Cartoon
|
Villa
|
Medal
|
Dome
|
The English language was also very quick to spread around
the world through the English empire, with England, America, Australia, New
Zealand and Canada adopting English as their main language.
Fun Fact! Words are added to the English dictionary every year. Last year the word ‘selfie’ was added; this means a photograph being taken of oneself.
The English language has a huge range of vocabulary with over 250,000 different words listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, (originally published in 1928), and is still a fast-growing language, with new words being added every 2 hours! There are many interesting facts about English; here are a few we have thrown together for you, our top 6 English language facts…
1.
More English words begin with ‘S’ than any other
letter
2.
The oldest word in the English language is
‘town’
3.
The first ever English Dictionary was made in
1755, (it was made to help people spell words correctly)
4.
The word almost is the longest in the English
language where all the letters are in alphabetical order
5.
There are only 4 words in the English language
that end in ‘dous’; these are ‘hazardous’, ‘horrendous’, ‘stupendous’ and
‘tremendous’
6.
‘Copyrightable’
is the longest word in the English dictionary that doesn’t repeat the same
letter twice.
It is not only extremely beneficial to be able to speak English; it also very interesting for new learners. English is a great asset to any CV, as it is so widely used around the globe, (although Chinese Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world).
We hope we have inspired you to learn English and taught you some interesting facts. Thanks for reading, and hurry up and get kick-started with your English adventure!