Friday, February 21, 2014

English Language – History & Facts


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!