Practical Courses for Teaching English

Virtual knowledge is the key to successful study

The English Language

The English language has a long and interesting history and development. Here are some interesting facts about it that you may not have known before.

Where did English come from?

English is derived from 'Old English' but is mainly a combination of German and Dutch. Only about 400 words from Old English remain in the English language.

Why did English become the dominant global language?

English has become the dominant global language mainly through a combination of a few factors. The spread of the British empire last millenium, the ease of use of the English alphabet, the flexibility in allowing words from other languages to be accepted into it as well as America being the dominant leader in business in the last century.

How many words are there in the English language?

There are more than half a million words in the largest English dictionary. Plus more than 250,000 technical words. If you add in other English words that never make it into the dictionary then it totals to over one million words.

Is English the most spoken language in the world?

English is the most spoken language as a second language in the world but actually Spanish is the most spoken as a first language.

Where did the English alphabet come from?

Letters from the English alphabet originally developed as a pictorial language, similar to Chinese letters. However most of the original meanings have been lost.

Has Italian influenced English?

Although Rome ruled Britain for more than 400 years, there are no traces from this original domination.

Has English always been so popular?

English was originally considered as a 'bastard' language as well as being the inadequate second rate tongue of peasants.

Other Language Facts

* In France dogs go oua-oua, in Italy bu-bu, mung-mung in Korea and wan-wan in Japan.

* Children almost always learn to say no before yes.

* Motherese is the formally recognised language spoken by mothers (and fathers) when they speak with babies. Gitchy-goo, oopsy-daisy, num-nums and wee-wee all make up part of the vocabulary.

* In Krio, which is spoken in Sierra-Leone, stomach gas is 'bad briz' while to pass gas is 'pul bad briz'.

* Many languages are related to each other but how they become connected is often been lost. For example in English we say brother, but in German it's 'bruder', in Gaelic 'brathair', Sanskrit 'brahta' and in Persian 'birader'.

* Out of all languages Korean and Japanese have the most onomotopeic words, ie, words where the sound is similar to the meaning. Examples of onomotopoeia in the English language are splash, whoosh, bang and thump.

* More people in learn English in China than live in the USA.

Site Map