The History of the English Language

The English language stands out as a fascinating source of history and knowledge.

Berlitz said English had over 1.4 billion speakers worldwide in July 2024.

380 million speakers had English as their first language while for 1.077 billion others, it was their second.

The language resounds in many sovereign states including the UK, America, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

English has a vast treasure trove of history with its origins possibly surprising many.

DESIblitz invites you to join us on a journey wherein we will explore the history of the English language.

Origins

According to etymology, ‘English’ comes from the Germanic cohort Angles and their ancestral Angeln.

The English language started as a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England.

Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and current southeast Scotland were the breeding grounds for spoken English.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Viking invasions influenced English through the Old Norse language.

From the 17th to the 20th century, the influence of English spread rapidly.

American media and technology also played a key role and as a result, English has become a global language and a leading method of international oral communication.

Middle English emerged from the 11th-century Norman conquest of England.

The language began relying on Norman French with spelling and vocabulary resembling Romance languages from Latin.

English became a common language (lingua franca) with a deeply vast vocabulary. Modern English has blended words from other global tongues.

The Oxford English dictionary holds over 250,000 terms, ranging from technical, slang, and scientific words.

History

In some cases, the English language is an essential requirement in several industries.

These include communications, science, business, and entertainment.

By the late 19th century, English had achieved global recognition.

British colonisation was rampant between the 16th and 19th centuries.

As a result, English became the primary language in the aforementioned sovereign places.

In particular, America has played a key role in spreading the language.

This was due to its economic and cultural influence and its growth in status.

In the latter of the 20th century, English replaced German as the primary tongue of the Nobel Prize laureates with scientific achievements.

English also became one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

Forms of English

Old English originally began as a group of several dialects.

The rise of this form began in the 8th and 9th centuries.

During this time, Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivar the Boneless conquered northern areas of the British Isles.

The aforementioned Middle English followed the Norman invasion.

A popular text written in this format is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Modern English encompasses the plays by William Shakespeare.

As the British Empire continued to grow, other countries including India, North America, and Africa began to use English too.

Where is English Studied?

As a language, English is studied as a compulsory subject in different parts of the world.

According to an essay from Eiilm University, 67% of Europeans in 2012 were in favour of the language while 17% advocated for German.

In 2012, 90% of adults in the Netherlands admitted to having English conversations.

This was followed by 89% in Malta, 86% in Sweden and Denmark, and 73% in Cyprus and Austria.

Approximately 28% of volumes published in the world are in English and in 2011, 30% of web content was reported to be in English.

Such significant figures show aptly the popularity and the necessity for the English language.

English Dialects

The English language also comes in a variety of dialects.

In British English, the Cockney dialect traditionally comes from East London, with several from that region using it when they communicate.

Its usage is commonly seen in the BBC soap, EastEnders.

Meanwhile, the Scouse dialect from Liverpool and the Geordie dialect from Newcastle are also common in the UK.

Canadian English also has a separate dialect known as Newfoundland English, while Southern American English exist among American speakers.

With so much variety and different forms, English offers a plethora of exploration and uniqueness.

English within the South Asian Community

The South Asian community includes Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bengali groups.

English is growing more and more common within these Desi communities.

For example, Indian English has been on the rise for decades, dating back to the 1930s.

However, one could argue that the influence of English is taking the culture away from Desi groups.

Mahesh*, a British Indian, spoke about the response he got from his family when speaking Hindi during a visit to India.

He explained: “When I go to India, I like speaking in Hindi to show my Desi values.

“When I was younger, people there were impressed, but now I don’t think they are.

“During a recent trip, my mother told me to speak in English as this is apparently how people in India will respect me more.

“She said that Indians are not interested in speaking Hindi and even amongst themselves, they will try and speak English.

“I found this both progressive and sad. Progressive because I suppose it is a good thing that people want to explore English as a language.

“However, it is sad to think that some Indians are forgetting their values and are losing interest in their language.”

The English language remains a necessary method of communication.

Being a global language and a formative one, its knowledge is essential.

English has a fascinating history of being a Germanic language.

With so much depth and different dialects, the English language is a precious ornament to the cultural world.