The English language

Where did English come from? The obvious answer is England. However, in the past two thousand years very many people came to England and changed the language. Perhaps most of the language comes from the Anglo-Saxons who came to England in the fifth to the seventh centuries. But there are also Roman words from the time when England was a part of the Roman Empire: the ending – “chester” in the name of an English town comes from the Latin word “castra” and shows that there was a Roman town there. The Vikings brought many words with them, such as “they” and “their”; the Normans governed England for many years and brought French words with them. Then the English brought many words from different countries – “kangaroo” from Australia, “pyjamas” from India, and “anorak” from Canada.

But what is English now? It is no longer spoken just in England and there are many different kinds of English in different parts of the world. In a book, Peter Strevens gives the following diagram:

Standard English

American English FamilyBritish English Family

United States Canada West Indies Britain Australasia Africa

He says that there are two main families of Standard English, the American and the British. American English is spoken in the USA and in Canada. British English is spoken in the West Indies, Britain, Australasia, and Africa. However, many other parts of the world also use English. In India English is an official language still and there is a special kind of Indian English. In several African countries, such as Nigeria and Ghana, English is spoken in schools and colleges. In many sciences English is the language of communication. There are about 300 million people who speak English as a first language, and there are another 300 million who use it as a second language. So English is now an international language and is useful to people who never go to England.

26. Read the following text, divide it into parts and entitle each of them. Write a short summary.