English is a Germanic language that belongs to the Indo-European language family. Its origin dates back to the British Isles, where the different languages spoken by the locals merged, and was later influenced by other languages it came into contact with throughout history. The Germanic invasions, the Roman invasion or the Norman conquest are some of the historical events that had an impact on the formation of the English language as we know it today. That is why we can find words with different etymologies, which differ greatly from each other.
English
English is a language that uses the Latin alphabet and shares common grammatical features with other European languages, since it shows differences between the singular and the plural, it has different verb forms to express different tenses, verbal aspects, etc. However, inflection is not as used as it is in other Romance languages, such as Spanish, French or Italian.
The importance of English language
Nowadays it is undeniable that English is the worldwide lingua franca. A very clear example is that important international institutions, such as the UN, the IMF, the World Bank, the WHO, the WTO, among others, chose it as one of their official languages.
In addition, English is considered an essential requirement to allow effective functioning within work environments, since, due to globalization, it is more common than different sectors to establish links and business relationships with workers and companies that are beyond their national borders, with who they do not share the same language. Due to this, on several occasions, English allows mutual understanding and communication between speakers of completely different languages.
However, English goes far beyond business and international relations, because it also gives access to a vast universe of knowledge, as most of the academic articles published these days are written in English. Likewise, there are several novelists, essayists, playwrights, and poets who write originally in English, sharing all kinds of stories and experiences. Not to mention the film and audiovisual industry, which has already been introduced into our homes on a daily basis through platforms such as Netflix or HBO.
Although there is no official regulatory body for English language, there are descriptive works on its grammar, such as The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which focuses on American English, or the Oxford English Dictionary. Moreover, a number of language level certificates has been created thanks to the collaboration of different academic institutions, such as the Cambridge English Exam, Aptis, IELTS, TOEFL, or Trinity College Exam.
Places where English is spoken
English is, without doubt, the most spoken language in the world, not only because it has a huge number of native speakers, but also because it has a great global reach since it is the chosen language for international communication. There are more than 1,500 million speakers, of which around 375 million are native speakers.
It is the official language of 58 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroun, Canada, Dominican, Eritrea, the U.S., the Philippines, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Granada, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauricio, States of Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sudan, Eswatini, Tonga, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Also, 27 non-sovereign states use English as their official language: American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Gibraltar, Niue, Norfolk Islands, Puerto Rico, Tokelau, Cocos Islands, Falkland Islands, British Virgin Islands, Guam, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Cook Islands, Isle of Christmas, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, Pitcairn Islands, Netherlands Antilles or the Northern Mariana Islands.
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