English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon
England. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political
and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th and
20th centuries and of the United States since the late 19th
century[citation needed], it has become the lingua franca in many parts
of the world.[7] It is used extensively as a second language and as an
official language in Commonwealth countries and many international
organizations.
Historically, English originated from several
dialects, now called Old English, which were brought to Great Britain
by Anglo-Saxon settlers beginning in the 5th century. The language was
heavily influenced by the Old Norse language of Viking invaders. After
the Norman conquest, Old English developed into Middle English,
borrowing heavily from the Norman (Anglo-French) vocabulary and
spelling conventions. Modern English developed from there and continues
to adopt foreign words from a variety of languages, as well as coining
new words. A significant number of English words, especially technical
words, have been constructed based on roots from Latin and ancient
Greek.
auther information :::::
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language
الجمعة يوليو 20, 2012 9:47 pm من طرف 
موضوع: English language 
