H
iNgliS lANgwiJ
iNgliS iz H cIf lANgwiJ v /britan, H /V.s.A.,
/ostrElia, n a numbD v uHD kuntriz. mP HAn 300 milian pIpal spIk it Az HX fxst
P HX Onli lANgwiJ, n milianz mP in Yl pRts v H wxld lxn it Az a foran lANgwiJ
fP Vs in kamVnikEtiN wiH pIpal v uHD nESanz. it iz H afiSal lANgwiJ Vzd bitwIn
XlFn pFlats n HX X trAfik kantrOlDz in Yl kuntriz, n in SipiN, n H mEn lANgwiJ
v intDnASanal biznas, sFans, medsan, n kampVtiN.
Yl
lANgwiJas hAv a histDi: HE R konstantli cEnJiN n ivolviN. it iz probabal HAt
nCli Yl H lANgwiJas v /jUrap kEm from wun EnSant kamVnati. Az pIpal mMvd awE t
H Ist n west HE lost kontAkt wiH Ic uHD n divelapd nV n difDant lFf-stFlz.
nAcDali HX lANgwiJ nIdz cEnJd tM. HE inventid nV wxdz n fDgot Old wunz, n H
grAmD v H lANgwiJ YlsO cEnJd. meni vXid lANgwiJas grM from H ariJinal pXant
tuN, until H tFm kEm wen pIpal wiH H sEm AnsestDz wUd nO loNgD hAv undDstUd Ic
uHD.
invEZanz
n konkwests komplikEtad H prOses. H iNgliS lANgwiJ SOz His veri wel, fP invEdDz
brYt HX On lANgwiJas t /britan, n britiS trAvalDz tUk HXz t lAndz OvDsIz. H
xliist nOn inhAbitants v /britan spOk a fPm v keltik, rilEtid t modDn welS n gElik. veri lital v His keltik
sDvFvd H wEvz v invEZanz HAt drOv its spIkDz intM westDn n hFland pRts v H
kuntri, but H nEmz v sum sitiz, rivDz, n hilz dEt bAk T keltik tFmz (e.g. /kRlFl, /temz, /Evon, /pendal).
Old iNgliS
Old iNgliS, wic iz YlsO kYld ANglO-sAksan, duz not lUk veri muc lFk modDn iNgliS (fP igzympal, Fæder
ure, þu eart on heofunum = QD fRHD, hM Rt in hevan), but meni wxdz, ispeSali H mOst
frIkwantli Vzd wunz, kAn bI trEsd bAk t it. It,
driNk, slIp, spIk, wxk, plE,
n siN R Yl from Old iNgliS; sO R hQs, dP,
mIt, bred, milk, fiS; n hed, nOz. F; mAn,
wUman, huzband, wFf.
Old
iNgliS did not ariJinEt in /britan. it woz H laNgwiJ v H ANgalz, sAksanz, n
JMts, JDmAnik trFbz hM kEm t /britan from H kontinant in abQt AD 450.
bF abQt AD 700 H
ANglO-sAksanz hAd okjUpFd mOst v H kuntri n HX lANgwiJ woz H dominant wun. Ivan
H nEm v H kuntri itself bikEm 'iNgland', wic mInz 'lAnd v H ANgalz', n from it
kEm 'Englisc'
P 'iNgliS'.
H
nekst grEt inflUans on Old iNgliS kEm from H vFkiNz, hM arFvd from /nPwE n
/denmRk in H 9T n 10T sencDiz n okjUpFd muc v IstDn /iNgland. HX lANgwiJ woz
Old nPs, n from it wI get meni koman wxdz, suc Az kYl, kyst, n tEk, n a numbD v wxdz biginiN wiH 'sk',
iNklMdiN skX, skrAp, skxt n skF.
midal iNgliS
in 1066 H nPmanz, led bF /wiliam /H /koNkDD,
invEdid /iNgland. iNgliS lFf woz grEtli cEnJd in H jCz HAt folOd, n H lANgwiJ
cEnJd tM, sO muc sO HAt, wiH a lital prAktis, wI kAn nQ fXli Isali rId n
undDstAnd H lANgwiJ v HAt tFm. HIz lFnz, fP igzympal, wx ritan in abQt 1390: This
carpenter hadde wedded newe a wyf, Which that he lovede moore than his lyf.
wI kyl His lANgwiJ 'midal iNgliS' t distiNgwiS it from Old iNgliS P ANglO-saksan.
fP
muc v His pCiad H lANgwiJ Vzd bF H rMliN klysiz woz H frenc v H viktPias nPman
invEdDz, HO mOst v H Pdaneri pIpal stil spOk iNgliS. meni wxdz kanektid wiH
guvDmant n lY kEm intM H lANgwiJ At His tFm TrM HX frenc Vs, e.g. advFz, kamynd, kPt, guvDn, pIpal, rEn, rqalti, rMl.
TrMQt Yl
HIz sencariz, ylHO skolDz in difDant kuntriz spOk difDant lANgwiJas, HE Yl
undDstUd lAtin, wic hAd bIn H lANgwiJ v H EnSant rOman empFD, n Vzd it fP rFtiN
abQt evDi subJekt HAt HE studid. sum lAtin wxdz (e.g. mint, pQnd, sAk, n strIt) hAd Ylredi bIn adoptid bF H ANglO-sAksanz bifP HE kEm t
/britan, bikoz HE hAd livd on H frinJ v H rOman empFD, uHDz (e.g. font, pOp, n skMl) DrFvd wiH H
spred v kristiAnati. Hen in H 14T-16T sencariz (H rinEsons) pIpal TrMQt /jUDap bikEm ispeSali intDestad in grIk n
rOman litDacD, filosafi, Rt, n bildiNz, n meni mP wxdz from grIk n lAtin wx
intradVst intM iNgliS (e.g.
RkitekcD, kolam, komadi, eJakEt, histDi, fiziks, tribjUteri). H kristian cxc in Yl westDn
kuntriz hAd YlwEz Vzd lAtin, n kantinVd t Vz His (not iNgliS P uHD lOkal
lANgwiJas) in Yl its sxvisiz.
modDn iNgliS
from abQt 1500 onwDdz H iNgliS lANgwiJ kantinVd t
cEnJ, n divelapt inPmasli. it adoptid wxdz from uHD lANgwiJaz wiH wic pIpal kEm
intM kontAkt TrM trEd P trAval, n it woz ekspPtid t uHD lAndz wen iNgliS-spIkiN
pIpal trAvald abrYd. in H xli 17T sencari kolaniz bigAn t bI istAbliSd, fxst in
/nPT /amerika n in /india, Hen in H /west /indiz, n lEtD in /ostrElia, /nV
/zIland, /hoN /koN, n /Afrika. t Ic kuntri H setlDz tUk H iNgliS lANgwiJ v HX
On tFm, n in Ic kuntri it cEnJd, lital bF lital, until it difDd in vXias wEz
not Onli from H iNgliS v uHD setalmants but from its pxant fPm in /britan - wX,
v kPs, H lANgwiJ woz cEnJiN tM. sum wxdz, suc Az nEmz fP bxdz n Animalz fQnd in
Onli wun kuntri, wx adoptid intM H fPm v iNgliS Vzd HX n R not nOn elswX; uHDz
(e.g.
banyna, patEtO, n tPnEdO) hAv mEd
hx wE intM intDnASanal iNgliS n R nOn evriwX.
in H 20T
sencari, pIpal hM kEm from H /kArabIan n /EZa t setal in /britan brYt wiH Hem HX
On kulcDz n vOkAbjaleri, n meni wxdz from HIz hAv bIn adoptid intM stAndDd
iNgliS (e.g.
kalipsO, capAti, regE).
nQadEz
trAval iz not H Onli wE in wic pIpal akwFD wxdz from uHD kuntriz. filmz mEd in
wun kuntri R SOn in meni uHDz, n rEdiO n telaviZan prOgrAmz from Yl OvD H wxld
R rasIvd in pIpalz hOmz. H rizult iz HAt wFl amerikan, ostrElian, n uHD
vOkAbjaleri bikumz familiD in britan, iNgliS kantinVz t bI elspPtid.
dFalekts
HX R difDant fPmz v iNgliS not Onli in difDant
pRts v H wxld but wiHin H britiS Flz. pIpal from /nPT /jPkSD, H /midlandz, /Ist
/ANglia, n /sumDset ofan hAv difDant wxdz fP sxtan TiNz, P Vz difDant
gramAtikal fPmz. HIz vDFatiz v iNgliS R kYld dFalekts. Ic iz nOn, undDstUd, n rigRdid Az stAndDd in its On Xia,
but not QtsFd it.
H wE HAt
H pIpal v an Xia pranQns wxdz iz kYld an Aksent,
n His tM vXiz in difDant pRts v a kuntri.
evDi
lANgwiJ hAz a numbD v dFalekts, n mOst lANgwiJas hAv wun dFalekt n stFl v
pranunsiESan HAt is rigRdid Az stAndDd fP H hOl kuntri. in /britan, 'stAndDd
iNgliS' iz bEst on H fPm v iNgliS Vzd in suHDn /iNgland. it iz H bEsis v H
ritan lANgwiJ, nOn (unlFk uHD dFalekts) in Yl pRts v H kuntri, spOkan bF Yl
wel-eJakEtid pIpal, Vzd fP nASanal nVz bUlatinz on rEdiO n telaviZan, n lxnt bF
foranDz.
fPmal n infPmal
wI wX difDant klOHz fP difDant kFndz v akEZanz, n
ofan H wxdz HAt wI Vz wen rFtiN P spIkiN fPmali R difDant from HOz HAt wI Vz
infPmali t frendz.
veri
infPmal lANgwiJ (e.g.
nik = t stIl, kwid = £1, pifal =
nonsans) iz kYld slAN. it iz Vzd FHD
fP fun, P t ikspres sumTiN in a mP vivid P pikcaresk wE HAn dignifFd wxdz wUd
dM, P t Sok pIpal P atrAkt HX atenSan. ofan, speSal slaN wxdz R Vzd bF membDz V
a grMp, sO HAt bF VziN HIz HE SO HAt HE biloN t H grMp, n HE rekagnFz uHDz hM
Vz Hem Az biloNiN T it tM.
H dikSaneri
HX R OvD 500,000 wxdz in H iNgliS lANgwij, n H
tOtal iz iNkrIsiN Yl H tFm. v HIz, abQt 3,000 R nOn n Vzd bF YlmOst evDiwun hMz
nEtiv lANgwiJ iz iNgliS. mOst pIpal nO H mIniN v At lIst anuHD 5,000 wxdz, HO
HE mE not Vz Yl v Hem in evDidE spIc P rFtiN. in adiSan, HOz hM speSalFz in a
pDtikjalD subJekt (e.g.
mVzik, kemistri, medsan, kampVtDz) hAv a wFd vOkAbjaleri v wxdz HAt R Vzd bF
pIpal wxkiN in HAt subJekt but R not JenDali nOn t uHDz.
H bigist
dikSaneri in H wxld is H oksfDd iNgliS
dikSaneri, wic filz twenti veri lRJ volVmz, n it kantEnz mOst v HIz wxdz.
smYl dikSaneriz kAn fFnd rMm fP Onli a frAkSan f H hOl lANgwiJ; HE iNklMd mOst
v H wxdz HAt R in koman Vs, but (in PdD t mEk H bUk a konvIniant sFz n not tM
ikspensiv) HE hAv t mis Qt a kansidDabal numnbD v wxdz, n a lRJD dikSaneri must
bI kansultid fP infDmESan abQt HIz.