The English Language

General information First language : million (on the third place after Mandarin and Spanish) Second language : 199 million – 1.4 billion Overall : 500 million – 1.8 billion Official language in 54 countries and in many international organistions (UN, NATO, EU,…) It is the language of science, aviation, computing, diplomacy, and tourism.

Official language Australia Bahamas Canada India Ireland Jamaica New Zealand Pakistan Philippines Senegal Singapore South Africa The UK The USA

English is the most widespread language in the world and is more widely spoken and written than any other language. Did you know that of all the world's languages (over 2,700) English is arguably the richest in vocabulary; and that the Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words, and there are a half-million technical and scientific terms still uncatalogued? Three-quarters of the world's mail, telexes and cables are in English. More than half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English English is the medium for 80% of the information stored in the world's computers Five of the largest broadcasting companies in the world (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC and CBC) transmit in English, reaching millions and millions of people all over the world.

History Celtic tribes Germanic tribes (during the 5th century AD)

Old English 450 – 1100 AD Part of Beowulf, a poem written in Old English.

Middle English AD 1066 William the Conqueror (Normans) An example of Middle English by Chaucer.

Modern English Early Modern English ( ) Shakespeare „Hamlet“ 1702 – first daily English-language newspaper The Daily Courant is published in London Samuel Johnson publishes his English dictionary. Late Modern English (1800-Present)

Interesting facts The unabridged Oxford English Dictionary has about 600,000 entrances Over 50 words meaning mad, at least 80 which mean drunk and 231 adjectives to describe the weather. The average native speaker knows somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000. Shakespeare used more than 30,000 In order to communicate in most situations A vocabulary of between 1500 to 2000 words should be enough for most circumstances. The 45 letter word PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS (a lung disease caused by breathing in certain particles) No word in the English language rhymes with month. The longest word with no vowels is rhythm.

Accent / Slang RP – received pronunciation Cockney Thunderbox Baffies Ballocks Rellies Wedge