There are 300 million people who use English as a second language
A further 100 million people speak it fluently as a foreign language
English is used as an official or semi-official language in over 60 countries
Over two thirds of the world's scientists write in English
Over 80% of all the information stored electronically around the world is in English
English radio programmes are received by over 150 million people in 120 countries
50 million children study English as a foreign language at primary schools around the world
At secondary level they are joined by another 80 million children
Around the globe English is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and
air-traffic control, advertising, business, medicine, technology, diplomacy, sports,
pop music, and academic conferences
In the USA alone some 500,000 foreign students register each year for study purposes
More than two thirds of the world's mail is written in English
English is top of the table for total numbers of speakers followed some way behind by Chinese
English has its origin in the Indo-European family of languages and is closely related
German, Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch and Frisian.
Many
English words have totally changed meaning over the centuries- here are a few examples with their earlier meaning:
treacle- wild animal
villain- farm labourer
cheater- rent collector
sly -wise
taxation -fault finding
naughty - worth nothing
Many English words have been taken from other languages. Here are a few examples:
ballot-Italian
garage-French
kiosk-Turkish
tycoon -Japanese
slim -Dutch
veranda -Hindi
sofa -Arabic
marmalade –Portugese
window-Icelandic
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