Learn English in San Diego with Language Door

English is spoken as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations; and it is an official language of almost 60 sovereign states. It is also widely learned as a second language and is an official language of the European Union, many Commonwealth countries and the United Nations, as well as in many world organizations.

Facts About the English Language

• More English words begin with the letter “s” than with any other letter.
• The word “alphabet” comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, bēta.
• The dot over the letter “i” and the letter “j” is called a “superscript dot”.
• We can find 10 words in the 7-letter word “therein” without rearranging any of its letters: the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.

About the English Language

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the most widely used language in the world. It is the third-most-common native language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Modern English, sometimes described as the first global lingua franca, is the dominant language or in some instances even the required international language of communications, science, information technology, business, seafaring, aviation, entertainment, radio, and diplomacy. Its spread beyond the British Isles began with the growth of the British Empire, and by the late 19th century its reach was global. Following British colonization from the 16th to 19th centuries, it became the dominant language in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The growing economic and cultural influence of the US and its status as a global superpower since World War II have significantly accelerated the spread of the language across the planet.