English language

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References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

global use of the English language

English language

Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia

International Phonetic Alphabet

Old English dialects: distribution

Middle English dialects

William Caxton's Cicero Desenectute

Isaac Newton: Opticks

Samuel Johnson's definition of “Oats”

American English dialects

For Students

English language summary

Read Next

A ginger cat sleeps in his soft cozy bed on a floor carpet, soft focus

Lay, Lie, Lied, Lain: When Do We Use Which?

Happy, smiling, flying pig

7 Everyday English Idioms and Where They Come From

Sergeant Stubby or also known as Mascot Stubby. Unofficial mascot dog of the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the United States with the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. War dog. Possibly a Boston terrier - also sometimes described as a Boston bull terrier

8 Famous Animals

poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).

World Poetry Day

Discover

Hemp (Cannabis sativa).

9 Mind-Altering Plants

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.

U.S. Death Toll During Major Events

Calendar showing the month of February

Why Are There Only 28 Days in February?

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Hindu Holi Festival celebrations with colored water, powder and colorful flower petals thrown over celebrants at a Hindu temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India on March 24, 2021.

Holi: Festival of Colors

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)

New Seven Wonders of the World

English language: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Did You Know?

English has become so ubiquitous that all pilots, regardless of their native language, must be able to communicate in English.
The word "I" is the oldest word in the English language, as well as the the shortest and most frequently used. The shortest grammatically correct sentence in English is "I am".
Due to varying meanings of the word buffalo and the fact that Buffalo is the name of a city in the U.S. state of New York, the sentence "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is grammatically correct.
A quirk of the English language: the nonword "ghoti" can be pronounced as 'fish', with the 'gh' from words such as 'tough', the 'o' from words such as 'women', and the 'ti' from words such as 'station'.

Photos and Videos

global use of the English language

English language

Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia

International Phonetic Alphabet

Old English dialects: distribution

Middle English dialects

William Caxton's Cicero Desenectute

Isaac Newton: Opticks

Samuel Johnson's definition of “Oats”

American English dialects

Learn about the history of the dictionary, from Dr. Samuel Johnson's dictionary of the English language to the Oxford English Dictionary

Know how the growth of the British Empire influenced the growth of the English language

Discover how internet English affects the spoken English language

Understand about the globalization of the English language

Know the contributions of the King James Bible in shaping the English language

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Middle English language Old English language Early Modern English language British English Austral English African English African American English Melanesian pidgins Chinese Pidgin English Late Middle English language Yiddish language German language Dutch language Frisian language Luxembourgish language

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson

English author

Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire

French author

Portrait of poet Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope

English author

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, photograph by Lewis Carroll, 1863

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

English artist

Sir Richard Burton

Sir Richard Burton

British scholar and explorer

Robert Lepage

Canadian writer, director, designer, and actor

Isaac Barrow, pencil drawing by David Loggan, 1676; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

Isaac Barrow

English mathematician

Ernest F. Fenollosa

American orientalist and art critic

Robert Bly

American author

Witi Ihimaera

New Zealand author

H.D.

H.D.

American poet

Schlegel, August Wilhelm von

August Wilhelm von Schlegel

German scholar and critic

Derek Walcott

Derek Walcott

West Indian poet

Cesare Pavese

Italian author

Hearn, Lafcadio

Lafcadio Hearn

British-born writer and translator

Tieck, detail of an oil painting by K. Vogel von Vogelstein, 1834; in the National Gallery, Berlin

Ludwig Tieck

German writer

Allen Curnow

New Zealand author

Eugenio Montale

Eugenio Montale

Italian author

Maria Dąbrowska

Polish author and critic

Elisabeth Marbury

American theatrical and literary agent

Quiz

Child tracing letters of the alphabet

English 101

Hand with pencil writing on page. (handwriting; write)

Word Nerd Quiz

Misspelled words (sequel) thumbnail image (by EB) on original Getty image in background (crumpled piece of paper)

Commonly Misspelled Words Vol. 2 Quiz

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

Which Came First? Vocabulary Quiz Vol. 2

Newly remodeled science classroom in a high school.

How Quickly Can You Complete a 60-Question Vocab Quiz?

African hedgehog on an open book against a white background.

Challenging Words You Should Know Vocabulary Quiz

Buddhist engravings on wall in Thailand. Hands on wall. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, science and technology, geography and travel, explore discovery

Languages & Alphabets

Pages of a dictionary from England (English dictionary, British dictionary, United Kingdom, words, opened book.

Ultimate Vocabulary Test: Part Two

A roulette wheel showing the number 13. 13 letter word quiz.

13-Letter Word Quiz

Brown chihuahua sitting on the floor, resting and squinting at a camera on a white brick wall background. (dogs, pets)

What Did You Just Call Me? Vocabulary Quiz

White rubber duck among yellow ducks stands out from the crowd. Diversity, individuality, difference, minority or independence in business. SEE CONTENT NOTES!

Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) oil on panel by unknown artist, circa 1575; in the National Portrait Gallery, London. NPG2082

Elizabethan Vocabulary Quiz

Pages of a dictionary from England (English dictionary, British dictionary, United Kingdom, words, opened book.

Which English Words Have Native American Origins?

Commonly Confused Words Vocabulary Quiz

Illustration of a silhouette of a man ready to cut messy balls of red thread with scissors.

Commonly Confused Words Vocabulary Quiz, Vol. 2

Fiery heart or heart made of flames with a dark concrete wall background. (love, Valentine's Day)

Love It or Hate It Vocabulary Quiz

Pages of a dictionary from England (English dictionary, British dictionary, United Kingdom, words, opened book.

Ultimate Vocabulary Test: Part One

Broken pencil on a standardized test. (testing, education, exam, SAT test)

Challenging Standardized Test Words Quiz: Vol. 2

High school student frowns and feeling stressed after reading question about SAT test examination in a classroom (testing, education, teenager)

Challenging Standardized Test Words Quiz: Vol. 1

Music Book, music note, scale, sheet music

More Italian Words Commonly Used in English

A gold foil number 12 balloon is held high in the air by male hands; photo taken outdoors on a bright sunny day, the sky is blue with some clouds. A vintage style effects has been added to the image.

12-Letter Words Quiz

Misspelled words thumbnail image (by EB) on original Getty image in background (crumpled piece of paper)

Commonly Misspelled Words Quiz

Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) tilts its head outside its burrow on Marco Island, Florida. (birds)

Curious Origins of Everyday Words Quiz

Yellow speech post it balloon with exclamation marks and question marks. Exclamation point, speech bubble

Vocabulary Quiz

9:024-25 Law: Learning the Rules, students voting for longer morning or afternoon recess, teacher tallies votes on the chalkboard

Plain English

Chicken and an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, birds).

Which Came First? Vocabulary Quiz

Child's alphabet blocks

ABCs of English

Man screaming with alphabet letters flying from his mouth (anger, rage, aggression, emotions).

Words with Negative Connotations Quiz

Guinea pig in purple glasses resting on an open book.

Challenging Words You Should Know Vocabulary Quiz Vol. 2

List

Happy, smiling, flying pig

7 Everyday English Idioms and Where They Come From

Sergeant Stubby or also known as Mascot Stubby. Unofficial mascot dog of the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the United States with the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. War dog. Possibly a Boston terrier - also sometimes described as a Boston bull terrier

8 Famous Animals

Demystified

A ginger cat sleeps in his soft cozy bed on a floor carpet, soft focus

Lay, Lie, Lied, Lain: When Do We Use Which?