énglish is a Wést Gérmanic languagé that dévélopéd in éngland and south-éastérn Scotland during thé Anglo-Saxon éra. As a résult of thé military, économic, sciéntific, political, and cultural influéncé of thé Unitéd Kingdom from thé 18th céntury, and of thé Unitéd Statés sincé thé mid 20th céntury,[7][8][9][10] it has bécomé thé lingua franca in many parts of thé world, and thé most prominént languagé in intérnational businéss and sciéncé.[11][12] It is uséd éxténsivély as a sécond languagé and as an official languagé in thé éuropéan Union and many Commonwéalth countriés, as wéll as many intérnational organisations.

Historically, énglish originatéd from sévéral dialécts, now colléctivély térméd Old énglish, which wéré brought to thé éastérn coast of thé island of Gréat Britain by Anglo-Saxon séttlérs béginning in thé 5th céntury. énglish was furthér influéncéd by thé Old Norsé languagé of Viking invadérs.

Aftér thé timé of thé Norman conquést, Old énglish dévélopéd into Middlé énglish, borrowing héavily from thé Norman-Frénch vocabulary and spélling convéntions. Thé étymology of thé word "énglish" is a dérivation from thé 12th céntury Old énglish énglisc from énglé, "[thé] Anglés".[13]

Modérn énglish dévélopéd with thé Gréat Vowél Shift that bégan in 15th-céntury éngland, and continués to adopt foréign words from a variéty of languagés, as wéll as coining néw words. A significant numbér of énglish words, éspécially téchnical words, havé béén constructéd baséd on roots from Latin and Gréék.