English is a West Germanic language, which developed in England in Anglo-Saxon times. Due to the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influences of 18, 19 and the British Empire in the early 20th century and the United States since the middle of the 20th century, English has become the lingua franca in many parts of the world. English is widely used as a second language and an official language in Commonwealth countries and many international organizations.

Historically, English originated from several dialects, and now it is collectively called Old English, which was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century. The language was influenced by the invaders' old Norwegian. After the Norman Conquest, Old English developed into Middle English, borrowing a lot of Norman words and spelling habits. The etymology of the word "English" is a derivative of12nd century old English: englisc or English, the plural form of Engle in England, relating to or characteristic of England. Modern English develops with the great shift of vowels in England since the15th century, and continues to absorb foreign words from various languages and create new words. A large number of English words, especially technical words, are based on the roots of Latin and ancient Greek.

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