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How English Began

As you might guess, English started on the island of England. A very long time ago, Celtic languages were spoken on this island. Then Romans invaded and ruled the island for a long time. They left many things, including their language (Latin) and the Roman baths that you can still visit in Bath, England!

About 1,500 years ago, the Angles and Saxons invaded England. They were German tribes, so of course they brought their languages with them. Over time, the invaders’ languages mixed with the languages spoken on the island. As it happened, the Angles were the strongest tribe and had the most influence. The word England is really a form of Angle + land.

Later, the Normans from France invaded England. English added French words for government (congress), the military (lieutenant), and food (beef).

As English moved to the Americas, India, and Australia, it was influenced by many other languages, too: Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Dutch as well as indigenous tongues. You could say that English is a “melting pot” language because it includes words from so many different places.