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  2. History of English - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_English

    e. English is a West Germanic language that originated from Ingvaeonic languages brought to Britain in the mid-5th to 7th centuries AD by Anglo-Saxon migrants from what is now northwest Germany, southern Denmark and the Netherlands. The Anglo-Saxons settled in the British Isles from the mid-5th century and came to dominate the bulk of southern ...

  3. English-language spelling reform - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-language_spelling...

    English is the only one of the top ten major languages with no associated worldwide regulatory body with the power to promulgate spelling changes. [citation needed] English is a West Germanic language that has borrowed many words from non-Germanic languages, and the spelling of a word often reflects its origin. This sometimes gives a clue as to ...

  4. English language - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language

    v. t. e. English is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, whose speakers, called Anglophones, originated in early medieval England on the island of Great Britain. [ 4 ][ 5 ][ 6 ] The namesake of the language is the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to Britain.

  5. Modern English - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_English

    Modern English, sometimes called New English (NE) [2] or present-day English (PDE) as opposed to Middle and Old English, is the form of the English language that has been spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England, which began in the late 14th century and was completed by the 17th century. With some differences in vocabulary, texts which ...

  6. Early Modern English - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Modern_English

    The change from Middle English to Early Modern English affected much more than just vocabulary and pronunciation. [1] Middle English underwent significant change over time and contained large dialectical variations. Early Modern English, on the other hand, became more standardised and developed an established canon of literature which survives ...

  7. Phonological history of English - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/.../Phonological_history_of_English

    At some preceding time after Old English, all [r] become [ɹ]. Much of Scottish English has [r] consistently. [citation needed] /p t k/ develop aspirated allophones /pʰ tʰ kʰ/ when they occur alone at the beginning of stressed syllables. Initial cluster reductions: /ɡn, kn/ both merge into /n/; hence gnat and Nat become homophones; likewise ...

  8. Evolution of languages - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_languages

    The distribution of languages has changed substantially over time. Major regional languages like Elamite, Sogdian, Koine Greek, or Nahuatl in ancient, post-classical and early modern times have been overtaken by others due to changing balance of power, conflict and migration. The relative status of languages has also changed, as with the ...

  9. Historical linguistics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_linguistics

    Historical linguistics, also known as diachronic linguistics, is the scientific study of how languages change over time. [1] It seeks to understand the nature and causes of linguistic change and to trace the evolution of languages. Historical linguistics involves several key areas of study, including the reconstruction of ancestral languages ...