Because of that, the English language resulted in adopting and using numerous … – Source. contact@daytranslations.com Call Us 1-800-969-6853 Petrichor is a word to describe the way it smells after it rains. Not all syllables have consonants. 6. Everyone has a different best way to remember things. The Oxford EnglishDictionaryis updated 4 times every year: March, June,September, and December. Scholars place Old English in the Anglo-Frisian group of West Germanic languages. English used to have grammatical gender, but doesn’t anymore. Do you have a love-hate relationship with the English language? 3. The most common consonant in English is "r", followed by "t". Here are interesting facts about words and sentences to initiate non-English speakers on the quirks of the language. Ze and hir are gender-neutral pronouns that’ve slowly been gaining popularity. The word begin comes from the (now unused) Germanic word beginnan, which also meant “to start.”. Swagger — To walk in a way that shows you’re boasting or disrespectful. This is because the people who raised the animals were Anglo-Saxon peasants and the people who ate them were Norman aristocrats. Latin, including modern scientific and technical Latin: 28.7% 3. It actually may make it easier for learners that the English language doesn’t have these gender rules today. Genderlect is a style or type of speech used by a specific gender. In English, the pronunciation … Welcome to ESL Printables, the website where English Language teachers exchange resources: worksheets, lesson plans, activities, etc. Webster was a dictionary publisher who was largely responsible for American spelling differing from British spelling. Whether or not men and women speak different genderlects is a subject of recent debate. Take the words commence and begin, which both mean “to start.” Commence is a much fancier word. Technically, the U.S. doesn’t have an official language at the federal level, though some states have declared English their official language. A pangram is a sentence that contains every letter from the alphabet. 1. Sign up for our Newsletter. The industrial revolution and technology, ended up creating the need for new words. © 2021 Enux Education Limited. Please check your email for further instructions. From difficult spelling, to words that describe the intense feeling you get when you see a cute kitten, every aspect of English has its own story. Ever want to just squeeze your kitten because she’s so darn adorable?! It was caused by the wide influence of the Italian Renaissance that spread to France and later entered England. 1) Need to buy a vowel? 25.The word ‘lol’ was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011. Following the Norman Conquest in... 3. Unlike the old English and Middle English languages, the main differences between Early and Late Modern English languages, is mostly vocabulary. The book “Gender Shifts in the History of English” explains how English lost its grammatical gender system over time. Learning English becomes fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talks. Nevertheless, it isn’t all bad. The most common vowel in English is "e", followed by "a". Slightly easier to guess the meaning of is the word ‘uncopyrightable’, which has 15 letters without any being repeated, and refers to something that can’t be copyrighted or owned. 2 words for each letter in the alphabet. Nearly 60% of the vocabulary in the English language comes from Latin and Neo-Latin languages (mainly French): 1. There’s always something fascinating and new to learn. My friend is so excited that ze is coming to the party later. Let’s explore some interesting facts about Hindi: image: uni.edu. Today, native English speakers still use these words in everyday speech. Thanks for subscribing! The Latin alphabet originally comes from the Etruscan alphabet. 5 fascinating facts about English vocabulary, Ten ways to boost your English language skills. English is a language rich in vocabulary, but some words may surprise you—and may be just what you were looking for! Brits are well known for their humour – strange to many cultures and most notably known for the use of irony (and if you’ve ever visited a UK comedy club you may well have been nothing short of baffled at some of the jokes). It happens to be the most widely used alphabet in the world, which is a great help to many English learners! The next minute, you’re throwing your textbook at the wall thanks to some horribly confusing grammar topic. For full details please see our. Sit. Every syllable in English must have a vowel (sound). An ambigram is a word that looks the same upside down as right-side up. This means that English is the official language of airplane travel. FluentU brings English to life with real-world videos. Others like Noah Webster had their hands in English spelling as well. Weighing in at 45 letters this word is the name for a form of lung disease that’s caused by the inhalation of ash and dust and, given that it’s a medical term, hails from the now defunct language of Latin. Boffola is a joke that’s met with extremely loud laughter. The following 10 entries look at how a once small language spoken by an island people is now used as a global lingua franca. But since 1066, most of the words included in the English language have roots in Latin. The English language is, quite literally, the greatest language in the world. There are numerous other facts about Hindi that most of you wouldn’t know. 1. It has 17 letters in it, and it’s the medical name for the layer of skin beneath the fingertips. To find out which letters were added and omitted, take a look at this New York Post article. The British Empire refers to the period between roughly the late 15th to 17th century and the 1960s, when England had vast territories and colonies all over the world. America is made up of people from many diverse backgrounds who speak lots of wonderful languages! English speakers know their alphabet has 26 letters, but may not realize this is not standard. For example, hangry means hungry and angry. Bedazzled — Blinded by something incredibly wonderful. Interesting Facts about English The most common letter in English is "e". Meanwhile, the peasants and lower classes continued to use Old English, which was made up of Germanic vocabulary. One minute, you’re happily immersed in an incredible English novel. But that’s what makes learning English such a rewarding experience! The English alphabet has actually gotten smaller over the years! The most common letter in the English language is “e.” 2) Speaking of Shakespeare, he added a lot of words to the English language. We will always treat your personal information with the utmost care and will never share personal data with other companies for marketing purposes. Bardolatry refers to someone who’s obsessed with Shakespeare. These are different from the gendered pronouns “he/him” (masculine) and “she/her” (feminine). Here is a very simple sentence which uses every letter of the alphabet ,it is 'The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog ' ! FluentU is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Set is a word that boasts more differing definitions than any other, meaning: Chinese, the most spoken language around the world, has over 50,000 characters. You might also hear this referred to as reduplication.  I love the petrichor of a summer thunderstorm. A Few Fun English Vocabulary Facts There are roughly 100,000 word families in the English language. In 100 words commonly used in English, 96 of them are of Germanic origin. Frisian is a language currently spoken in just three small areas of Germany and the Netherlands. That’s 20 percent of the world’s population! So, in honor of UN English Language Day and the Bard, here are 12 fun facts about the English language. Of course, different sources come up with different answers for this, but “good” is usually listed among the most common adjectives. All Rights Reserved. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. French became the language used by the nobility, some states have declared English their official language. The words “bookkeeper” and “bookkeeping” are the only words in the English language that has three consecutive double letters without needing a hyphen. 4. “Cute aggression” is the term for wanting to hug something cute very hard—almost violently. As the following facts show, you might well be learning the most intriguing language of them all when it comes to vocabulary. Rotokas, a language spoken in Papua New Guinea, has only 11 letters making it the shortest alphabet on Earth. Interesting Facts about English Language. The English language is fun to learn. Instead of only focusing on grammar and other theoretical aspects, don’t forget to enjoy its more entertaining side. Great in terms of size - the current edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains 615,000 entries.Great in terms of scope -- it's an official language in seventy-nine countries and territories. English is the first language in: Australia, Canada, Guyana, Ireland, many Caribbean Islands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United … German words can have three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe, Sign up for our weekly blog newsletter for a chance to win a free FluentU Plus subscription (value $240), Get regular language learning tips, resources and updates, starting with the "Complete Guide to Foreign Language Immersion" e-book. Now that you know all about the English language, it’s time to get back to learning the language itself! Remarkable English History Facts 1. In fact, we actually have a higher population of English speakers than the United Kingdom itself! The crown for most letters goes to Khmer, spoken in Cambodia, with 74 letters. On average, people only use a few hundred words in daily conversation, while most languages have 50,000+ words. Apprenez 10 faits interessants au sujet de la langue anglaise. Langue d'oïl (French): 29.3% 2. That means a new word about every two hours! A tautonym in linguistics is a word that consists of the same word twice. Ever heard the term couch potato (someone who watches a lot of TV)? Ever since Susan started her online company, she’s been such a mouse potato. Well, this history can help you figure out when to use certain words. 52 Interesting Words to Know. 4. Well, mouse potato refers to someone who works on the computer a lot. Unfortunately for learners, this convoluted spelling system is something you’ll just have to find creative ways to master (here are some ideas to get you started). To see some of the other interesting sayings and words Shakespeare invented, check out these articles from Mental Floss and The Intrepid Guide, as well as this great article from Open Culture. 9. The sentence above demonstrates this problem in a nutshell, and contains seven varying ways of spelling out this tricky sound. With more than 100,000 word-families in the English language (as well as a staggering 1,025,109 English words in existence [Oxford Dictionaries]), learning English vocabulary is no easy task. 5. You can imagine how English would’ve spread globally with such an enormous empire. It means “just okay; fine.”. It also requires…. The professor applied a heuristic teaching method so that her students would learn by trial and error. Most languages only have either masculine or feminine. Learn more about the Old English language in this article. Read on for other interesting facts about the language that brings us all together. Editors from the Oxford English Dictionary have estimated that about 4,000 new words are added to the dictionary every year. Want to impress your fellow learners? 10. It has been strongly influenced by Sanskrit; a lot of words in Hindi come from there. 22.More people in the world have learned English as a second language than there are native English speakers. English is the most spoken language in the world after Chinese. For example, you could use it while discussing business affairs: “The marketing team commenced work on the project.”. Check out more of the oldest words at Dictionary.com. 24.There are 24 different dialects of English in the US. Want to hear more from us? Every video comes with interactive captions, flashcards and fun quizzes, so you actively learn while hearing English the way native speakers really use it. Download: 2. About 600 to 700 million of those are non-native speakers. Find out more at St George International. 1. The politician is a snollygoster who lies and steals to get what he wants. The Oxford English Dictionary has identified time as the most frequently used noun. Click here to get a copy. This is why! A non-elliptical sentence is a sentence that doesn’t leave anything out. The English language is also full of words with strange meanings. English is the most common language spoken in the U.S. “Gender Shifts in the History of English”, a few folks who made some huge differences, American spelling differing from British spelling, 4,000 new words are added to the dictionary every year, one million words in the English language, three small areas of Germany and the Netherlands, Learn English Consonant Clusters with “Friends,” Fergie and Other Real English Speakers, 9 Online English Speaking Courses to Become a Confident English Speaker, 8 Ways to Learn Professional English by Living Your Life, 7 English Pronunciation Apps to Speak Clear, Confident English in 2021, Game On! Shakespeare is still celebrated so much today that Bardolatry is alive and well. Some of us learn better when things are being explained to us verbally, others by reading, or you might find that…, It’s a well-known fact that the English language serves as one of the most difficult to master of all – and given that you’re here, reading this, means that…, Different ways to approach language learning Learning a language is more than sitting in a classroom and trying to absorb all the information from the teacher. With so many languages bouncing around the globe, you would be forgiven for thinking English is just one of many. Essentially, this was when England controlled large portions of Europe, North America, Africa and the West Indies. This is Part 2 of this series with 8 new facts about the English language. Heuristic is used to describe something that’s taught or learned from experience. If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos. Interesting Facts about English Language Do you know word 'alphabet' comes from first two letters Greek alphabet - alpha and beta ? Your puppy is so adorable that I have cute aggression! You can’t entirely blame weird spelling on just one person—especially not with English’s long and complicated history—but there are a few folks who made some huge differences. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you However it seems that irony is no stranger to English vocabulary either, as the most mispronounced word is (wait for it…) pronunciation! ★ "Forty" is the only number which has its letters in alphabetical order. English is the Most Commonly Used Language in the Sciences SCOPUS, the world’s … Here are 10 fun facts about English that we bet you didn’t know… A Pangram is a Sentence that Contains Every Letter in the Alphabet For example, “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” contains every single letter in the English language. A very famous English pangram is: “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.”. English words for livestock (cow, sheep, chicken) are Germanic-based and the words for meats (beef, mutton, poultry) are French-based. Here are 5 fascinating facts about English vocabulary: In your learnings you may well have been frustrated at the many ways in which the sound ‘ee’ can be spelt. The English language embodies paradox, politics, commercialism, & history. A great example is the word “SWIMS” with all capitalized letters. 52 words that make you sound smart when you use them.These words are great vocabulary builders. English has a fascinating history full of interesting facts that might come in handy on an upcoming trivia night or, at the very least, provide a new perspective on a language we speak and write constantly, but often take for granted. The most widely spoken languages are Chinese, Spanish, English, and Hindi, in that order. Shakespeare added over 1,000 words to the English language.. Shakespeare invented over 1,000 words, which he incorporated into his writing. At one point during the evolution of the english language, "girl" meant child, or young person, rather than indicating a specific gender. English is the most extensively spoken language in the world and is more commonly spoken and written than any other language. An isogram is a word or phrase in which each letter appears the same number of times. While there are many reasons, here are some of the biggest. Let’s get to the fun facts about English language! The second big English boost occurred with the rise of the U.S. in the 20th century, when the country became one of the biggest international players in social, economic and political affairs. According to Oxford Dictionaries, “E” is the most commonly used English letter, and “Q” is the letter used the least. Make no mistake: as a learner of the English language you have a pretty tricky task ahead of you. So, after almost 3,000 tweets, here to mark our first anniversary are 100 random facts about the English language, English words, and English etymology taken from our first year online. Below are 35 interesting facts about English that’ll both surprise you and help you better understand the beautiful language you’re learning! 8. It’s a medical term that refers to a lung disease caused by inhaling sand dust or ash. An average of 1,000 new words are added to the dictionaryevery year and some words and definitions are revised. There are currently about an estimated one million words in the English language. Almost everyone in the world has heard of the great... 2. English actually originates from what is now called north west Germany and the Netherlands. It leaves out the pronoun “you.” Technically, it would be “You go!” which is two letters longer than “I am.”. 26. If you want to download you have to send your own contributions. 12 Interesting Facts About English Language English is the third most commonly spoken language in the world, the first and second being Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Just consider international words like internet and iPhone. If you change your mind, you can unsubscribe at any time. A person needs to know 8,000-9,000 word families to enjoy reading a book. To help you with this task, we have compiled a list of thirty fun and interesting facts … Ever noticed that no matter where you’re flying in the world, your pilot and flight attendants always know English? We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in. (Download). A palindrome is a word or phrase that’s spelled the same whether you read left-to-right (like normal) or right-to-left. The Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung oversees the German language. No academy guides the English language, unlike the Real Academia Española for Spanish and L’Académie française for French. Explore its stunning kaleidoscope of meaning with fun English language facts. Fun, Amazing & Interesting Facts about English Language. Some of them might surprise you! Here are 5 fascinating facts about English vocabulary: 1. “He believed Caesar could see people seizing the seas”. These two factors resulted in Late Modern English having so many more words. On the other hand, begin is a more casual word that native speakers use frequently. Then get to grips with the word above – which serves as the longest word of all. Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, French became the language used by the nobility in Britain. Syllable Count gives it the number one spot on their list, while Word Frequency Data places it below a few adjectives such as other and new. 23.90% of English text consists of just 1000 words. About 1,000 new words are added to the dictionary each year. Many languages have “grammatical gender.” For example, Spanish speakers use the gender articles el and la (the) depending on whether a noun is masculine or feminine. Affordable English Schools in London and Dublin with over 60,000 students since 1997. (Of a tide or current) take or have a specified direction or course. You only have to memorize a word’s meaning, not its gender! In addition, at the height of its history, the British Empire, covered more than one quarter of the Earth’s population. (Shakespeare is sometimes referred to as “The Bard.”). There are new words added every year, and definitions constantly change. A portmanteau is a word that blends the sounds of two English words to make a new word that combines their meanings. Old English language, language spoken and written in England before 1100; it is the ancestor of Middle English and Modern English. While English is the most common language spoken in the U.S., it’s by no means the only one. 2. The words that came from French are often considered more formal or sophisticated, while words that came from Old English are more informal. From love sonnets to plays like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet,” Shakespeare has greatly influenced English literature. It has changed over time, and it continues to change every day. Many of these words date back from before the year 900. "One" is the only number with its letters in reverse alphabetical order. Break the ice — To relieve the tension or silence in a conversation by talking. ★ Of all the words in the English language, the word ' set ' has the most definitions! That was the comedian’s best boffola all night! To put it in perspective, “E” is 56 times more common than “Q.”. Other than English, French is the only language taught in every country. Shakespeare Added Over a Thousand New Words to the English Language But did you know that the English language itself wouldn’t be the same without Shakespeare? 1. The English language has an interesting history. The English language is as fascinating as it is popular and obviously has its own history and quirks. Adjust (a clock or watch), typically to show the right time. Phonetic script. In your learnings you may well have been frustrated at the many ways in which the sound ‘ee’ can be spelt. Then there’s William Caxton, a famous Englishman who started a printing press. If Latin had the Roman Empire, then English has the world. William the Conqueror came to E… They include I, love, black, mother, fire, hand and hear. Camille Turner is an experienced freelance writer and ESL teacher. For example, the command “Go!” may seem like the shortest sentence, but it’s elliptical. However, with so many different regional dialects, this produced many inconsistencies. Put or bring into a specified state. Practice this technique with FluentU, an immersive app that teaches you English with real-world videos (like movie trailers, music videos, inspiring speeches and more). Lastly, many of the recent technological and scientific advancements have come from English-speaking countries. Almost everyone in the world has heard of the great William Shakespeare, the famous English poet and playwright of the 16th century. 7. Being such a common and vast language, there is always a scope of learning a new fact or two about it every day. Germanic languages – inherited from Old English, from Proto-Germanic, or a more recent borrowing from a Germanic language such as Old Norse; does not include Germanic words borrowed from a Romance language, i.e., coming from the Germanic element in French, Latin or other Romance langua… Learn 10 interesting facts about the English language in this video lesson. Some of you may wonder why English is such a popular language worldwide today. Bumblebees were nicknamed foggy-toddlers in 18th century England. Start (a fire). 22 Interesting Facts about English worksheet Eventually, inter-marriage brought about a mixing of the two languages, and Middle English—which is much closer to today’s English—was born. Put, lay, or stand (something) in a specified place or position. I get it. English is a beautiful, complicated, fun and infuriating language all at once. The 16 Best Online Games to Practice English. He hired Flemish workers who simply spelled some words according to what they were used to. (Of the sun, moon, or another celestial body) appear to move towards and below the earths horizon as the earth rotates. Here’s Shakespeare again! I’m sure you’ve already noticed how some English words are spelled completely differently than they sound. The common English word so-so is the perfect example of a tautonym. (Of blossom or a tree) form into or produce (fruit). Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers. can take anywhere. English is the official language of 67 countries. Commence is basically the same word that the French currently use: commencer (to start). That means if you visit or move to the U.S., you can find many other non-native speakers just like yourself. As if there aren’t already enough words to learn you face an ever tougher challenge as one new word enters the English language every two hours (which equates to around 4,000 new dictionary entrants each year). Can you guess which word comes from French and which one comes from Old English? A native English speaking person knows between 10,000 (uneducated) to 20,000 (educated) word families. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. ‘Subdermatoglyphic’ is the longest English word that can be written without repeating any letters. Harden into a solid or semi-solid state. Just some of the fantastic words and phrases invented by this famous poet include: Addiction — Being psychologically or physically dependent on something, usually a drug. Snollygoster refers to a person without principles. The words are fun to say and have a cool meaning. Any number with a series of repeating digits, like 7777, is called a “repdigit.”. Person received second place, followed by year in the third spot. Cold-blooded — Either an animal with cold blood (like a reptile) or a way to describe someone who’s cruel and indifferent to emotion. Native English speakers would only use it in more formal settings.