The Making of a World Language

The development of the English language began when people from different countries “visited” (or sacked, in the Vikings case) the great Isle of Britain, and when there, influenced the original language of the Englishmen, giving them new words, sometimes just based on the foreign words, other times adopting them.

Another important fact was the creation of terms and phrases, which writers (such as Shakespeare) and scientists stood for, and the makings of several dictionaries.

In addition, the only way for the English to expand their territory, was to go overseas and conquer unknown lands on different continents, because they lived on an isolated island, and in this way spread the reach of the English language.

It is also important to mention that when conquering new lands, the English would often come across things new to them, and then borrow words from the native inhabitants of the land to call them by, thus making the language more familiar to the natives.

Besides all this, during the World Wars, and especially the second one, English became a language used by most of the allied forces to communicate, and in this strengthening its position as a world language.