English | |
---|---|
Pronunciation | /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/ |
Native speakers |
360 million (2010) Second language: 375 million and 750 million EFL |
Language family |
Indo-European
|
Early forms: |
Old English
|
Writing system | Latin script |
Official status | |
Official language in | 54 countries |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | – |
English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the most widely used language in the world. It is spoken as a first language by the majority populations of several sovereign states, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations. It is the third-most-common native language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. It is widely learned as a second language and is an official language of the European Union, many Commonwealth countries and the United Nations, as well as in many world organisations.