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English is one of the hardest languages to learn. For all its rules, there are many exceptions. Just think about trying to learn how to pronounce words such as through, rough, and dough. They’re all spelled relatively the same but pronounced very differently. And let’s not even talk about the I before E rule. That one trips up even the best spellers. Here are some fun facts about the English language.
There are Over 1 Million Words in the English Lexicon
Even so, there are only about 170,000 words in current use. Most people only know about 20,000 to 30,000 of those words. Between 1900 and 1999 about 185,000 words came into use, which was the greatest growth over the past centuries. The reason for the growth was largely due to technology. People needed words for the aviation industry, the vehicle industry, and computers. Fun fact, many of the terms were borrowed from the French, limousine, pilot, fuselage, and accelerator.
How Many People Speak English?
English is spoken by over 2 billion people around the world. It is the third most-spoken native language in the world and most widely learned second language. Although it is the majority language in the United States, English is not the official language of the country. It is the official language (or one of the official languages) in about 60 sovereign states and a co-official language of the United Nations.
Shakespeare was a Prolific Wordsmith
Today, it’s estimated that about 14 words are created every day. It’s estimated that William Shakespeare added over 1,700 words to the English language over his career. Some of the words we credit to Shakespeare: lackluster, lonely, critic, bandit, and majestic. Shakespeare is also responsible for about 10% of the most quotable quotations in English, “all that glitters is not gold,” “fair is foul and foul is fair,” “all the world’s a stage, and “all the men and women merely players,” are just a few of his most famous quotes.
English Words are Complex
Homophones are words that sound alike, but are spelled differently and have different definitions, such as aisle and isle. Homonyms are words that sound alike but have different meanings, such as fair, as in a county fair with rides and games, or fair as in reasonable. Homographs are words that have the same spelling but different meanings, such as a tear in the eye, or a tear (rip) in your pants. The most complex word in the dictionary is “set.” Although the word only has three letters, it has over 430 definitions that covers 24 pages in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Having fun With Word Play – What are Palindromes, Pangrams and Ambigrams?
A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forwards and backwards, such as pop, civic, kayak or “Do geese see God?” A pangram is a sentence that includes every letter of the alphabet. For example:
“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” And “My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit.” Pangrams were once used to test typewriters. An ambigram is a word that looks the same upside-down as it does right-side-up. SWIMS is a good example.
What are the Most Common Elements of the English Language?
E is the most common letter used in English. The most popular consonant is R, followed by T. The most common word in English is also the shortest, “I.” More words in English start with the letter S than any other letter. The shortest complete sentence is “I am.” The longest word in the English language without a true vowel is rhythm. The longest word in the English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, which is a type of lung disease.
A Trick for Knowing When to Use Who or Whom
Native speakers even mess up the who and whom question. If you can use he/she/they in the statement, use the word who. Example – Who wants a cookie? He wants a cookie. If the word you want to replace is him/her/them, use whom. Example – You gave a cookie to her. To whom did you give the cookie? Whom may sound formal in certain contexts, but it is grammatically correct in certain situations.
Antonyms, Synonyms and Contronyms can be Confusing.
Antonyms are words that mean the opposite of each other, such as happy and sad. Synonyms are two words that have similar meaning, such as happy and glad. Contronyms are words with contrary meanings, such as apology, which can be a statement of contrition for an act, or it can mean the defense of an act. The word cleave usually means to separate, but it can also mean to adhere. Trim is often used when talking about decorating, especially a Christmas tree, but on the flip side, it can also mean to remove excess from.
English has a Long History With Deep Influences From Many Cultures
Although many English words come from the Latin language, English has its roots from the Germanic people in northern Europe. Practically every other language in the world has influenced English. Some popular words from other cultures:
- Loot, from Hindi. It’s used in Hindi much like it’s used in English, as stolen goods.
- Guru, from Sanskrit. The Sanskrit definition has a deeper connotation than the English version, which means a learned individual. In Sanskrit, guru describes someone who is very influential and very knowledgeable.
- Cookie, from the Dutch word “koekie,” is a sweet snack that English borrowed.
- Entrepreneur, from the French verb, “entreprendre” which means to do something. Over time, the verb changed to create the noun which has come to mean someone who ventures into business.
- Wanderlust, from German. The term refers to someone who likes to travel, but it came from the German language and literally means to wander away.
- Cigar, from Spanish. Interestingly, the Spanish word for cigar is “cigarro,” which came from the Mayan language.
In Need of Professional Help?
If you struggle with English, even if you’re a native speaker, give yourself a break. There are so many redundancies and exceptions to the rules, that you just have to learn what you can and do your best to communicate your message. If you are having trouble utilizing the language, or any other, in a business setting, and need documents reliably translated for native speakers or multilingual desktop publishing, consider using a professional translation service like Etcetera Language Group, Inc.
Recommended read: Makes You Fluent reviews
