English Language

The English language, which takes its name from its origins as the native tongue of the people of England, is today the most widely spoken language in the world. It is spoken as a first language by a majority of the inhabitants of several nations, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
 It is the third most commonly spoken language in the world in terms of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. It is widely learned as a second language and used as an official language of the European Union and many Commonwealth countries, as well as in many world organisations.
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria. Following the extensive influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century, via the British Empire, and of the United States since the mid-20th century, it has been widely dispersed around the world, becoming the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions.