25 Sep Ancient Languages and Their Influence On English

We all know that English isn’t one of those things that just appeared out of nowhere. We know that the English language takes many notes from our ancient foreign languages, such as Greek and Latin. Having knowledge of these languages will provide you with many benefits!

The English language is really intricate and considered to be one of the more challenging languages to learn. However, knowing one of the root languages can be a big help in learning English vocabulary and grammar.

Studies find that English while many words have influence from all around the world. These are the languages that have the largest influence on this complex language;

Latin

Over 60% of words in the English language have Latin influence. Surprisingly, religion has a large part to play in the impact. Though originally written in Greek, the Romans brought Latin texts with them when they came to England.

Some words with Latin roots are;

• Antique derived from “antiqua”
• Flame derived from “flamma”
• Amicable derived from “amica”

Latin is a great option to learn to help you ace the writing and grammar sections on the SATs. It’s even thought to help you even further and will make you more appealing to medical schools.

French

It’s speculated that there are more than 10,000 words in the language that have French roots. Some of these words are borrowed, like culinary or art terms and some are completely new words. When the Normans invaded France in 1066, William the Conqueror left a lasting impression for millions of years to come with the Norman French notes in the modern English languages.

Some words with French influence are

• Beef from the French word “boeuf”
•  Courage from the French word “corage”
• Comedian from the French word “comédien”

If you already know this intricate language, French will be one of the easier languages for you to learn.

Germanic Languages

The Germanic languages are ones like German, Finnish, Norwegian, and Dutch. English is actually grouped in with these languages, German is eerily similar to English. There are so many words that we may not know come from German like

• Kindergarten
• Cobalt
• Waltz
• Seltzer
• Pumpernickel

and many, many more!

Foreign languages are literally everywhere around you! Test your English skills now with our comprehensive proficiency test!