Until the few centuries ago there were many natives of what we call the British Isles, who didn't speak English. The Western land of Wales spoke Welsh; in the farthest north and the islands of Scotland the language was Gaelic; and a similar language, Irish Gaelic, was spoken in Ireland; Manx was the language of the Isles of Manx and Cornish that of the south-western tip of Britain.
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In Scotland the Gaelic Language Society has existed for eighty years. It's dedicated to preserving the traditions of the Gaelic songs, verse and prose. And nowadays more and more people in the Lowland areas of Scotland, as well as the islands, where Gaelic is still spoken, want to learn the language. Since 1970s many people go to evening classes and learn Gaelic. Gaelic can be chosen for the final exam. In Wales the Welsh Language Society was founded in 1962 and since that time it has been trying to restore Welsh to an equal place with English. In 1967 Welsh was recognized as an equal language for use in law courts. In Wales some of the programmes of the IVth channel are broadcast in Welsh.
English is spoken as a native language by more than 300 million people, most of them living in North America, the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and South Africa. In several of these countries English isn't the sole language (e. g. in Canada French is also spoken; many Irish and Welsh speak the Celtic language). But English is the second language for governmental, commercial, social or educational activities in the countries where native language isn't English.
In about 25 countries English has been used as an official language (either it is the sole official language there, or it shares that status with other languages).
Most of these countries are former British territories. Even more widely English is studied and used as a foreign language. It has already acquired international status. It is used for communication, listening, reading, broadcast, in commerce and travel.
Half of the world's scientific literature is in English. It is the language of automation and computer technology. It is not only the universal language of international aviation, shipping and sport, it is also the universal language of literacy and public communication. It is the major language of diplomacy and it is the most frequently used language in the general conduct of UN business.
Only in the course of the last hundred years English has become a world language. In Shakespeare's time it was "provincial" language of secondary importance. Only million people spoke English.
From the British Isles English spread all over the world, but English hasn't always been the language of the people of those islands. When the Romans colonized England (the 1st century of our era), the country was inhabited by the Celtic tribes. Until the 5th century only the Celtic languages were spoken by the people of Britain. About the middle of the 5th century the British Isles began to be invaded by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, who spoke dialects of the language which was the ancestor of the present-day English. Now we call it Old English. During fifteen hundred years that have passed since the Anglo-Saxon invasion English has changed considerably. It was influenced by the language of the Danish (Viking) invaders (in the 810th century).
Between the 12th and 14th century English was influenced (both in grammar and vocabulary, and in its pronunciation) by Norman French. In the 14th16th century quite a number of Latin and Greek words were introduced into English.
English belongs to the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family of languages.
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Exercises
A) Answer the questions.
1. What languages are spoken on the British Isles?
2. What language is widely spread in Scotland?
3. Since what time has English become a world language?
4. What branch of languages does English belong to?
5. In what countries is English considered to be the official language?
6. Where is it spoken as the second language?
7. What languages have influenced English since the 8th century?
