LatinLatin has more influence on the English language than any other language. When the French conquered England in 1066 their language was very much like Latin. It was the official language of England for 200 years! Also, Latin has been the language of culture in the Western world until very recently.accessinterruptalliterationrefugeetrajectorycurriculumelectoralbenefactorcandidateherbivoresimileridiculousmediocredisciplinelibrarymessageoperacanine

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ArabicThe history of Arabic words in English is interesting. Most of them come from Arabic through other languages before they show up in English, so their spelling has changed in different ways. artichokemummyadobeapricotlemontunaadmiralhazard

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FrenchWhen the French invaded England in 1066 they changed English forever. English is so rich in vocabulary because of the overlapping French and Germanic origins. For examples we butcher a hog (Old English) to serve pork (French)!

pacifismgorgeousdenturediplomatambulancerehearseentourageexpertisematineeplateaudeluxeregimefatiguegaragestethoscope

GermanGerman and English come from the same origin language, so English is partially a Germanic language. Old English, before the French invasion of 1066, was more purely Germanic. The spelling that ‘doesn’t make sense’ can

often be blamed on its Germanic, not French or Latin, roots!snorkelpretzelknapsacknoodlespareribsbagelhamsterwanderlustwaltzpoodle

Slavic Language

sSlavic languages of Eastern Europe and Russia are spoken by more than 200 million people! Like Arabic, many of these words came

to English through other languages first. This shows that contact with these people has not always been direct.

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DutchDutch is also a Germanic language. Many early settlers of North America came from what would later become the Netherlands, and those people were one of the early sources of Dutch in English today! easelwaffleyachtcaboosebuckwheatwalrusbluffflosscruiser

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Old English

Old English is the language of England before the French invasion of 1066. If you were to listen to a conversation in Old English today, you’d be scratching your head a lot! This list has some of the enduring survivors from the old days!

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New World

Languages

New World languages mixed with English when New World peoples mixed with English speakers – after 1492. Many New World words are words that describe animals, food, and nature previously unseen to the Old World conquerors. These words are not from the languages spoken in the New World today, but from the languages of the original inhabitants of the Americas.

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JapaneseJapanese is a newcomer is influencing English. Japanese words, like Spanish and Italian, is much more easily spelled as most words are spelled exactly as they sound.

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GreekThese words are related to words from over 2,500 years ago! The Greek culture was so influential on the future of the Western World that it would be impossible not to have the language to describe all of its influence!

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ItalianLatin was the language of the Roman Empire, centered in today’s Italy, and Italian language comes right from Latin. So it is no surprise that Italian has influenced English as well. Italians love to eat, and their food has found a home in every country!

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Italian (cont.)malariaspaghettiraviolisalamimacaroni

SpanishEarly settlement in America became a crossroads of English and Spanish as England and Spain vied for power on the continent. Because of our long border with Mexico, the crossroads is still at work today, with Mexican Spanish influencing American English today much as Spain’s Spanish did hundreds of years ago.burritocilantroalligatorquesadillatornadovanillacafeteriaoreganobuffalobarbecue