2。 English as a lingua franca

2。1 Origin and development of English 

2。1。1 Introduction of English

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca。 English is either the official language or an official language in almost 60 sovereign states。 It is the most commonly spoken language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, and it is widely spoken in some areas of the Caribbean, Africa, and South Asia。 It is the third most common native language in the world, after Mandarin and Spanish。 It is the most widely learned second language and is an official language of the United Nations, of the European Union, and of many other world and regional international organizations。文献综述

2。1。2 Origin of English

2。1。2。1 Proto-Germanic to Old English

The earliest form of English is called Old English or Anglo-Saxon (c。550–1066 CE)。 Old English evolved from a set of North Sea Germanic dialects originally spoken along the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony, Jutland, and Southern Sweden by Germanic tribes which are known as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes。 In the fifth century, the Anglo-Saxons settled Britain and the Romans withdrew from Britain。 By the seventh century, the Germanic language of the Anglo-Saxons gained a dominant position in Britain, replacing the languages of Roman Britain (43–409 CE): Common Brittonic, a Celtic language, and Latin, which is brought to Britain by the Roman occupation。 After the Angles, England and English are named。

2。1。2。2。 Middle English

During the 8th to the 12th century, Old English is gradually transformed into Middle English。 Middle English is often arbitrarily named as beginning with the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, but it developed further during 1200–1450。

By the 12th century Middle English was fully developed。 Both Norse and Norman features are integrated; it kept being spoken until the transition to early Modern English around 1500。 In the Middle English period the use of regional dialects in writing became quite often, and authors such as Chaucer even used dialect traits for effect。

2。1。2。3。 Early Modern English

The next period in the history of English was Early Modern English from 1500 to1700。 Early Modern English was characterized by the Great Vowel Shift (1350–1700), inflectional simplification, and linguistic standardization。

During the reign of Henry V English began to develop in prestige。 The Court of Chancery in Westminster began to use English in its official documents around 1430, and a new standard form of Middle English, which is known as Chancery Standard, developed from the dialects of London and the East Midlands。 In 1476, the printing press was introduced by William Caxton to England and the first printed books were printed in London, expanding the influence of this kind of English。 Literature from the Early Modern period contains the literature works of William Shakespeare and the translation of the Bible commissioned by King James I。 Many of the grammatical features that a modern reader of Shakespeare might find quaint or archaic express the distinct characteristics of Early Modern English。来*自~优|尔^论:文+网www.youerw.com +QQ752018766*

2。1。2。4。 Modern English

By the late 18th century, the spread of English was promoted by the British Empire through its colonies and geopolitical dominance。 English became the first truly global language because of the contribution from Commerce, science and technology, diplomacy, art, and formal education。 Worldwide international communication was also promoted by English。 As England continued to develop new colonies, these in turn became independent and developed their own norms for how to speak and write the language。 In North America, India, and parts of Africa, Australasia, and many other regions, English was adopted。 In the 20th century, because of the growing economic and cultural influence of the United States and its status as a superpower following the Second World War has, along with worldwide broadcasting in English by the BBC and other broadcasters, the spread of the language across the planet was raised a lot。 And English was more widely spoken and written than any language has ever been by the 21st century。