A Collection of Interesting Facts About the English Language

The history of the English language is just as turbulent as the general history of the word. The shape and meaning of words changed over time, and so did the syntax and grammar. Influences of different languages left their trace so deeply that we often get surprised when we hear that a particular word has been derived from Greek, Latin, German, or even Slavonic languages.

Maybe you’ve already come across a list of English language curiosities online. I have, but unfortunately, some of the facts I saw there are not really facts. They were either made up or only a little bit true, but not completely. For instance, several online sources claim that the words “addiction,” “manager,” “assassination,” and “dishearten” were invented by no one other than William Shakespeare. While it’s true that the English language owes a ton to the bard, these particular words had already been used in print by the time he wrote his plays.

To avoid making similar mistakes as my colleagues writers, I’ve made a list of interesting facts about the English language based only on three trusted sources: The English Language by R. G. Latham, English Past and Present by Richard Chenevix Trench, and the Encyclopaedia Britannica. (By the way, these books are free to download at the Project Gutenberg website, so if you’re curious about the fact I have omitted, be my guest.)

Below you will find a whirlwind tour through the fascinating world of the English language. But reading about the English language is one thing; experiencing its richness and versatility is another. That’s where LiveXP comes in. LiveXP’s online tutors are not only language experts but also passionate educators who can guide you through the intricacies of English in a fun, engaging, and highly personalized way. After all, the best way to appreciate a language is to live it—and what better way to do that than with the guidance of an expert?

Fun facts about English vocabulary 🗣 ️

Sometimes, new words are created because we need to describe something that didn’t exist before. For example, the word “watershed” in geography was invented to describe a specific natural feature—the line dividing two separate river systems. This term is much more concise than the lengthy description it replaced.

English has borrowed many words from other languages. For instance, “ballet” and “café” are from French, “piano” is from Italian, and “sushi” is from Japanese. These words entered English because they described something unique to the cultures they came from.

Some English words originated from people’s names. For example, the word “sandwich” is named after the Earl of Sandwich, who liked to eat his meals as meat between two slices of bread, so he could continue playing cards without getting his hands dirty.

Characters from books and myths have also given us new words. For instance, the word “quixotic,” meaning overly idealistic or impractical, comes from the character Don Quixote in a Spanish novel.

Over time, some English words have changed in meaning. The word “nice” used to mean silly or foolish in the past. Now, it means pleasant or agreeable.

Sometimes, the way a word is spelled or pronounced can change over time, leading to new words. For example, “magic” and “magician” used to be “magik” and “magikian.”

English often creates new words by combining existing ones. For example, smog is a blend of smoke and fog.

English has experienced a gradual extinction of certain words. For instance, words like “wanhope” (for despair) and “skinker” (for cupbearer) have faded from common usage. Similarly, forms like “thou” and “thee,” once markers of intimacy or contempt, have become obsolete in everyday speech, now mostly found in poetic or religious contexts. Words like “frampold,” “garboil,” and “brangle” have also become obsolete, meaning they are no longer in common use. Unlike words that have evolved in meaning, these words have dropped out of the lexicon, often because the objects or concepts they described are no longer relevant.

The word “Dutch” historically referred to all Germanic people 🇩🇪, including what we now call Germans. This has led to confusion in historical texts, where the modern meaning of “Dutch” (referring specifically to people from the Netherlands 🇳🇱) doesn’t apply.

The word “influence” used to refer specifically to an ethereal fluid believed to flow from the stars and affect human behavior. Its meaning has broadened over time to include any act of persuasion or impact one has over another.

Baffle once referred to a specific form of public humiliation for knights. It has evolved to mean perplexing or confusing someone.

Originally, religion referred more to external rites and ceremonies rather than personal faith or piety. This distinction is crucial in understanding historical texts, particularly translations of the Bible.

The word “gossip” originated from “godsib,” meaning a godparent. It has since evolved to describe someone who engages in idle talk.

Sometimes, words are spelled based on a mistaken understanding of their origins. For example, necromancy was once misspelled as nigromantia, incorrectly associating it with the Latin word for black.

Common usage and misunderstandings can lead to spelling changes. The word currants, originally corinths, changed due to association with similar-looking berries.

Facts and figures of the English language history

English, along with Gothic, Celtic, and Classical languages, is part of the Indo-European language family. Other branches of Indo-European languages include the Iranian, Sarmatian (Slavonic and Lithuanic), and Dacian (Wallachian) stocks. The Indo-European family represents a wide range of languages spread across Europe and into Asia, as far as India.

English has evolved over time from the language of early settlers in Britain to what we use today. Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, was quite different from today’s English—almost as different as Latin is from Spanish.

Old English had complex grammar with many verb forms and four cases for nouns—Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, and Dative.

Early English borrowed some words from Latin, like street and wine. Christianity brought more Latin words into English, like monk and school. The Danish invasions introduced some Scandinavian words into English, but their full impact on the language became apparent much later.

In the 16th century, English was quite flexible with grammar and syntax. Writers experimented with the language, leading to unique and creative expressions. Works by Chaucer, Shakespeare, and others showcased the evolving language with new vocabulary, spellings, and grammatical forms.

During the Tudor period, which coincided with the Renaissance, many new words from Greek and Latin were added to English. This was due to the revival of interest in classical literature and the need to express new ideas and concepts.

The translation of the Bible ✝️ into English in 1611 (the Authorized Version) played a huge role in standardizing and modernizing the English language. Between 1611 and 1688, English underwent a transition period. During this time, the vocabulary and spelling became more fixed, leading to the form of English we use today.

English around the world 🌍

English is spoken in many regions beyond the British Isles, especially in former colonies. This global spread of English has led to the addition of new words from various native languages, adapting English to local needs while maintaining a connection through common literature.

In the United States 🇺🇸, the development of a local form of English has led to the creation of Americanisms. Many of these are actually old English forms that have been preserved in the US but have become archaic in Britain.

English started as the language of a small group in Britain and has expanded globally through colonization and conquest. However, within Britain itself, this process is still ongoing, with Welsh and Scottish Gaelic still being spoken in some areas.

Interesting facts about English grammar and syntax

English has some irregular plural forms where the change is internal, such as “man” to “men” or “tooth” to “teeth.” These are remains of older inflectional patterns in the language.

Compared to languages like Latin, English has fewer cases. There is a nominative case used for subjects of sentences, a possessive case for denoting ownership, and an accusative case for direct objects. However, the accusative case is only distinctly marked in pronouns (e.g., “him,” “them”).

English pronouns show distinct cases, such as the subjective “I,” the possessive “my,” and the objective “me.” These forms reflect the remnants of a more inflectional stage of the language.

Genitive’ s’ is not from “his.” Contrary to a common misconception, the genitive ’s’ in English (as in “father’s”) is not a contraction of “his.” It’s a continuation of a common Indo-European genitive ending in “s,” seen in many related languages.

Cardinal numbers like one, two, three, etc., are not just simple words but have etymological significance. In many languages, “first” has a superlative form (like “frumist” in Mœso-Gothic), reflecting its status compared to other numerals. “Second” has no etymological connection to its cardinal “two.” In English, just like in many other languages, it’s derived from words meaning “following” or “other,” indicating a comparative rather than a directly numerical relationship.

English articles evolved from other word forms. For example, “a/an” comes from the numeral “one,” and “the” is derived from a demonstrative pronoun.

English lacks a specific reflexive pronoun for the third person, leading to the use of himself, herself, itself, and themselves.

In English, when a verb is in the infinitive mood, the negative “not” precedes it (e.g., “Not to advance is to retreat”). However, when the verb is not in the infinitive mood, the negative follows it (e.g., “He advanced not” or “I cannot”). It may seem that “not” precedes the verb in sentences like “I do not advance” or “I have not advanced,” but actually, “do” and “have” are auxiliary verbs, not infinitives. Therefore, the rule still applies—the negative follows the auxiliary verb and precedes the infinitive.

In modern English, using two negatives in a sentence creates an affirmative meaning. For example, “I have not not seen him” implies “I have seen him.” This is different from other languages, such as Greek, where multiple negatives intensify the negation.

Questions asked in extreme perplexity or without any apparent alternative can function as negatives. For instance, asking, “What should I do?” in a context of hopelessness implies that nothing can be effectively done.