* Origins: English is a Germanic language, descended from the language of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes who invaded Britain in the 5th century AD. Their language, Old English, was a mix of dialects.
* Influence: Over the centuries, English was influenced by:
* Old Norse: Vikings invaded England in the 9th-11th centuries, contributing words like "berserk" and "skull".
* Norman French: The Norman Conquest of 1066 introduced French words like "justice" and "table".
* Latin and Greek: From the Renaissance onwards, academic and scientific words were borrowed from Latin and Greek, like "biology" and "democracy".
* Modern English: Today's English is a constantly evolving language. New words are created through:
* Borrowing: Taking words from other languages, like "sushi" from Japanese.
* Creation: Making new words through processes like combining existing words (e.g., "smartphone") or adding prefixes or suffixes (e.g., "un-happy").
In summary: English words are a result of a long history of interaction between different languages and cultures.