* Constantly evolving: The English language is constantly evolving, with new words being borrowed and new meanings being assigned to existing words. This makes it difficult to establish a fixed percentage.
* Defining "borrowed": What exactly constitutes a "borrowed" word? Does it need to be a complete word, or can it be a root, prefix, or suffix? Does it matter if the original word has been modified in English?
* Lack of complete dictionaries: There's no complete dictionary of the English language, making it challenging to analyze the entire vocabulary.
However, we can make some general observations:
* Significant influence: The English language has been heavily influenced by other languages throughout its history. Particularly prominent are Old Norse (from Viking invasions), French (from the Norman conquest), Latin (from the influence of the Roman Empire and the Church), and Greek (from classical scholarship and scientific terminology).
* Estimated range: Some estimates suggest that around 60-70% of English words have origins in other languages, with French, Latin, and Greek being the most significant contributors.
* Core vocabulary: It's important to remember that a significant portion of the English language is made up of words that are considered "core vocabulary" and have Germanic roots.
Ultimately, while we can't pin down an exact percentage, it's clear that the English language has a rich and diverse history of borrowing words from other languages, making it the dynamic and complex language it is today.