1. Old English (Anglo-Saxon): This forms the core of English vocabulary, encompassing words for everyday objects, concepts, and actions. Examples include:
* House, water, bread, strong, good, friend, love
2. Latin: As the language of the Roman Empire, Latin heavily influenced English, particularly in areas like law, medicine, science, and religion. Examples include:
* Justice, science, religion, doctor, education, government
3. Greek: Similar to Latin, Greek contributed significantly to academic and scientific vocabulary. Examples include:
* Philosophy, biology, democracy, atom, telescope, geography
4. French: The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 led to a large influx of French words, particularly in areas like government, law, and culture. Examples include:
* Government, parliament, court, justice, beauty, fashion, art
5. Other Germanic Languages: English shares roots with other Germanic languages like German, Dutch, and Scandinavian. These languages contributed words for various purposes, often filling gaps in the existing vocabulary. Examples include:
* Gift, anger, skill, happy, fellow, work
6. Words from other Languages: English continues to borrow words from various languages around the world, reflecting its global influence and cultural exchange. Examples include:
* Sushi (Japanese), safari (Swahili), bungalow (Hindi), coffee (Turkish), algebra (Arabic)
Beyond these primary sources, there are other factors that shape the English vocabulary:
* Compounding: Creating new words by combining existing words (e.g., "blackboard", "sunlight").
* Affixation: Adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words to change their meaning (e.g., "unhappy", "helpful").
* Borrowing: Adopting words from other languages to fill gaps in vocabulary or to reflect cultural changes.
* Coinage: Creating entirely new words to express new concepts or ideas.
These various factors, combined with the influence of historical events and cultural exchange, have resulted in the vast and dynamic vocabulary of the English language.