English

English is a West Germanic language related to Dutch, Frisian and German with a significant amount of vocabulary from French, Latin, Greek and many other languages.

English evolved from the Germanic languages brought to Britain by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and other Germanic tribes, which are known collectively as Anglo-Saxon or Old English. Old English began to appear in writing during the early 8th century AD.

Approximately 341 million people speak English as a native language and a further 267 million speak it as a second language in over 104 countries including the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands and Denmark.

Source: http://www.ethnologue.com

English alphabet

Pronunciation

The sounds represented here are those of British English spoken with an R.P. (Received Pronounciation) accent. Other varieties of English differ considerably in pronunciation, especially the vowels and diphthongs.

English vowels and diphthongs

English consonants

Sample text in English

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Listen to a recording of this text by Simon Ager

Links

Learn English in England, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Malta with Abroad Languages

American English pronunciation
http://eleaston.com/pronunciation/

Canadian English phonetics
http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~lsp/Canadian/canphon2.html

Australian English phonetics
http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/

Estuary English (the English spoken in London, along the Thames estuary and in the southeast of England): http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/

Voices - a fascinating survey of the dialects and languages of the UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/

Online English language courses
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish.htm
http://virtulanguage.com
http://www.zozanga.com
http://www.learn-english.co.il

English Course London

Free English Practice Exercises and Typical mistakes
http://www.languageproject.co.uk/free_exercises/introduction.htm
http://www.languageproject.co.uk/learn_english/typical_mistakes/typical_mistakes.htm

Online English dictionaries
http://dictionary.cambridge.org
http://www.m-w.com
http://dictionary.reference.com
http://www.alphadictionary.com
http://www.infovisual.info
http://www.BeginnersEnglishDictionary.com
http://www.my-english-dictionary.com/

English Electronic talking dictionaries
http://www.ectaco.com

Teach English overseas
http://www.onlinetefl.com

Related languages

Afrikaans, Alsatian, Cimbrian, Danish, Dutch, English, Faroese, Frisian, German, Icelandic, Luxembourgish, Norwegian, Old English, Old Norse, Scots, Swedish