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What Is English Language Day

English Language Day is celebrated annually on April 23rd to honor William Shakespeare and the English language. It originated alongside days celebrating other UN official languages. English Language Day was chosen as April 23rd is believed to be Shakespeare's birthday, and he greatly expanded the English vocabulary through his writings. The history of English began with Germanic tribes invading Britain and bringing their language, followed by Viking invasions and Norman French influence after the Norman conquest. By Shakespeare's time, English had developed into a modern form. English later spread globally through European colonialism, though it is now used internationally as a lingua franca by over 1.75 billion speakers worldwide in various forms beyond any single nationality.

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Brenda Gusbet BC
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182 views3 pages

What Is English Language Day

English Language Day is celebrated annually on April 23rd to honor William Shakespeare and the English language. It originated alongside days celebrating other UN official languages. English Language Day was chosen as April 23rd is believed to be Shakespeare's birthday, and he greatly expanded the English vocabulary through his writings. The history of English began with Germanic tribes invading Britain and bringing their language, followed by Viking invasions and Norman French influence after the Norman conquest. By Shakespeare's time, English had developed into a modern form. English later spread globally through European colonialism, though it is now used internationally as a lingua franca by over 1.75 billion speakers worldwide in various forms beyond any single nationality.

Uploaded by

Brenda Gusbet BC
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is English Language Day?

English Language Day was first celebrated in 2010, alongside Arabic Language
Day, Chinese Language Day, French Language Day, Russian Language Day and
Spanish Language Day. These are the six official languages of the United Nations,
and each has a special day, designed to raise awareness of the history, culture and
achievements of these languages.

Why is English Language Day celebrated on 23 April?


This day was chosen because it is thought to be Shakespeare's birthday, and the
anniversary of his death. As well as being the English language's most famous
playwright, Shakespeare also had a huge impact on modern-day English. At the
time he was writing, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the English language was
going through a lot of changes and Shakespeare's creativity with language meant
he contributed hundreds of new words and phrases that are still used today. For
example, the words 'gossip', 'fashionable' and 'lonely' were all first used by
Shakespeare. He also invented phrases like 'break the ice', 'all our yesterdays',
'faint-hearted' and 'love is blind'. Can you guess what they mean?

The origins of English


The story of the English language began in the fifth century when Germanic tribes
invaded Celtic-speaking Britain and brought their languages with them. Later,
Scandinavian Vikings invaded and settled with their languages too. In 1066
William I, from modern-day France, became king, and Norman-French became the
language of the courts and official activity. People couldn’t understand each other
at first, because the lower classes continued to use English while the upper classes
spoke French, but gradually French began to influence English. An estimated 45
per cent of all English words have a French origin. By Shakespeare's time, Modern
English had developed, printing had been invented and people had to start to
agree on 'correct' spelling and vocabulary.

The spread of English


The spread of English all over the world has an ugly history but a rich and vibrant
present. During the European colonial period, several European countries,
including England, competed to expand their empires. They stole land, labor and
resources from people across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania. By the time
former British colonies began to gain independence in the mid-20th century,
English had become established in their institutions. Many brilliant writers from
diverse places across Africa, the Caribbean and Asia had started writing in English,
telling their stories of oppression. People from all over the world were using
English to talk and write about justice, equality, freedom and identity from their
own perspectives. The different varieties of English created through this history of
migration and colonization are known as World Englishes.
International English
More than 1.75 billion people speak English worldwide – that's around 1 in 4
people around the world. English is being used more and more as a way for two
speakers with different first languages to communicate with each other, as a
'lingua franca'. For many people, the need to communicate is much more
important than the need to sound like a native speaker. As a result, language use
is starting to change. For example, speakers might not use 'a' or 'the' in front of
nouns, or they might make uncountable nouns plural and say 'informations',
'furnitures' or 'co-operations'.

Are these variations mistakes? Or part of the natural evolution of different


Englishes? 'International English' refers to the English that is used and developed
by everyone in the world, and doesn't just belong to native speakers. There is a lot
of debate about whether International English should be standardized and, if so,
how. What do you think? If you're reading this, English is your language too.

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