2. Ca 1.5 billion people can speak English over the world.
When combining native and non-native speakers, English may be the
most widely spoken language worldwide, competing only with the
Chinese languages.
3. There are 58 sovereign states and 21 non-sovereign entities where
English is an official language
4. There are six countries with a majority of native speakers of English: the United
Kingdom (97%), the Republic of Ireland (94%), Australia (87%), New Zealand (82%),
the United States (79%), and Canada (59%).
These six countries are also summarized under the term Anglosphere.
5. BRIEF HISTORY of ENGLISH (1)
• English is primarily a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects and was brought to Britain by
Germanic invaders or settlers from what is now called North West Germany and the Netherlands.
• The history of the English language started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th
century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and
northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were
pushed west and north by the invaders - mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from
"Englaland" [sic] and their language was called "Englisc" - from which the words "England" and "English" are derived.
6. BRIEF HISTORY of ENGLISH (2)
• English is divided into several historical forms. Each historical form of English had certain
characteristics that distinguish it from the forms of English that came before and after it.
8. DIALECTS of ENGLISH
• The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into the three general categories of the
British Isles dialects, those of North America and those of Australasia.
• Aside from these major dialects, numerous other varieties of English exist, which include, in most cases,
several subvarieties. English is a pluricentric language, without a central language authority like France's
Académie française; and therefore no one variety is considered "correct" or "incorrect" except in terms of
the expectations of the particular audience to which the language is directed.
9. ENGLISH & ESTONIA
• According to "EF English Proficiency Index 2014" Estonia is 8th european country in English
proficiency with score of 61.39%.
• In 2013 Estonia lied in 4th place with score of 65.54%.
• The trend is negative in Estonia (Ukraine and Norway as well):
