world have entered English due to colonization and globalization. English isn't the most-spoken language in the world (Mandarin Chinese), but it is the most WIDELY spoken, which has an influence. As a result it has a relatively
into Romance - about 90% of English words with more than two syllables ultimately come from Latin. There are also huge numbers of Greek borrowings and some Celtic, and that's before the modern era, where words from all over the
that Modern English is rooted in three languages: Old English, Old Norse, and Old French. It's a primarily Germanic language that already has significant influence from a neighboring Germanic language family and then evolved half
I may be betraying my Anglocentrism, but I believe that English is somewhat unusual in having developed from a more substantial fusion of distinct language (families) than is normal. In language history classes, they'll tell you
