Where Did the English Language Come From

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1、WhereDidtheEnglishLanguageComeFrom?VOICEONE:ThisisSteveEmber.VOICETWO:AndthisisShirleyGriffith.TodaywepresentthefirstoftwoprogramsaboutthehistoryoftheEnglishLanguage.(THEME)VOICEONE:MorepeoplearetryingtolearnEnglishthananyotherlanguageintheworld.Englishisthelanguageofpoliticalnegotiationsandin

2、ternationalbusiness.Ithasbecometheinternationallanguageofscienceandmedicine.InternationaltreatiessaypassengerairplanepilotsmustspeakEnglish.EnglishisthemajorforeignlanguagetaughtinmostschoolsinSouthAmericaandEurope.SchoolchildreninthePhilippinesandJapanbeginlearningEnglishatanearlyage.Englishi

3、stheofficiallanguageofmorethanseventy-fivecountriesincludingBritain,Canada,theUnitedStates,Australia,andSouthAfrica.Incountrieswheremanydifferentlanguagesarespoken,Englishisoftenusedasanofficiallanguagetohelppeoplecommunicate.Indiaisgoodexample.Englishisthecommonlanguageinthiscountrywhereatlea

4、sttwenty-fourlanguagesarespokenbymorethanonemillionpeople.VOICETWO:WheredidtheEnglishlanguagecomefrom?Whyhasitbecomesopopular?ToanswerthesequestionswemusttravelbackintimeaboutfivethousandyearstoanareanorthoftheBlackSeainsoutheasternEurope.ExpertssaythepeopleinthatareaspokealanguagecalledProto-

5、Indo-European.Thatlanguageisnolongerspoken.Researchersdonotreallyknowwhatitsoundedlike.Yet,Proto-Indo-EuropeanisbelievedtobetheancestorofmostEuropeanlanguages.TheseincludethelanguagesthatbecameancientGreek,ancientGermanandtheancientLatin.Latindisappearedasaspokenlanguage.Yetitleftbehindthreegr

6、eatlanguagesthatbecamemodernSpanish,FrenchandItalian.AncientGermanbecameDutch,Danish,German,Norwegian,SwedishandoneofthelanguagesthatdevelopedintoEnglish.VOICEONE:TheEnglishlanguageisaresultoftheinvasionsoftheislandofBritainovermanyhundredsofyears.TheinvaderslivedalongthenortherncoastofEurope.

7、ThefirstinvasionswerebyapeoplecalledAnglesaboutonethousandfivehundredyearsago.TheAngleswereaGermantribewhocrossedtheEnglishChannel.LatertwomoregroupscrossedtoBritain.TheyweretheSaxonsandtheJutes.ThesegroupsfoundapeoplecalledtheCelts,who