English language explained to kids

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the most widely used language in the world. It is an official language of almost 60 sovereign states, the most commonly spoken language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, and a widely spoken language in many Commonwealth countries and other former British colonies. English is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states. There are about 375 million native speakers and about 1.5 billion people who speak English as a second language. English is the most widely used language in the world. The English language began in England in the late 5th century. The Anglo-Saxons, who came from northwestern Germany, began settling in England in the 5th century. The language they spoke, called Old English, was very different from modern English. Old English was a Germanic language, related to Dutch and German. During the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the Normans, who came from northern France, introduced their language, called Norman French, to England. For the next 300 years, the upper classes in England spoke Norman French, while the lower classes spoke Old English. This led to a huge difference between the spoken and written languages of England. In the 14th century, English became the language of the upper class again, and it slowly began to replace Norman French. By the 16th century, English was the official language of England. During the Renaissance in the late 1500s and early 1600s, English writers created a large number of new words by borrowing from other languages, such as Latin, Greek, and French. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, a group of English writers known as the King James Bible translators helped to standardize the English language. Today, English is spoken all over the world. It is the official language of many countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. It is also one of the official languages of the European Union and the United Nations.