Thank you, Alan, for your ever so neat and wit essays spiced well with brisk humour and diverse language. You always treat us hearty with the [color=darkred]beautiful* language.
As [color=darkred]regards* this very topic, I could start lengthy explanations on the origins of great English, which made it unique though, but it would take much time and effort and there are oodles of sources on the issue to study. So, as a small contribution, I would just share the chart below.
Respectfully,
Nathalie
*beautiful from beauty
Origin: 1225–75; Middle English be ( a ) ute < Old French beaute; replacing Middle English bealte < Old French beltet < Vulgar Latin *bellitāt- (stem of *bellitās ), equivalent to Latin bell ( us ) fine + -itāt- -ity
*regard
mid-14c., from O.Fr. regard, from regarder “take notice of,” from re- , intensive prefix + garder “look, heed” (see guard). Meanings “consideration, appearance, kindly feeling” all recorded late 14c. The verb is first attested early 15c., from M.Fr. regarder.
Thank you for this interesting topic of your newsletter, it helps me a lot in my studies because as an English student I have a class about the English literature, and one of my exposition was about Chaucer!
i’ve been got the emails like this a long time ago since i registered on the english-test.net. I was occupied much lately. and just have some time to read the essays and come to the forum.
Gosh!!! I loved this article about the French influence in English language. As a university student here in my country we had to study some books about this part of English literature. Not just French influence but others too.but your essay is really the most complete and delicious to be read and learned. I’ll send this essay to my university teacher and I’m sure she’ll love it too.
Warmest Regards,
Rosa Maria
Hi, I want to tell about what I have observed within my classes or within my own family, all my family speak French as native speakers and this fact helped us to learn English and to be excellent pupils, and it’s the same for my pupils, because I’ve noticed that 80% of my pupils who know French have better chance to be good English learners, the only negative point in learning the two languages is in making spelling mistakes as an example futur in English is the same in French but we add “e” at the end, so some of my pupils when writing in English the words that are the same in French write it as it is in French.
I hope I haven’t annoyed you with my long explanation but I always take care when reading the courses you are sending me and I want to thank you a lot for that.
yours Sagittaire.
Hi Mr. Alan,
Thank you very much for your essay on how English language developed over the years, it is great to know about all these people mention in your essay. I have seen and read some pages of the canterbury tales.
I’m very sure that english is the most widely spoken language in the world, however learning it is not an easy task. As the world advance technologically english language and it’s use can not be excluded in communication in our every day life that is why people like you (Alan) and your staffs need praise (commedations) because you are making us learn and perfect english language.
Once again thank you very much, God bless you.
Ohwoemma
Hi all together! Thanks so much for your messages! I could’nt answer because I had to spend some weeks in hospital. In the last days of the past year 2010 I’ve got an accident. The ground was frozen and in morning was rain droped on the frozen street. I would like to go by train to the station. Suddenly I was slighting and could not hold tied on. So I fell down on my back and feld a bad stich in my backbones. So I have had to go in hospital. Doctors and nurses were running around for to get an injection. It was’nt able to move my legs and I was realy shocked. Some hours later I waked up in hospital. Nurse came in and told me what happened to me. Now I have to go to Fitnesscenter to get some special massage and help from a therapeut. Every day a little step and I’m hopefull to cured. Doctor told me to go for a Rehabilitation because it’s necessary to get a very intensiv therapie.
Thanks for your messages. There is plenty of time to reed and hear your very interesting lessons
In my opinion some of the English words is the same as in Latin, but we can compare it with the German and French too.
That is the reason why the English is the most frequently used language.
but the grammar without an interesting tale is such as the coffe without coffein.
Sometimes, beyond my control, I used any words originally from French in my English, such as: coquette, madame, tranquility, and some others. Is it a bad or good influence?
It’s a normal influence, Pipii. It’s neither good nor bad. French and English words often have the same origins, and many French words now form standard English use (garage, cul de sac) including the ones you mention.
A wider vocabulary has to be a good thing, doesn’t it?
Beeesneees: Yes it has to be a good thing. I’ m just worried if I use french words in English with inappropriate usage. Sometimes it can happen. Thank you so much Beeesneees, I love the way you explain…
rThank you for your Essay “Do you speak French”. I haven’t learnt to speak/write English
proberly, then how can I learn French, if you can teach us French(simple words)
through essay every week, we can learn easily one more language French from you
as a bonus to learning English language. Will you say Okay to my request sir?
Hello Alan …I studied English literature and indeed i can say that your essay helps me in remembering many ideas from which i studied during university days…i adore William Shakespeare though his language is so hard for me to realize but as i accustomed to read i became more familiar with it …i know that Latin is the mother of all European languages that’s why there are many similarities between these languages ,especially french and English language,i studied french at high school and i can barely remember but some few words.For me i found English easier and more interesting to learn.
Hi. I do not speak French yet but one day I plan to take up courses. I speak English. I started English courses after I had mastered German. That’s why it was very easy for me to comprehend many different moments concerning grammar or vocabulary because, as we know, these languages derive from one language family and so are similar in some way. Because of my job, last 10 years I speak only English what caused my poor German. And I regret about it. I mean I would like to speak both languages equal.
We know that any language like alive one, can change through borrowing new words from other languages or some words get new meanings and so on. It doesn’t stay in one state forever. I think none can say he knows his language till end. Especially if it is foreign language. English is not my native language that’s why I try to learn more and more new words to make my speech more correct and more beautiful. Unfortunately sometimes while translating into English it is difficult to find right words.
Dear Alan what an extraordinary essay I really loved it also I have learned that English is older than I thought. I was studying French and although both have lost of similar words they are very different, even for Spanish speakers like me French is far easier, that´s why I disagree when you say, you are learning two languages while learning English. Anyway thanks a lot for these lovely texts you send us because I´m learning a lot from them.
Jose S.
Believe me that I don’t want to show off but I used to speak rather well in French.
During I was teaching mentally deficient children I usually had been translating French articles to the " Interpress Magazin " it is a Hungarian monthly.
But I had opportunity to interpret also. Once we transported pictures for an exhibition to Nice. There was a professional interpreter of course. After the opening ceremonies there was a big diner. Our only one interpreter couldn’t translate every speech so I had been the other interpreter. I have to speak very much and very loudly because there was big noise and I have to translate for exp. between two people who sat from each other about 2 meters. I succeeded in doing very well.
When I began to learn in English my French knowledge had been hidden. Today I know its reason.(If I read anything in French, I have no problems, it is than I would read it in Hungarian.)
The reason of my difficulty the similarity or the same words in the two languages.This causes my inhibition.
For English people it is easy because they know of course the English pronunciation and they have to learn only the French pronunciation. But somebody who have to learn both it is very difficult. I have a headache when I want to make a distinction between them. The subjunctive or all the grammar it is enjoyable and unforgettable for me.
But I can’t cope with this identity.
Hi, Alan thank you for your interesting essay, it really reminded me my classroom and teacher when I was reading the Canterbury Tales from my teacher. I agree with you that English is a hotchpoch of many languages. French words that you have mentioned in your essay were familiar to me but was not aware of its origin. I really liked this essay that was quite interesting because I have read both Chaucer and Milton especially the paradise lost.
