# English in Use/Introduction


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## Welcome

Welcome to the English language Wikibook on the English language!

To learn about chapter format and whether this is the right book for
you, continue reading this page. Most of this material is not dependent
on other sections, so you can also use this book as a reference by
clicking on any subject you would like to learn more about on the
contents page. If you don\'t want to bother looking
through chapters for a specific piece of information, click
here
to ask a question on any subject covered in this book. To learn more
about this book and view a list of authors, see the
../About/ page.

Additionally, those knowledgeable about the English language are welcome
and highly encouraged to contribute. See the
../About/ page to learn more about contributing
and add your name to the authors listing.

## Introduction to the English language

English has become one of the most popular languages in the world.
Proper English skills are becoming a valuable asset in business around
the world. Do not put off learning English because of the great variety
of word orders available (even for simple things). Have a go and keep
trying. Practice.

It is well worth remembering that English is not a fixed language - it
is shifting like sand and so these \"rules\" are in the process of
change and are often ignored or bent - much to the disdain of erudite
scholars. This may be one reason why English can be tricky to learn.

## Purpose and structure - What will this book cover?

This book will function as:

1.  A guide to structure and grammar,
2.  A usage guide, and
3.  A manual of style

It is divided into six units: Words and usage, Sentences, Punctuation,
Other key topics, Appendices, and Topics in detail. The eventual goal is
to be usable in English classrooms around the world. This book will not
include English vocabulary and pronunciation (covered in English as an
Additional Language).
Advanced writing topics (covered in
) will also be excluded.

## Intended audience - Who is this book for?

This book is written for native English speakers and those who wish to
learn the finer grammar and mechanics points of the language and improve
their writing and speech, including ESL speakers. It is meant to be both
a structured textbook read chapter by chapter and a reference book.
English as an Additional
Language and Business
English present English in the manner of a
traditional foreign language course.
 covers advanced writing
techniques not covered in this book. See /External
resources for other pages to read.

## Chapter format

All pages of this book should be about the same length and difficulty,
in order to provide consistency and allow readers to plan ahead how much
they want to read each session. Each chapter will try to not be
dependent on previous chapters as much as possible. Each chapter should
be accompanied by exercises using .

## Contributing - What can I do to help?

Both experts and beginners can help to improve this book. If you would
like to help, the about page should tell you
everything you want to know to help. If you don\'t have a lot of time to
work on this book, there are two simple things you can do. Firstly, you
can make sure that  is on every
page. Type
on the bottom of the page to include the template. Secondly, you are
encouraged to comment on each chapter on its talk page. Don\'t
understand something? Please say so so others don\'t experience the same
problem! If you feel you understand the material on a page pretty well,

## Brief language history

Modern English has evolved out of old Anglo-Saxon, a language much like
modern German. In the process, it has borrowed many Latin words, and
completely changed its grammar.

The story starts when the Romans left Britain, leaving the Celtic
Britons in chaos. One Celtic king asked the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes to
come and fight for him, but they decided to take over England instead,
since the Celts couldn\'t put up a decent fight.

Soon, there were no Celts left in England, and hardly any trace of the
Celtic languages. There are a few river names inherited from the Celts,
or earlier, and maybe a dozen words, but no more. This complete
obliteration of the Celts was unusually thorough for the times.

A few generations later the English converted to Christianity. The new
religion brought with it a flood of new words, borrowed from Latin and
Greek; religious terms such as *Angel*, *priest*, and *nun*, but also
names of un-English things such *lion*, *pepper*, and *oyster*.

Around this time, the English began slurring the ends of words. This was
the start of the process that created modern English grammar.

After a few centuries of peace the Vikings invaded. They spoke Old
Norse, a language related to English. After much fighting, they settled
down in North East England, and introduced many Norse words into
English, including the pronouns *them*, *they*, and *their*.

Just as the Viking invasions stopped, the French-speaking Normans
invaded. Commoners continued speaking English, but for the next two
centuries the noblemen spoke French.

A few French words trickled into English during the period, but the
number stayed pretty low until the nobles stopped speaking French, in
the mid thirteenth century. This precipitated a large influx of words of
French origin into the English language as an entire class migrated from
French to English. Many of the French words were Anglicized, but some of
the spelling of the words remained roughly intact. It should be noted
that the Normans spoke an older version of French known as *Old French*
that may sometimes actually seem to be closer to English than current
French, because English took some words from Old French wholesale, such
as *mansion*. Around the same time the universities of Oxford and
Cambridge were founded.

During the Renaissance, the scholars of England added many more Greek
and Latin words to the English language. As a result, much of the
technical vocabulary in English consists of Greek or Latin words.

Since then, English has also borrowed many words from the major European
languages, such as French, as well as a few words from almost every
other language. It is still changing and developing.


hi:अंग्रेज़ी भाषा/परिचय
