It won't be wrong to call English the commercial language of our world today as when it comes to international affairs then the language of English serves as the medium of communication throughout the world. That's why despite having less number of native speakers than other languages, the language has most speakers as it is understood by many around the world.
English Language Day is annually celebrated on October 13 to commemorate the day when Parliament was opened for the first time by a speech in English, in 1362, rather than in French.
Scholars believe that there is no true version of the language, as over 7,000 variations of English can be found in the world right now. English has also adopted many words from other languages.
| Event | English Language Day |
|---|---|
| Date | October 13, 2022 |
| Day | Thursday |
| Significance | On this day, we remember the day in 1362 when an English-language speech, not a French-language one, opened Parliament for the first time. |
| Observed by | World wide |
English Language Day History:
The earliest form of English is called Old English or Anglo-Saxon which came during the period between 550–1066 AD. Old English developed from a set of West Germanic dialects, often grouped as Anglo-Frisian or North Sea Germanic, and originally spoken along the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony and southern Jutland by Germanic peoples known to the historical record as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
From the 8th to the 12th century, Old English gradually transformed through language contact into Middle English. Middle English is often arbitrarily defined as beginning with the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, but it developed further in the period of years from 1200 to 1450. With the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the now norsified Old English language was subject to contact with Old French, in particular with the Old Norman dialect.
The next period in the history of English was the period of Early Modern English between the years of 1500–1700 CE. Early Modern English was characterised by the Great Vowel Shift (1350–1700), inflectional simplification, and linguistic standardisation. By the late 18th century, the British Empire had spread English through its colonies and geopolitical dominance. Commerce, science and technology, diplomacy, art, and formal education all contributed to English becoming the first truly global language. English also facilitated worldwide international communication.
The English Project launched the world’s first-ever English Language Day on October 13 in 2009. English Language Day is celebrated to commemorate October 13, 1362, when Parliament was opened for the first time by a speech in English, instead of French. In the same Parliament, a Statute of Pleading was approved that allowed members in debate to use the English language. This made English the official language of law and law-making.
English Language Day Significance:
English is a vast language. There are more than 250,000 words in an Oxford Dictionary without a lot of technical, scientific, and slang words used in english. English is probably the only language with as many synonyms for many of its words, largely because of its enormous absorbing capacity which is to borrow words from as many languages as possible, including German, Greek, Portuguese, French, Latin, and even the language of the places which were colonized by English speaking countries like the British.
The English language is easily the most broadly used and spoken language on the planet today because of its outreach, and it enjoys a good reputation for adapting words, concepts, and cultural influences from around the world. This adds to the language’s enormous vocabulary, one that is already full of odd rules, spellings, and grammar hence it is expected that there is no language which can challenge english for a long time in terms of usage and adaptability.
English also serves as a common medium for music, movies, literature, and other works of art in our world today and this is all because of the influences of the English speaking countries like that of Hollywood the American film industry which is watched everywhere in world today. English songs both from US and UK are also very popular throughout the world. So English is not just a language today but it has become a very important part of media culture as well.
The English Language Day is celebrated annually to remind us that how important english has become for the world today despite not being very older but because of its adaptability and easily accessible approach. This day celebrates and honors the legacy created by the english language and the people who helped in promoting the language like English authors are also honored on this day. Overall it is Day which celebrates the influence of english and also encourages people to learn even more about it as english is a vast language.
English Language Day Activities:
Have you ever checked that how much words your english vocabulary contains! Because this day gives you the perfect opportunity to deep dive into the world of english and learn some more words of english language and these words will also help you in increasing your knowledge about english and in future it will also help you in your conversations especially in explaining complex things.
One of the best way to celebrate English Language Day is by reading your favorite English language books and authors. So use this day as an opportunity to read some books by doing so not only you will celebrate this day and improve your english skills but you will also be able to practice the art of book reading, I mean when was the last time when you read any book so use this opportunity to read it.
Watch content in english! It can be anything be it any shows, news, movies or series. I mean it won't be hard for you to find content in english and mostly we see everything in english only today like even this article is in english so you can do some other things as well like you can watch any content in different accents of English like if you are American then try to watch content of UK and Australia and vice-versa, this will he a very fun exercise and you will also get to experience different accents.
Most Searched FAQs on English Language Day:
1. When is English Language Day celebrated?
English Language Day is annually celebrated on 13th October.
2. What does English Language Day commemorates?
English Language Day commemorate the day of October 13, 1362, when Parliament was opened for the first time by a speech in English, instead of French.
3. In how many countries English has an official status?
English is recognized as an official language in a total of 67 different countries, as well as 27 non-sovereign entities.