#47,
Apart from Akan, English is our oldest dictionary at kasahorow. Inevitably so, given that English is the leading language used for international communication and a prolific lingua franca in many parts of the world. English has filled this role largely through colonisation and adaptability, and is considered a highly inclusive language, as it easily adopts new words from other languages. Originally, this West Germanic language was spoken in medieval England. It is heavily influenced by French and Latin, but has evolved over more than a millennium to include borrowings from a variety of languages.
Here are some examples of borrowings included in English:
- Spanish: guitar
- Italian: piano
- Dutch: yacht
- Hindi: jungle
- Australian Aboriginal languages: kangaroo
- Swahili: Boma
- Zulu: Indaba
- Akan: Yam
There are approximately 2 billion English speakers worldwide and more second language speakers than native speakers.
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