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40 '/. of the English language
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It's difficult to answer, because are you including all the words in the English language or only commonly used ones? are you counting only Norman French, modern French, Latin words that came via French, etc. ?
However, the Oxford Dictionary site ( http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutenglish/proportion?view=UK ) has an estimate of the proportions of the approximately 80,000 words in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (includes some fairly obscure ones, but they're mostly in use) and puts:
- Latin, including modern scientific and technical Latin: 28.24%
- French, including Old French and early Anglo-French: 28.3%
- Old and Middle English, Old Norse, and Dutch: 25%
- Greek: 5.32%
- No etymology given: 4.03%
- Derived from proper names: 3.28%
- All other languages contributed less than 1%
So 28.3% of 80,000 is 22,640 words. Arbitrary, but a good enough estimate.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoApproximately 5% of French words have an English origin.
I have left a link below to the source located at Wikipedia. Incidentally, it is a French article that had to be translated.
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French Italian and Spanish languages and many English words are based upon the language?
Latin
What language most heavily influenced English during the Middle English Period?
French. After the Norman conquest French had such a impact on the English language that Middle English looks nothing like Old English, because we adopted and adapted so many of their words!
What is the influence of Rome's language on our language?
Many Latin words or words of Latin origin have entered English via two routes. One was that Latin was the language of the church in the Middle Ages. The other was the Norman conquest of England. French became the court language and many French words entered into the English language. These words are usually of Latin origin. Many international words in medicine, law and theology are Latin. Many words in medicine, law and theology are Latin. Western European languages have adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. The only letters in the English language which do not come from the Latin alphabet are J, U and W.
How has the Romans influenced us by language?
Western European languages have adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. The only letters in the English language which do not come from the Latin alphabet are J, U and W. Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian are romance languages; that is languages derived from vulgar Latin ( which was a mixture of Latin and local languages). Many Latin words have entered English via two routes. One was that Latin was the language of the church in the Middle Ages. The other was the Norman conquest of England. French became the court language and many French words entered into the English language. These words are usually of Latin origin. Many international words in medicine, law and theology are Latin.
What influence did Rome give to European languages?
Western European languages have adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. The only letters in the English language which do not come from the Latin alphabet are J, U and W. Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian are languages derived from Latin (Romance languages). Many Latin words or words of Latin origin have entered English via two routes. One was that Latin was the language of the church in the Middle Ages. The other was the Norman conquest of England. French became the court language and many French words entered into the English language. These words are usually of Latin origin. Many international words in medicine, law and theology are Latin.
Why has french words such as Rendezvous become adopted and reused in the English language as if it was an English word?
Especially in the middle ages, the french and English peoples mixed together, and adopted words. The French have many cognates of English words, as we have french words. Particularly, England was once under a french ruler,(I forget the name), and during that time period many words were exchanged from language to language.
Why does English have many French words?
English, especially english spoken in the U.S., is a language that has taken phrases and parts of words from many languages, including Latin, French, Spanish, German, and others.
What is a word that means french with many English words?
The French language has 'franglais' to describe that. It seems that Frenglish could be an English equivalent.
What are many words in the English language are based upon?
Many are based on the Latin language, often indirectly through French.
How many American words are there in sign language?
It is a language just like english, french, spanish, and others. There are literally thousands of words in the language.
How many words french language?
There are approximately 135,000 words in the French language.
French Italian and Spanish languages and many English words are based upon the language?
Latin
How many words words are in the English language?
There are about 228,132 words total in the English language.
When did the English borrow the French language?
Assuming by "borrow" adopt is meant, never. Beginning with the Norman Conquest in 1066, a Germanic-influenced form of Old French, called Norman French became the official language of England although Latin was used in law and in ecclesiastical circles. This led to the eventual emergence of Modern English, which has many French words and uses some French grammar, but it has to be remembered that English has borrowed words from many languages, and French words in English use have come into the language at different times and from different dialects. Answer The English borrowed French for a short time, but gave it back.
Why is the british language similar to the french language?
The development of the English language comes from many sources. There are many English words that are French. An example of this is the word "beef". After 1066 when William ( who was French) conquered England all of the kings and nobility only spoke French ( the queens menus today are still only in French) while the common man spoke a form of old English. The Vikings also added words to English ( many names of things/places are Norse even today) and there is a German influence, but the French remains the most dominate in English.
What roman words do you still use today?
The Romans spoke Latin There are so many word in English which originate from Latin that the list would be pages and pages long. Latin words entered the English language in two ways: When Latin was the language the church and a language spoken by the educated elites many Latin words became part of English. With the Normans, who invaded England from France, French became the language of the court and many french words, which have a Latin origin, entered the English language. If you consult a dictionary you will find the origin of words, including the ones from Latin and the ones from French which have a Latin origin. Many technical words in medicine, science, law and theology are Latin.
What was the impact of the French language on the English language?
When the Normans came to England in the Eleventh Century, French became the dominant language in the courts of England and elsewhere. Eventually it merged with the pre-existing English. Hence modern English has many words derived from Frenh.
