What two languages did English derive from?

Answer 1

The English Language has been influenced by many different features. At first in Old English, England was inhabited by the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. Germanic language influenced it as well. By the time of the renaissance/middle English language was established with the assistance of the Norman invastion (french). Modern English was when language was well established and standardisation began however many words from a variety of different languages are in the dictionary e.g. Gaelic and Hindi.

Answer 2

English is a West Germanic language, so we share grammar and syntax with many other Germanic languages, such as German and Swedish. Many of our words, however, borrow from Latin and some of the descending Romance languages, mostly from French. A pie chart I saw once said that 29% of our words derive from Latin, another 29% from French, and 26% from other Germanic languages, 6% from Greek, 6% from other languages, and 4% from proper names.

Answer 3

French and AngloSaxon, the languages of the two cultures that dominated much of English history and culture. However, modern English also contains large amounts of Latin, as well as substantial contributions from many languages from around the world.