Cultural Influences on the changes in the English Language

Early Influences

The early influences on the English language come from Celtic and Latin.
The Celts, who were the original inhabitants of the British Isles, contributed very little to the English language because Roman and Anglo-Saxon invasions almost wiped out their language.
However, some place names and river names in the UK have Celtic origins.
The Romans brought Latin into Britain when they invaded in AD 43; influencing the language, especially in terms of vocabulary.

The Anglo-Saxon invasion added Germanic languages to English, forming Old English, or Anglo Saxon English,
The Norman Invasion in 1066 had a significant impact. In the subsequent era, French was the language of the courts and the upper class, leading to many French words being adopted into English.
The Viking invasions also left traces in the English language, including everyday words and numerous place names.

British colonisation around the world resulted in numerous other cultures and languages influencing English.
English borrowed words from Indigenous Languages of colonised territories like India, Australia, and North America.
Words like ‘yacht’ and ‘coleslaw’ were borrowed from Dutch when the British colonised parts of South Africa.

The era of globalisation has led to extensive intermingling of languages, significantly impacting English.
The rise of the internet and social media platforms have led to a quick spread of new words and phrases, which often come from a range of different languages and cultures.
The influence of American English is particularly significant, mainly due to the dominance of American media, film, and music.
English has also borrowed words and phrases from other languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Italian and Arabic.

Immigration continues to affect the English language, with new words and phrases being added to the language from a variety of cultures.
English in different parts of the world (like Indian English or Singaporean English) has evolved differently based on local influences leading to different variants of English.
Ongoing technological advancements and their global nature result in the creation of new words and terms in English, such as ‘selfie’, ‘hashtag’, and ‘meme’ .
Multicultural London English (MLE) is a sociolect of English that emerged in the late 20th century. It is spoken authentically by mainly young, working-class people in London and features influences from Caribbean English, African, and South Asian languages.