Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and written forms, and may also be conveyed through sign languages.

The history of the English language can be divided into three periods: Old English (5th century AD - 1066 AD), Middle English (1066 AD - 1485 AD), and Modern English (1485 AD - present). Old English, which is also called Anglo-Saxon, is the oldest variant of the English language.

English as we know it today came to be exported to other parts of the world through British colonisation, and is now the dominant language in Britain and Ireland, the United States and Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many smaller former colonies, as well as being widely spoken in India, parts of Africa, and ...

The origins of the English language lie – surprise, surprise – in today's England and the arrival of Anglo-Saxon tribes from Central Europe to the British Isles in 400 AD. Their language, now known as “Old English“, was soon adopted as the common language of this relatively remote corner of Europe.