Origins of English

Of the 6,500 languages spoken in the world today, around a third have fewer than 1000 speakers. With so many languages to choose from, there is a strong need for there to be one which can be used as a ‘lingua franca’. This is English. English, as the world’s lingua franca, enables different countries, continents and industries to have a common form of communication.
English has been the national language of Britain since the fourteenth century, when England was at war with France. Before this time, the national language had been Latin and French respectively, combined with many influences from Nordic and Germanic tribes, most especially the Anglo-Saxons.