English language

English
Native to	England
Region	Worldwide
Language family	Scythian Germanic North Sea Anglic English
Writing system	Latin
Official status
Official language in	United Kingdom Ireland New England Virginia Georgia Carolina Carnatic Natalia Bahamas, Turks, and Caicos Islands West Indies Union Guiana Jamaica

English (English, [ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ]) is a West Germanic language originating in southern Britain. The language belongs to the North Sea subgroup along with other closely related languages such as Frisian, Low Saxon, and Pomeranian. The 5th century saw Anglo-Saxon settlers begin the formation of the language, while medieval Norman invasions of England and subsequent phonological and orthographic changes laid the foundation of modern English. With the expansion of the British Empire, today the English language is one of international status, being recognized in some official capacity by over twenty sovereign states and organizations.

While no formal regulatory institution exists for English, bodies such as the Oxford Dictionary, the Government of the United Kingdom, and the Anglo–Caroline Society act as de facto conservators and authorities. As a global tongue, English is manifested in a multitude of dialects and creoles across the globe, making the notion of a universal pronunciation almost inconceivable; however, the Received Pronunciation standard of southern England has been widely accepted as the most formal and prestigious since the early 19th century.

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Post-alveolar	Dorsal	Glottal
Nasal		m		n		ŋ
Stop	v.	b		d		g
	vl.	p		t		k
Affricate	v.				dʒ
	vl.				tʃ
Fricative	v.	v	ð	z	ʒ		h
	vl.	f	θ	s	ʃ
Approximant		w		l	r	j

Vowels

Front Central Back s. l. s. l. Close ɪ iː ʊ ʉː Mid e ə ʌ ɔː Open æ ɜː ɒ ɑː

Fronting Centering Backing ej ɪə əw ɔj ɛə aj ʊə aw