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40 '/. of the English language
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It's difficult to answer, because are you including all the words in the English language or only commonly used ones? are you counting only Norman French, modern French, Latin words that came via French, etc. ?
However, the Oxford Dictionary site ( http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutenglish/proportion?view=UK ) has an estimate of the proportions of the approximately 80,000 words in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (includes some fairly obscure ones, but they're mostly in use) and puts:
- Latin, including modern scientific and technical Latin: 28.24%
- French, including Old French and early Anglo-French: 28.3%
- Old and Middle English, Old Norse, and Dutch: 25%
- Greek: 5.32%
- No etymology given: 4.03%
- Derived from proper names: 3.28%
- All other languages contributed less than 1%
So 28.3% of 80,000 is 22,640 words. Arbitrary, but a good enough estimate.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoApproximately 5% of French words have an English origin.
I have left a link below to the source located at Wikipedia. Incidentally, it is a French article that had to be translated.
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French Italian and Spanish languages and many English words are based upon the language?
Latin
What language most heavily influenced English during the Middle English Period?
French. After the Norman conquest French had such a impact on the English language that Middle English looks nothing like Old English, because we adopted and adapted so many of their words!
What is the influence of Rome's language on our language?
Many Latin words or words of Latin origin have entered English via two routes. One was that Latin was the language of the church in the Middle Ages. The other was the Norman conquest of England. French became the court language and many French words entered into the English language. These words are usually of Latin origin. Many international words in medicine, law and theology are Latin. Many words in medicine, law and theology are Latin. Western European languages have adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. The only letters in the English language which do not come from the Latin alphabet are J, U and W.
How has the Romans influenced us by language?
Western European languages have adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. The only letters in the English language which do not come from the Latin alphabet are J, U and W. Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian are romance languages; that is languages derived from vulgar Latin ( which was a mixture of Latin and local languages). Many Latin words have entered English via two routes. One was that Latin was the language of the church in the Middle Ages. The other was the Norman conquest of England. French became the court language and many French words entered into the English language. These words are usually of Latin origin. Many international words in medicine, law and theology are Latin.
What influence did Rome give to European languages?
Western European languages have adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. The only letters in the English language which do not come from the Latin alphabet are J, U and W. Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian are languages derived from Latin (Romance languages). Many Latin words or words of Latin origin have entered English via two routes. One was that Latin was the language of the church in the Middle Ages. The other was the Norman conquest of England. French became the court language and many French words entered into the English language. These words are usually of Latin origin. Many international words in medicine, law and theology are Latin.
When were french words introduced to the English language?
French words were introduced to the English language after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This event resulted in a significant influence of French language and culture on English, leading to the incorporation of many French words into the English vocabulary.
Why has french words such as Rendezvous become adopted and reused in the English language as if it was an English word?
Especially in the middle ages, the french and English peoples mixed together, and adopted words. The French have many cognates of English words, as we have french words. Particularly, England was once under a french ruler,(I forget the name), and during that time period many words were exchanged from language to language.
What is a word that means french with many English words?
The French language has 'franglais' to describe that. It seems that Frenglish could be an English equivalent.
What are many words in the English language are based upon?
Many are based on the Latin language, often indirectly through French.
Why does English have many French words?
English has many French words due to the historical influence of the Norman Conquest in 1066, during which the Normans brought their language, Old Norman, which eventually evolved into Middle English. This led to the borrowing of French words into English, particularly in areas of law, government, cuisine, and fashion.
French Italian and Spanish languages and many English words are based upon the language?
Latin
How has the French language influenced the English language?
The French language has influenced English through the Norman Conquest in 1066, resulting in the introduction of French vocabulary and grammatical structures into English. Many English words are derived from French, especially in areas like food, fashion, art, and government. This influence has enriched the English language and made it more diverse.
How many words words are in the English language?
There are about 228,132 words total in the English language.
What words did the English borrow from France?
A HUGE part of the English language came from the French. Besides obvious expressions and words, such as attache, or faux pas, common words entered the language- such as beef (from boeuf) and pork (from porc).
Why is the british language similar to the french language?
The development of the English language comes from many sources. There are many English words that are French. An example of this is the word "beef". After 1066 when William ( who was French) conquered England all of the kings and nobility only spoke French ( the queens menus today are still only in French) while the common man spoke a form of old English. The Vikings also added words to English ( many names of things/places are Norse even today) and there is a German influence, but the French remains the most dominate in English.
What roman words do you still use today?
The Romans spoke Latin There are so many word in English which originate from Latin that the list would be pages and pages long. Latin words entered the English language in two ways: When Latin was the language the church and a language spoken by the educated elites many Latin words became part of English. With the Normans, who invaded England from France, French became the language of the court and many french words, which have a Latin origin, entered the English language. If you consult a dictionary you will find the origin of words, including the ones from Latin and the ones from French which have a Latin origin. Many technical words in medicine, science, law and theology are Latin.
What language most heavily influenced English during the Middle English Period?
French. After the Norman conquest French had such a impact on the English language that Middle English looks nothing like Old English, because we adopted and adapted so many of their words!
