World language enables communication between different language communities. No general consensus exists on defining world languages. Language's global function and lingua franca use determine its status. Ammon identifies indicators including non-native speakers and economic strength
Oxford English Corpus contains over 2 billion words from various texts. Brown Corpus from 1960s showed similar but not identical findings. First 25 words make up about one-third of all printed English
Latin alphabet evolved from Etruscan alphabet through Greek and Phoenician influences. Original Roman alphabet contained 21 letters, including Greek letters Y and Z. Letter G replaced Z in 3rd century BC, representing voiced plosive /ɡ/
Alphabet is a set of characters representing language's phonemic structure. Each character represents consonant or vowel, not syllable. A language with 30 consonants and 5 vowels needs only 35 letters
Alphabet is a set of characters representing language's phonemic structure. Each character represents consonant or vowel, not syllable. A language with 30 consonants and 5 vowels needs only 35 letters
English originated from Germanic tribes in UK around 400-500 CE. Evolved through Old, Middle, and Modern English stages. Became leading international language during 17th century