Do You Speak My Language?

Look at the greeting Hello! written in different languages. What languages do you recognise?

Tere! Bonjour ! Hallo! ¡Hola! Ciao! Olá! Hei!

Listen and read.

The European Union was formed[explanation: was formed [wəz ˈfɔːmd] – rajati] in 1993. One of its main goals was to encourage closer friendships between European countries. Now, if you had to guess, how many official languages would you say[explanation: would you say [wəd jʊ ˈseɪ] – sa ütleksid] there are in the EU? Five? Ten? Maybe... twelve? This may surprise you, but the correct answer is twenty-four! That’s right, twenty-four different languages!
Now, you might think that it would be confusing[explanation: confusing [kənˈfjuːzɪŋ] – segadust tekitav, segadusse ajav] with all of those different languages in use, and sometimes it is. How could Europeans from different countries become better friends if they couldn’t even understand each other? But in fact, there are more similarities between European languages than you might think! Let’s see if we can find some, shall we[explanation: shall we [ˈʃæl wi] – eks]? And since this is an English textbook, let’s take a look at English!

The English language is around 1,500 years old. It began to develop when people from northern Germany began to settle in southern England. As a result[explanation: as a result [ˌæz ə rɪˈzʌlt] – tulemusena], English is called a Germanic language, and there are many similarities between English and German. In fact, many words are exactly the same! Just take a look at this list:

English	German
baby	Baby
finger	Finger
modern	modern
person	Person
winter	Winter

Other words are so similar that it is not difficult to guess their meaning. See for yourself!

English	German
bring	bringen
come	kommen
friend	Freund
find	finden
send	senden

During the 8th and 9th centuries, Vikings settled in parts of northern Britain. They spoke a similar Germanic language to the locals, and the two languages mixed. So, English also shares many similarities with Scandinavian languages. For example, in Swedish classes, you might have already noticed[explanation: you might have already noticed [jʊ ˌmaɪt əv ɔːlˈredi ˈnəʊtɪst] – ehk sa oled juba märganud] just how similar many English and Swedish pronouns are:

English	Swedish
I am	jag är
you are	du är
he is	han är
she is	hon är
we are	vi är
they are	de är
me	mig
us	oss
our	vår
their	deras

They’re pretty close, aren’t they? Then, in the year 1066, the Normans from France conquered England, and French became the official language. But, French did not replace the English language. Instead, French added many new words to English. Experts believe that over 10,000 French words were added[explanation: were added [ˌwər ˈædɪd] – siin: lisandus; oli lisatud] to English at that time, and even more since. Many of them are now among the most commonly used words[explanation: among the most commonly used words [əˈmʌŋ ðə ˌməʊst ˈkɒmənli juːst ˈwɜːdz] – kõige sagedamini kasutatavate sõnade hulgas] in the English language. Here are just a few examples:

English	French
art	art
government	gouvernement
passport	passeport
restaurant	restaurant

Of course, in more recent times[explanation: in more recent times [ɪn ˌmɔ: ˌriːs(ə)nt ˈtaɪmz] – viimasel ajal], many European languages have been adopting[explanation: have been adopting [ˌhæv biːn əˈdɒptɪŋ] – on laenanud] English words into their languages, including Finnish. Many of these words are related to technology. Here are some of the more common ones:

English	Finnish
blogger	bloggaaja
hybrid car	hybridiauto
Internet	netti
television	televisio
video	video

So yes, at first, it might seem like[explanation: it might seem like [ɪt maɪt ˈsiːm laɪk] – võib tunduda, et] all European languages are very different. But, if you just look a little closer, you will often notice that they have a lot more in common than you first thought! In fact, in some ways, Europe’s languages are a lot like its people. We might think[explanation: we might think [wi maɪt ˈθɪŋk] – võime arvata] that some people are very unlike us when we first meet them. But, once we get to know each other better, we often discover that we really aren’t so different after all!

Number:	Explanation:
1993
24
1,500
8th and 9th
1066
10,000

?
To cultivate friendships between European countries.
?
People from northern Germany.
?
It’s Freund.
?
In parts of northern Britain.
?
No, it didn’t, but it made English richer.

Pairwork

Discuss with your partner.

Do you use any words adopted from English in your native language? If so, give examples.
In what area(s) of life (e.g. music, technology) do you think words adopted from English are particularly popular? Why?
Do you agree with the last sentence of the text? Why/Why not?

Seotud sisu

Follow-Up

develop
replace
instead
add
official
recent
including
share
exactly

precisely; absolutely –
have the same qualities as something else –
rather; alternatively –
become more advanced by growing or changing –
approved by people in authority –
happening a short time ago –
be used instead of something else; take over –

encourage
form
confusing
as a result

promote
establish
complicated
consequently

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Read the beginning of “The Knight’s Tale” written in Middle English. How much can you understand? Then compare it with the Modern English version.

Middle English:

Whilom, as olde stories tellen us,
Ther was a duc that highte Theseus;
Of Atthenes he was lord and governour,
And in his tyme swich a conquerour,
That gretter was ther noon under the sonne.
Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne,
What with his wysdom and his chivalrie;
He conquered al the regne of Femenye,

Modern English:

Once on a time, as old stories tell to us,
There was a duke whose name was Theseus:
Of Athens he was lord and governor,
And in his time was such a conqueror
That greater was there not beneath the sun.
Very many rich countries had he won;
What with his wisdom and his chivalry
He gained the realm of Femininity,

Source: Librarius

The Canterbury Tales is a book of 24 stories written in Middle English. This form of English was spoken after the Norman Conquest (1066) until around 1500.

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Do You Speak My Language?

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