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This question is a bit complex and is not simply answered with any given ratio. While Latin may be the ultimate derivative of a little over half (about 55%) of the words in our English language, most of these words are very obscure and are not often used. In truth, English is a Germanic language, and, while the raw number of words derived from German may be less than those derived from Latin, almost all of the most basic one syllable English words, which are most commonly used, derive from German. Of the 100 most common words in the English language (words like the, a, I, tree, farm, etc.), only a handful come from Latin, while words that are longer and often more obscure are dominated by Latin. So if the frequency of occurence in the English language is taken into account, German comprises most of the language, even though Latin gives us more words in terms of sheer numbers. So if you want to improve your vocabulary, learning a little Latin can go a long way.

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3d ago

Approximately 29% of English words have Latin roots, mainly due to the influence of Latin on Old English during the Middle Ages. This influence has left a lasting impact on the vocabulary and structure of the English language.

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Q: How much of the English language comes from latin?
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What is the prefix for illegal?

Like very much of our language, the word 'illegal' comes originally from Latin. The Latin prefix 'il' is a negator, meaning 'not' or 'without', along with 'ir', 'im', and 'in'.


Who invented English nouns and adjectives?

English nouns and adjectives have evolved over time through the influence of various languages such as Latin, French, and Germanic languages. There is no single individual who can be credited with inventing English nouns and adjectives.


What is a fact about the French language?

French is one of the Romance languages, derived from Latin. It is spoken by around 274 million people worldwide. French is the official language of 29 countries and is known as the language of diplomacy.


Why learn Latin?

Learning Latin can help you understand the roots of many modern languages, improve your grammar and vocabulary skills, and access a wealth of literature and historical documents written in Latin. Additionally, studying Latin can enhance your cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills.


How much of the English language is taken from other languages?

Nearly 80 percent or more of the English language has its origins from other languages and the development over time from Old English, Middle English and Modern English. Greek, Latin, Germanic languages, French, Roman and others had their influence on English. Many of the medical and scientific words come from Greek and Latin. The other modern words which don't have true origins from other languages came from slang words, new inventions and discovery, and were made up as new words were needed.

Related questions

Much of the vocabulary used in legal English comes from?

latin


Why do scientists categorise animals with latin names?

It used to be the common language in education and science throughout Europe. Much earlier still it was used by most of the common people. Much modern English comes from Latin roots.


Why did English words come from the Latin?

Many English words came from Latin like many other languages use older languages for their own. Much of English that comes from Latin comes from French, which even older than English, and heavily based on Latin.


What is the relevance of Romans education to Nigeria education?

Latin language itself is a huge contributor to modern-day education because much of the English language is based on it. The meanings of many words in English are derived from Latin prefixes, roots, and/or suffixes.


Is latin a dead and usless language?

Latin may be 'dead' but that is not an helpful observation when it comes to education. All romance languages derive directly from Latin and knowing Latin can give the student a real command over the English language, 60% of English words have Latin derivatives . Think of motto's, Universities for example , Veritas for Harvard. What about Latin words used today in English, such as Impromptu, per se, ad hoc, bona fide, pro rata, habaus corpus and many many more. Thus it helps you to have critical knowledge and historical knowledge of your own language. Not 'dead' as defined in your question and not at all useless. The number of students taking Latin over the last decade has doubled.


What is the latin word lith means?

The word 'lithium' is the same in English and in Latin. The English noun derives from the much earlier, ancient, classical Latin language of the ancient Romans. The Latin in turn derives from the Greek word for small stone.


Who invented English nouns and adjectives?

English nouns and adjectives have evolved over time through the influence of various languages such as Latin, French, and Germanic languages. There is no single individual who can be credited with inventing English nouns and adjectives.


Why learn Latin?

Learning Latin can help you understand the roots of many modern languages, improve your grammar and vocabulary skills, and access a wealth of literature and historical documents written in Latin. Additionally, studying Latin can enhance your cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills.


What is the prefix for illegal?

Like very much of our language, the word 'illegal' comes originally from Latin. The Latin prefix 'il' is a negator, meaning 'not' or 'without', along with 'ir', 'im', and 'in'.


How much influence does Latin have on English?

English is part of the Germanic language family, more precisely, of the West Germanic family, along with German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian, and Yiddish. Latin is part of the Italic family. The Italic and the Germanic are branches of a larger family of languages commonly known as Indo-European or Indo-Germanic.


Why are most scientific names in greek or latin?

because Latin and Greek use one word to describe something, and when translated to English, it is more that one word. example: Bi(Latin) means 2 kinds, or two of something. and nobody wants to say 'more than one language', why not just say 'bilateral'. that's why.


Why does the English language use so many e's?

It's hard to say exactly why the language uses the letter so frequently, especially since Proto-English (Old Old English) and Old English use the letter so infrequently. Although Latin lightly influenced Old English, and Old Norse strongly did, the letter e did not come into so much use until the arrival with the French. Anglo-Norman English, or Middle English, is where the e comes into great use - first, because of the French ties, and second, because the language's speakers and writers tended to tack the letter, and its sound, on pretty much everywhere. Still, the widespread use of the letter e comes from the French influences on the language.