Basically, English is not much different from most other Western European languages. In the sense that it is the same remake as they are.
It should be said right away: until 1733, Latin was the official language of the English state. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/latin/beginners … Although Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in 1653 tried to translate office work into English. The first pancake came out lumpy. And after 7 years, in 1660, Latin again became the language of documents. In 1731, parliament passed a law according to which English was declared the state language. The law came into force only in 1733.
So who created English and when? and what languages were spoken in foggy Albion in the past? Such a picture emerges. Each class had its own language. Thus, the peasants spoke mainly in Germanic Saxon and Frisian dialects.
The nobles preferred French. At first, the Norman language was popular among them. The Duke of Normandy once conquered England. The local nobility switched to the language of the conquerors. Later in the nobility it became good form to speak in the Parisian dialect. Not surprising. After all, England owned significant territories on the continent. English kings claimed the French throne. And the French and English aristocracy was a single whole. Contrary to popular belief, none of the French languages was official in England.
Latin was used in the churches. Even when the reformation gained momentum in Europe and liturgical books began to be translated into national languages, England in this matter for the time being remained in this matter an outpost of conservatism. However, a rift once appeared between the English crown and the papal throne. King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife. The Pope did not agree to a divorce. Then Henry separated England from the Catholic Church and established the Anglican Church, becoming its head himself. And he decided: to translate the services into a language understandable to the people. True, the extravagant king soon canceled his own decision. A series of quarrels and reconciliation began. Work on the translation of books into the national language was stopped and then started again.
Finally. in 1604, King James (James) I seated 48 scholars and priests to translate the Bible. In 1611, the translation was completed. It turned out very clumsily. But they managed to create spelling and semantic rules for the new English language. The King James Version became the foundation upon which modern English was formed.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, there was an intensive growth of vocabulary. Borrowed from many languages. Most of all from Latin. The creation of the English language was completed in 1755 when Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary.
W. Shakespeare made the greatest contribution to the creation of the English language, introducing over three thousand new words into it. Author of 37 plays, several poems and many sonnets. In the words of Mark Twain - "the greatest man who never lived." Shakespeare was well versed in all aspects of human life. He knew the cities and countries he had never visited. It is hard to believe that Shakespeare was a semi-literate actor at the court theater. The most plausible version seems to be that "Shakespeare" is a single pseudonym for a team of authors. But this is a topic for a separate conversation …
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