Jay Laney

Origins of English Idioms

As you already know, there are over 15,000 idioms in the English Language and you’d better learn at least some of them. But as you encounter an idiom after idiom, you have to be at least slightly curious how they were originated and became widely used. Some of them were coined by the great writers, others came from the Bible, and a lot of them came from French and Latin.

Shakespeare alone is credited with adding over a hundred idioms, many of which you definitely know. Phrases like “a fool’s paradise” and “a sorry sight” date back to the 17th century and yet, they are still used in the everyday speech. He was also the first to compare envy to a green-eyed monster and the first to capture the essence of love in now immortal expression “love is blind.” If you want to learn more about phrases like “good riddance” and “wild goose chase” – and yes, they also belong to Shakespeare – follow this link.

Throughout the centuries, English been greatly influenced by other languages.

English, as we know it today, has a lot of words of French, Latin and Greek origin. The Gallic language, French, brought many unmistakably graceful and sophisticated expressions, and phrases like a la mode, a la carte and double-entendre are very widely used in written and spoken English. You can find a comprehensive list of the most common idioms of French origin Here.

There is a lot of idiomatic expressions of Latin origin in the contemporary English. Most of them pertain to law, medicine and politics, but others like status quo, et cetera and alter ego are more universal. See how many of the Latin expressions you know at the link – we bet you will be pleasantly surprised!

English- Lingua Franca

English is fast becoming the common language of the world. As globalization increases, the need to communicate with people from different parts of the world also increases. For smooth communication, a common language is necessary. A large part of the world has always been acquainted with English for historical reasons, so, it is only natural that English is the language to be used for international purposes.

English speakers

In terms of native speakers it is the third most commonly spoken language in the world. But as a second language it is the most commonly used. It is also the most common language, when both the native and non-native speakers are taken into account. English is the official language of many countries, as well as many world organizations.

Most educated people of the world are at least bilingual, learning English as a second language along with their mother tongue.

Uses of English

English is used for various purposes, like, educational, political, entertainment, business, finance, etc. Tourism is another important aspect in which the necessity of English is felt increasingly. Tourists can never be expected to know the languages of their holiday destinations, so it becomes important for employees of the tourism industry to learn a language in which they can easily communicate with the foreigners. English is the inevitable choice as it is known by the majority of tourists.

Teaching English

In today’s world, it is very important to learn English and keeping this in mind, many English teaching jobs have been created in all the countries using English as the official language.

English teachers are very much in demand nowadays. There are many courses which help aspiring English teachers to get good jobs. A part of all Online teacher training jobs are ESL jobs. In ESL jobs, English teachers teach students English as a second language.

Professional Benefits

For those who know English, job prospects increase ten folds. Almost all good jobs require the knowledge of English. The chance to go abroad also opens up when a person becomes proficient in English. Countries like China, Japan and some others are taking in many English teachers, for they have also understood the necessity to know English. Teacher Teaching jobs, like ESL jobs, give opportunities to English teachers to go abroad & teach the subject to non-native speakers.

Other benefits

English is not necessary for professional purposes only; English is the main language for books and articles too. All international communication is held in English. Even if a person wants to go abroad for a holiday, his knowledge of English will be useful. Airports make announcements in English, conferences are held in English, this generation has also seen a rise in English music, not only in the first language English countries but elsewhere, too.  Most scientific works are carried out using English and they are published in this language as well. Apart from that, wonderful stories and poems have been written in English, which a person need not miss out on once he learns English.