The English-speaking countries Are all those groups of nations that at present are English-speaking (English-speaking).
The term"Anglo-Saxon"refers to the group of Germanic peoples who invaded the south and east of the British Isles in the middle of the fifth century until the Battle of Hastings originated in 1066.
This word is also used to represent the"old English"that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and was the one that gave rise to modern English.
These countries share certain similarities in terms of population, development, standard of living, legal systems, economy, technology, policies, etc.
He English Is spoken by about 470 million people around the world and is the official and co-official language of 57 countries.
There are many territories and islands in which the majority and official language is English. In particular 3 in Europe, 14 in America, 5 in Asia, 21 in Africa and 14 in Oceania.
The influence of English today is due in large part to the fact that in the nineteenth century the British empire decided to spread this language through all the regions of the world it was colonizing.
At present, English has developed as the main language for communication in certain aspects such as: research, international congresses, studies, internationally recognized scientific publications, business, etc.
In other fields, this language is recognized as speaking and administrative in a large number of places, mostly used as a language of commerce and tourism, for example: India, Singapore, Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, among others .
As for religions, the dogmas that profess most within this group of countries are Protestantism, for example: New Zealand, Canada, United States, Australia, United Kingdom, among others). While Catholicism stands out in English-speaking countries like Ireland, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, etc.
In other territories such as India, Hong Kong and others, have maintained their own religious beliefs as Hinduism, animism, Islam, Judaism, etc.
Birth and development of the Anglo-Saxon language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is a dead language. It is not currently the official language of any country and is considered an early form of English. This speech was used in much of what is now England and the south of Scotland between the years 425 and 1125 approximately.
It developed from languages such as the Frisian, which was spoken by the Germanic tribes, as the Anglos, Saxons and Jutes. Both managed to enter Great Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire of the West in the fifth century.
According to the classification made by the Benedictine monk Bede in the early eighth century, the English are descendants of three Germanic tribes:
The Anglos, coming from Anglia (modern Germany). These left their lands and the whole nation headed towards Great Britain. The name"England"originates from the name of this tribe: Englaland.
The Saxons: coming from Lower Saxony (modern Germany: Niedersachsen) and from the Netherlands. And, in a third group, the Jutes, originating in Jutland (in modern Denmark).
The Anglo-Saxon language is derived from the Western Germanic dialect and is commonly divided into four main dialects:
The Kéntico (of the Kingdom of Kent), the western Saxon (mainly spoken in the Kingdom of Wessex), the dialect Mercio and the dialect Northumbrio (spoken in the Kingdom of Northumbria).
The latter was considered as a flexible language with a lot of freedom in its syntax, unlike current English.
During the 700 years that lasted this period, from the Anglo-Saxon migrations to the Norman conquests of 1066, came to undergo very important transitions from contact with the Celtic languages and the two ancient Nordic dialects used by the Vikings.
Nevertheless, the Germanic inheritance was the most important factor in the formation of the old English, as much in its vocabulary as in its syntax and morphology.
In turn, the second source of influence were the Scandinavian languages, which were introduced by means of Viking invasions in the ninth and tenth centuries.
Origin of the Anglo-Saxon word
The word Anglo-Saxon comes from a compound word, which unifies"Anglii"of Latin origin, a word used to denote the Germans coming from a place now called"Anglia"(peninsula currently located in Germany).
And on the other hand, it is formed by the union of the term"saxon"which represented those who came from the Netherlands and the so-called Lower Saxony or Niedersachsen, in German.
The Germanic peoples invaded England and helped to prevent Roman domination and the invasion of the Normans in the year 1066.
More specifically, during the period between the fifth and eleventh centuries, England was characterized by the bloody invasions of the Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons and together) who subjected the Celts,
This situation resulted in the creation of a culture that lasted until the year 1066, when they were defeated by the Normans in the battle of Hastings.
After being defeated, a process of change began and a tenacious decadence that had as a consequence that the Anglo-Saxon language was gradually becoming obsolete, especially the rough dialects that included the Anglo-Saxon language, ie, Saxon Western, Merci, Northumbrio and Kentic.
By then, between the twelfth and twelfth centuries, there were few who had knowledge of those dialects.
Also, the Angles, Saxons and the together seized of this territory forcing the Romans to withdraw their military forces. It was then that the Anglo-Saxons began to conform their language, leaving Latin, Scandinavian and Celtic reminiscences.
Expansion of modern English
The expansion of the British Empire during the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries helped this modern speech spread throughout the world. That is why many of the Anglo-Saxon countries that were colonized by this command have English as their official language. This is the case in Canada, Australia, the United States and South Africa.
Through colonialism, this language was introduced in some regions of the African and Asian continent. As in ancient British colonies, the Hindi most spoken language of India cohabits with English.
During the twentieth century, the political and economic settlement of States helped to make English the most widely spoken language, especially in the years after World War II. And especially through his ability to influence Hollywood film and journalism.
Anglo-Saxon America
This concept refers to all the countries of the American continent where the official language is English.
In this line, the Anglo-American countries consist of: Canada, United States (excluding Hawaii), Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Grenada Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, United States Virgin Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Falkland Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
These countries are characterized by great urban growth during the nineteenth century. To have about 479 million inhabitants. To have a 9% low rate of infant mortality and to cover a life expectancy of 78 years.
Normally the religion with the greatest presence is Protestantism and the predominant climate is cold, temperate and tropical with the usual formation of storms.
Among these countries, Canada and the United States have economies with strong financial weight worldwide. The raw materials that stand out are iron, steel, wood and cellulose and finished products are usually electronic equipment, automobiles, among others.
Most of these territories are exporting in agriculture, with machinery predominating instead of labor, along with the use of fertilization and technification. In general, the quality of life is high.
Common Law
It is the legal system that derived from the one applied in England in the medieval era and that is used by great part of the territories with British influence.
Its main characteristic is that it is usually governed by jurisprudence and law, the first part having greater weight.
The systems based on Anglo-Saxon law or with influences of this current are: England, Wales, Ireland, much of the former colonies of the United Kingdom: Australia, New Zealand, Canada (except Quebec) and the United States (except Louisiana). In Asia: Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore.
The Common Law is based primarily on the analysis of court rulings handed down by the courts and the interpretations they generate of laws, for this reason jurisdictions may become ambiguous in many respects and the courts are expected to clarify them.
As a curiosity, in its origins, this legal system was based on customs. It is an unwritten right, not regulated, has no defined rules and at present is not based on custom, there are no codes as such and recognizes the form of judicial precedents.
Countries where English is spoken
In Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta stand out. Although they coexist with other languages in other places of this continent.
In America they are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada. Dominica, the United States, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.
In Asia, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Singapore. Many of these territories were already colonized by the British Empire.
In Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
And in Oceania, Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuval and. Vanuatu
References
- "Anglo-Saxon"Dictionary of the Spanish Royal Academy. Excerpted from: dle.rae.es.
- "Latin America and Anglo-Saxon America". Extracted from: somossexto2012.blogspot.com.
- "Concept of Anglo-Saxon". Extracted from: deconceptos.com.
- "What are the countries of Anglo-Saxon America". Excerpted from: answers.tips.
- "What countries speak English?". Excerpted from: saberespractico.com.
- "List of countries and places where English is spoken". Extracted from: enotraspalabras.es.
- "10 Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon America". Extracted from: caracteristicas.co.