English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, originally spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. English has developed over the course of more than 1,400 years. Modern English has been spreading around the world since the 17th century by the worldwide influence of the British Empire and the United States. Through all types of printed and electronic media of these countries, English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and professional contexts such as science, navigation and law. English is the most spoken language in the world and the third-most spoken native language in the world, after Standard Chinese and Spanish. It is the most widely learned second language and is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states. English is the majority native language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, an official language and the main language of Singapore, and it is widely spoken in some areas of the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. It is a co-official language of the United Nations, the European Union and many other world and regional international organisations.
Scripture versions available:
- Holy Bible, New International Version
- King James Version
- English Standard Version - Hear the Word Audio Bible
