English history began around 450 AD --- Anglo-Saxon England occupation and domination.
Previously, early language on the British mainly Celtic Celtic local use, which contains some Latin ingredients.
Since then, the experienced English Old English, Middle English and Modern English three stages of development:
Old English period (AD 449-1150): The English have a vocabulary of about five or six million, its subject is the ruler --- Anglo-Saxon,
It belongs to the vocabulary of West Germanic languages Germanic languages, which constitute the main part of the vocabulary is today called the native word.
Middle English period (AD 1150 - 1500 years): this time the introduction of thousands of Latin words with the Old French word.
Because, this time using the Old French and Latin Norman conquest and domination of the United Kingdom. (Mostly Latin Old French sources)
Modern English (1500 AD-present): influenced by the Renaissance in Europe, because the admiration and imitation of ancient Greek and Roman culture, Latin again massive influx of English.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of social sciences and natural sciences have begun to enter the Greek word in English, directly or indirectly.
Today, Latin and Greek words are collectively referred to as classical words , also called foreign words , especially in the 17th century, the impact of these foreign words of the English language and the culmination.
British exclaimed that "no English Latin" in favor of "clean English."
After the 18th century, the English vocabulary continues to develop.
On the one hand, with the strong growth and expansion of British colonialism and American capitalism, in English to the world, but also absorbs world vocabulary in various languages.
On the other hand, with economic and social development and progress of science and technology, and the use of classical English language morpheme as raw material to create a lot of new things expression, vocabulary new concepts.
According to statistics, the total English vocabulary has more than 1 million, and in growing.
So, English is the vocabulary of the world's largest, most complex component of the source language language.
Various etymology of the word English vocabulary accounted for in the total percentage is:
Germanic source (i.e. native source): 33%
Latin and Greek source (i.e. classical etymology): 56%
Celtic source: 2%
Mixed etymology: 3%
East, Africa, the Americas and other etymology: 6%
Different etymology vocabulary root features:
Native: Stem relatively easy to grasp, almost do not have to spend a special effort cognitive support them.
1. The most basic thing is, the basic concepts and usage of high basic relationship of common words; (for example: yes, many, lady, hand)
2. liberty root root mostly used independently. (For example: we, our, this, the, and, well, self)
Classical language:
1 are not adhered root root used independently, although the meaning of relatively simple form, but no special knowledge will be difficult to identify it from the word;
2. Many more words from the same root of the phenomenon;
3. Classical etymology of words commonly used in a limited number of root, probably more than 400.
Thus, the high proportion of classical language and learning difficult, is the difficulty of learning the vocabulary of lies.
However, these roots have some breeding ability, coupled with a limited number of root, we can take advantage of this feature, faster and more effort to master the vocabulary of classical etymology.