How immigrants have made English a richer language
If you’ve ever studied French, Latin, Greek, or even Old Norse, you’ll know that, over the centuries, English speakers have adopted thousands of words from the languages of immigrants. So many, in fact, that it’s impossible to think of English existing as we know it today without immigration.
In Melvyn Bragg’s book and accompanying TV series, The Adventure of English, he explored how we’ve assimilated the languages of immigrants (whether they were invaders or settlers) into our writing and speech.
The Romans gave us wine, fork and letter. The Vikings contributed they and – perhaps surprisingly given their reputation – smile and happy. And in 1066 the Normans brought number, soldier and justice. But it was the Angles, Saxons and Jutes who supplied lots of the simple Old English words that make up our everyday vocabulary – words like you, here, there, field, wood and home.
Some of the additions may surprise you. Remember Del Boy’s catchphrases in the classic TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses? One of them was cushty, a derivation of the Romani word kushti, meaning good or nice. So this snippet of popular British culture doesn't really have its roots in Peckham, where Only Fools and Horses was set, but in India, from where Roma people migrated after the 11th century.
This is just one more example of how immigrants have made a rich contribution to the English language, and one reason among many why we should welcome them.