Ingliskeeles

Ingliskeeles is the Estonian term for the English language. It is one of the world's most widely spoken languages and a core component of global communication, culture, and science.

English belongs to the West Germanic branch of the Germanic family. It originated in medieval England from Anglo-Saxon (Old English) with significant influence from Norse, Latin, and French, culminating in Early Modern English and Modern English.

English is written primarily with the Latin alphabet (26 letters). Spelling is highly irregular owing to its layered history of borrowings and sound changes. Phonology features a relatively large vowel inventory and consonant system, including sounds like /θ/ and /ð/ and variable rhoticity.

Globally, English serves as a lingua franca in business, science, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy. It is an official language in many countries and a primary or de facto second language for hundreds of millions more. Estimates place total users around 1.5 billion, including roughly 375–400 million native speakers.

Dialects and varieties are diverse, with General American, British English, Australian English, Indian English, and others. Standard forms are maintained through dictionaries, style guides, and educational curricula, though pronunciation and usage vary by region. English also exerts substantial influence on other languages through loanwords and calques.

Ingliskeeles continues to evolve with technological change, including digital communication, machine translation, and multilingual education, reinforcing its role as a global language while maintaining regional identity and variation.