global second tongue expansion status English is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is the first language, or mother (1) ___________, of around 400 million people living in Britain Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa, and it is spoken as a (2) _____________ language by millions more. English is learned by many more people worldwide as a foreign language. English has become a(n) (3) ____________language, or international language, used by people who speak different native language to communicate with each other. English has achieved the (4) ___________of a word language over a long period of time, and for various historical and cultural reasons. In the 17th century English was spread by settlers going from Britain to America, and in the 18th and 19th centuries by the (5) __________ of the Britain Empire. speech simplicity change openness flexibility English is the language which has the largest vocabulary, with approximately 500,000 words and 300,000 technical terms. One of the basic characteristics of English is the (6) _________________ of form. Many English words have been simplified over centuries. Many English words do not (7) _______________ according to parts of speech. Another basic characteristics of English is the (8) _______ English has become a flexible language in which the same word can operate as many parts of (9) ______________. The (10) _______________ of vocabulary is another basic characteristic of English. English has many borrowed words, derivatives, and compounds.