Then, by the 1600.s, English had returned as the main language spoken by most of the country.s inhabitants. However, this was not the English of old. Rather, this more modern English, also called Middle English, had a distinctly French influence. Words were pronounced and spelt differently. This was made even more pronounced during the English Renaissance, when Latin and Greek began to infiltrate the English language of the day.
Today, the modern English used in England and the rest of the world is likewise sprinkled liberally with influences from Latin, Greek, French and many other languages. English has the largest number of words in comparison to any other language. Excluding its scientific terms and technical words, the language comprises approximately half a million different words, according to The Oxford Dictionary.
Cornish was another community language spoken until the 1700.s, when it saw its almost complete demise. Today, though, it is undergoing a resurrection that began at the beginning of the 1900.s, and is protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Relatively few locals of Cornwall still speak the language. Despite this fact, literature and textbooks continue to be printed in Cornish and it continues to be taught in certain schools in order to revive it as a minority tongue.