English is the main language spoken by the majority of the population in the United States, Canada,

Australia, New Zealand, and the countries of the former British colony. In countries where the main
language is not English, English is taught as a foreign language and is used as a language of technology
and diplomacy. English is used in more countries in the world than any other language and by more
people than any other language except Chinese.

English vocabulary has continued to change for more than 1500 years. The approaching 'perfect' English
dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary (second edition, 20 volumes, 1989), includes more than 600,000
ancient words and spelling variations. It is estimated that English vocabulary is now more than one
million words, including slang, dialect, and other terms, which are mostly used after the mid-twentieth
century.