English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca. It is the third-most-common native language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. English arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and what is now southeast Scotland. Following the extensive influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 17th to mid-20th centuries through the British Empire, it has been widely propagated around the world. Writing system: Latin script (English alphabet) Official language in: 54 countries and 27 non-sovereign entities