The role of the Dutch language in the shaping and influencing of both the modern British and American English language cannot be denied. From as far as a thousand years ago, the contact through trade, war, industry, science and art between the Netherlands and England, and the later contact and influence of Dutch settlers and colonies on the American continent, are not only an important part of history, but an important part of linguistics as well, helping to understand how the modern English language has been shaped throughout the centuries and why that is so. Although many words and terms adopted from Dutch into English are not used anymore and have become archaic, there are still significant terms that have adapted, survived and are still in use today. For many of those word and terms, the general populace, whose mother tongue is English, is not even aware that they are the remnants of the historical Dutch influence on their country and their language. Even though only 1% of English words today can be attributed to the Dutch, which may not seem like much, it is still very significant and without it, the English language would sound quite different from what it is today.