The Polish language is one of the oldest in Europe and has a rich history that dates back centuries. It is believed that the Polish language originated from the Slavic languages, which were spoken by the Slavic tribes who migrated to Poland around the 5th-8th centuries.
The contemporary style of Polish originated in the 1700s as a successor to the medieval Old Polish (10th–16th centuries) and Middle Polish (16th–18th centuries). Polish and Latin became the two official languages of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth around the 17th century. Since then, the language has continued to evolve and is now considered one of the most important languages in Europe. It is estimated that there are around 40 million Polish speakers worldwide.