The development of spoken languages is probably the most
significant development in communications in the history of the world. Since
mankind first developed language, languages have developed into a multitude of
varieties, a diversity which endures
to this day. Language is perhaps the most important function of the human body – it allows us
to get sustenance as a child, it allows us to get virtually anything we want as
an adult, and it allows us many hours of entertainment through literature,
radio, music, and films. This list (in order of least to most spoken) summarizes
the most important languages in use today.
10. German (over 90 million speakers)
German is a member of
the West Germanic language family, alongside English. German is primarily
spoken, as its name suggests, in Germany, where it is the official
language. However, it is also the official language of Austria,
Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, and is one of three official languages of Belgium
(alongside Dutch and French) and one of four official languages of Switzerland
(alongside French, Italian, and Romansch) and is the official language of
Italian province of Bolzano-Bozen. In addition, it is recognized as a
minority language in several countires, including Poland, Denmark, Hungary and
the Czech Republic.
Common German phrases
include Guten tag (Good
day), Sprechen sie Deutsch? (Do you speak German?), and auf wiedersehen (Goodbye).
9. Japanese (132 million speakers)
The Japanese language is
a member of the Japonic language family (which also includes the Ryukyuan
language spoken on the island of Okinawa). Most Japanese native speakers
live in Japan and its territories, but native Japanese speakers also live in
Korea, the United States and Europe. Japanese is the
official language of Japan, and it also enjoys official status in Palau.
Common phrases in
Japanese include konichiwa (hello),
arigato
(Thank you), and sayonara (goodbye).
8. Russian (144 million speakers)
The Russian language is
a member of the East Slavic family of languages, a family which also includes
the Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Rusyn languages. Most of Russian’s 144
million speakers live in Russia, where it is the official language. Other
countries with large Russian-speaking populations include Belarus, Ukraine, and
Kazakhstan. Russian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet.
Common Russian phrases
include ????????????. (ZDRAHST-vooy-tyeh; hello), ??. (dah: yes), and ???????. (spuh-SEE-buh; thank you).
7. Portuguese (178 million speakers)
The Portuguese language
is a member of the Italo-Western branch of the Romance language family.
Like the other Romance languages, it is a descendant of Latin (“Romance”
referring to Rome). It is the official language of both Portugal and
Brazil, where most native speakers live. In addition, it is the official
language of Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São
Tomé and Príncipe, and is a mandatory subject of study in schools in Uruguay and
Argentina. It is currently the fourth most learned language in the world,
with 30 million learners.
Common Portuguese phrases
include Bom dia (Good day), Como está? (how are you?), and Não (No).
6. Bengali (181 million speakers)
Bengali is a member of
the Indo-Aryan language family, alongside languages such as Hindi, Punjabi and
Urdu. Most of its speakers live in the country of Bangladesh, where it is
the official language. Speakers also live in the Indian states of West
Bengal, Tripura and Assam. Speakers also live in Europe, the United
States, and even Saudi Arabia. Bengali has a rich literary tradition and
is a focal point of Bengali nationalism. Bengali is written in the
Bengali script, which is related to the Sanskrit and Hindi scripts.
Common Bengali phrases
include Nômoshkar (Hello),
Apnar
nam ki? (What is your name?),
and Ektu (please).
5. Arabic (221 million speakers)
Arabic is a member of
the Semitic language family, which includes Hebrew Neo-Aramaic languages such as Syriac and
Neo-Chaldean. Arabic is most often identified with the Middle East and
North Africa, and is the official language of 26 countries. Has large populations of speakers in both
Europe and North America. Additional, its classical variant is the
language of the Qu’ran. Arabic is written in the Arabic script.
Common Arabic phrases
include as-salaamu ‘alaikum (Peace be with you, a formal greeting), Na’am (yes), and ismaHli (excuse me).
4. Hindi-Urdu (242 million speakers total)
Hindi-Urdu is a member
of the Indo-Aryan family, alongside Bengali. It is a pluricentric
language and has two official forms, Standard Hindi and Standard Urdu, although
the two forms are nearly indistinguishable from each other. Hindi is the
official language of India, whilst Urdu is the official language of
Pakistan. Urdu and Hindi are also spoken in parts of Europe and North
America with heavy Indian and Pakistani immigrant populations. It is
written in both the Hindi alphabet and the Arabic alphabet (for Urdu due to
Islamic influence).
3. English (328 Million speakers)
English is a member of
the West Germanic language family. It originally sprouted from the
Anglo-Saxon language (Old English) and borrowed heavily from Latin and French
due to the Norman conquest of England. Though it developed in the British
isles, the largest population of English speakers lives in the United States,
with about 309 million speakers. English is the official language of 53 countries,
including Ireland, Canada, South Africa, Jamaica, and New
Zealand, and is the de facto language of the United
States, Australia and the United Kingdom. It also has large speaking
populations in several African and Oceanian countries, and is a “subsidiary
official language” in India.
English is also an
official language of several organizations, including the UN, NATO, and the
European Union.
2. Spanish (329 million speakers)
Spanish is a member of
the West Iberian branch of the Romance languages, closely related to
Portuguese. Spanish is one of the most widely distributed languages in
the world; it is the official language of over 20 countries, and is the
official language of nearly every state in Latin America, excepting Brazil,
Belize, etc. Additionally, large populations of native speakers have
immigrated to the United States, and Spanish is now one of the most common
languages in the American southwest. It is also one of the six official
languages of the United Nations.
Common Spanish phrases
include hola (hello), Que pase un buen día (Have a good day), and ¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?).
1. Mandarin (over 845 million speakers)
Mandarin is often called Chinese by non-speakers, but it is in
fact only one of many Chinese languages, which include Cantonese and Xiang, in
the Sino-Tibetan language family. Mandarin is the largest of the Chinese
languages, and is the official language of the People’s Republic of China and
Taiwan. It is also one of four official languages of Singapore (the
others being English, Malay and Tamil). In addition, large scale
immigration from both mainland China and Taiwan have brought large populations
of Mandarin speakers to the United States and Europe. Mandarin has two
writing systems; Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.
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