What kind of language is there in the world? Ten most spoken languages on the planet
The world's population speaks almost 7,000 languages. However, only a few dozen of them have official status in certain countries and global significance. For example, the UN has only 6 official languages: English, Arabic, Russian, French, Chinese and Spanish.
Today we have compiled for you Top 15 most spoken languages in the world. The main criterion for assessing prevalence was the number of people who consider a particular language to be their native language.
15. Urdu
Native to 60.6 million people.
A language related to Hindi, it belongs to the Indo-European group and originated in the 13th century. Urdu is spoken by about 7 percent of the population of Pakistan and the population of several Indian states, as well as a few ethnic groups in 23 countries.
14. Italian
Native to 61.7 million people.
The language is official in Italy, Switzerland, Vatican City and San Marino. About 2% of websites on the Internet use Italian.
13. Tamil
Native to 65.7 million people.
Language of the population of southern India, parts of Singapore and Sri Lanka. The Tamil language originated more than 2,300 years ago and it is in it that many classic literary works of Eastern literature are written.
12. Korean
Native to 66.3 million people.
The language is official in North and South Korea and is spoken by people in 33 countries around the world.
11. French
Native to 67.8 million people.
The language is official in France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Monaco and Luxembourg. The International Organization for Cooperation of Francophone Countries, La Francophonie, unites 56 states.
10. German
Native to 90.3 million people.
The language is official in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Belgium. German is the second most popular language on the Internet, with 6.5% of websites written in it.
9. Japanese
Native to 122 million people.
Despite the fact that Japanese is the official language of only one state, it is used by the peoples of 25 different countries in Asia. The importance of the Japanese language is enhanced by the fact that Japan is the fourth largest country in the world in terms of GDP.
8. Russian
Native to 144 million people.
People in 33 countries of the world use the Russian language for communication, including 7 of which have official language status. 4.8% of sites on the Internet use Russian.
7. Portuguese
Native to 178 million people.
The spread of the native language of the population of small Portugal was facilitated by colonization. Portuguese is the second most popular language in Latin America. It is official in a number of African countries, for example, Mozambique and Angola.
6. Bengali
Native to 181 million people.
The Indo-European language, which originated in the 10th-12th centuries, is the official language of the Republic of Bangladesh and is widely used in India.
5. Hindi
Native to 182 million people.
This ancient language is the most widespread in India and is enshrined in the country's constitution as an official language along with 20 other languages.
4. Arabic
Native to 221 million people.
The language has official status in Egypt, Israel, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Senegal and many other countries.
3. Spanish
Native to 329 million people.
The language is official in Spain, many Latin American countries and Equatorial Guinea. About 4.5% of websites on the Internet use Spanish.
2. English
Native to 560 million people.
One of the most widely spoken languages in the world is recognized as an official language in 59 countries. Almost 57% of websites on the World Wide Web are written in English. Interestingly, about 70% of words in the language are borrowed.
1. Chinese
Native to 1213 million people.
The most widely spoken language in the world is official in China, Taiwan and Singapore. 4.5% of Internet websites are written in Chinese. There are 10 dialectical groups in the Chinese language, and the dialects are so different from each other that it is sometimes impossible for residents of different regions of China to understand each other.
As the world becomes more connected economically and socially, the ability to communicate and understand each other has never been more important than it is today. Whether you travel, do business or study, learning another language is a must. The article presents a list of the ten most important languages that will definitely come in handy in life.
Experts advise starting to learn the language that you like or that is extremely necessary, since the most important link in mastering a new means of communication is motivation, which forces a person to study tirelessly. If you still find it difficult to make a choice, you can refer to this list.
Languages are selected according to their global significance (degree of prevalence, influence in the field of politics and economics), ease of learning and usefulness for a particular person (for example, when traveling or getting a job).
10. Portuguese
Compared to Spanish, Portuguese has a separate, distinct history, including influences from Latin and Celtic. This language is more difficult to learn than Spanish. More than 230,000,000 speakers of Portuguese consider it their first language of communication. In fact, it is the official language in ten countries. It is spoken in places as far away as Angola in Africa and East Timor in the Pacific.
9. Russian
With over 250,000,000 native speakers, Russian is the most widely spoken language geographically. Using the Cyrillic alphabet may seem a little intimidating at first, but once you become familiar with it, you will realize that it provides a good basis for understanding Slavic languages such as Ukrainian, Serbian and Bulgarian. Apart from its importance in the business world, this international communication tool boasts the largest collection of scientific and technical literature in the world, making it extremely practical for those with a thirst for knowledge.
8. Japanese
The Japanese language is important to understand. When you travel in Japan, you may be surprised to find that few road signs are written in English, and most of the population does not speak English at all. Over 120,000,000 people speak Japanese, and some consider it the most difficult language in the world. It has three intricate writing systems, levels of formality, and a structural grammar that many may find puzzling. However, those who study it find it quite funny.
7. Hindi
Along with English, Hindi is the official language of the Indian government. It is a truly rich language that has expanded its vocabulary from Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Turkish and English. Although most people associate it with India, it is also the official means of communication of Fiji, as well as a regional language in Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius.
6. Arabic
Arabic is an official language in 26 countries and has approximately 422,000,000 local and non-local speakers. It has become extremely important in the energy and security sectors, especially in Middle Eastern cities such as Dubai, UAE, Doha and Qatar. However, it contains various dialects (for example, there are large differences between Egyptian Arabic and Moroccan Arabic) and has a complex writing style.
5. German
There are many good reasons to learn German, primarily because it is an spoken language in the EU. Communication in business is carried out in German, since Germany is the economic center of Europe. While younger generations of people in Eastern Europe were more likely to learn English, those who grew up under the Iron Curtain were more likely to learn German. Although it has a more complex grammar compared to English, it is more logical.
4. French
After World War II, French became a European language. It was extremely necessary for business and tourism. Today there are 110,000,000 of its speakers. In addition, 190,000,000 people speak it as a second language.
Americans who want to speak French with native speakers should visit Quebec and New Brunswick. Residents of these Canadian provinces use it as their main means of communication.
3. Spanish
About 470,000,000 people speak it as their first language, in addition to 100,000,000 people who speak it as their second language. It is the official means of communication for 20 countries. Primarily, it is distributed in South America and the Caribbean. Of course, it is also a much-needed language for Americans, who are learning it due to the growing number of Latinos in Florida, Texas and the Southwest. It should be noted that it is very easy to learn.
2. Chinese
China is set to overtake the United States as the world's largest economy. Thus, the most widespread communication tool in the world (about 955,000,000 speakers) has acquired great importance. It is an extremely complex language at first: changing the tone can change the meaning of a sentence. The grammar system is relatively simple, although writing Chinese letters is notoriously difficult.
1. English
More than 400,000,000 people speak English as their first language, and another 1.1 billion speak it as a foreign language. Simply put, it is impossible to travel or conduct business internationally without knowing this medium of communication.
A good career is unthinkable without knowledge of English. In fact, commercial pilots are required to speak it, and most diplomatic positions require it as well. Difficult spelling rules and specific grammar can be a big challenge, but once you've mastered it, it's great.
Did you know that the world's most popular language is spoken by 1/7 of the world's population? And this is not English at all! There are more than 7,000 languages in the world, but 10 of them are the most popular. Is there Russian in this top ten? The answer is under the cut...
No. 10 French - 150 million speakers
French is spoken in 53 countries around the world, the main one being France. About 150 million speakers in the world. French is the official language of many international organizations: the European Union, the International Olympic Committee, the UN, etc.
No. 9. Indonesian language - 200 million speakers
Indonesian is spoken in 16 countries, including Indonesia, and has working language status in East Timor. Indonesia is an island state with more than 13 thousand islands.
The Indonesian language evolved from Malay in the 20th century and is the most widely spoken dialect of the Malay language.
No. 8. Portuguese language - 240 million speakers
Portuguese is spoken in 12 countries around the world. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.
In the 12th century, Portugal became independent from Spain and expanded its possessions around the world thanks to seafarers. Having founded colonies in Brazil, Angola, Macau, Mozambique, Venezuela and other countries, the Portuguese made their language one of the most common languages in the world. Portuguese is one of the official languages of the European Union and other international organizations.
No. 7. Bengali language - 250 million speakers
Bengali is spoken in Bangladesh and some states in India. For Bangladesh, Bengali is the official language, and for India it is the second most popular language.
No. 6. Russian - 260 million speakers
Russian is spoken in 17 countries around the world. Russian is the official language of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Widely distributed in Ukraine, Latvia and Estonia. To a lesser extent in countries that were part of the Soviet Union.
Russian is one of the six official languages of the UN, the most widely spoken language in Europe and the most widely spoken Slavic language in the world.
No. 5. Arabic - 267 million speakers
Arabic is spoken in 58 countries around the world. The largest number of Arabic speakers is concentrated in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.
The Arabic language is also spreading around the world thanks to the main book of Muslims - the Koran. Arabic became the sixth official language of the UN in 1974.
No. 4. Spanish - 427 million native speakers
Spanish is spoken in 31 countries around the world. The Spanish language originated in Spain in the Middle Ages and spread throughout the world during the Great Geographical Discoveries. Spanish is the official language of international organizations: the UN, the European Union, the Union of South American Nations, etc.
No. 3. Hindi - 490 million speakers
Hindi is spoken in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Many predict that Hindi will soon become the most spoken language in the world, overtaking China, but when or if this will happen remains unknown.
No. 2. English language - 600 million native speakers
English is the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of countries it covers - 106 countries. English is the official and main language in Great Britain. Countries such as India, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines use English as their official language, but in addition to it they also have their own official languages.
No. 1. Chinese language - 1.3 billion speakers
Chinese is the official language of the People's Republic of China, Taiwan and Singapore. It is spoken by over 1.3 billion people around the world and therefore ranks first on the list of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
Chinese is considered the most difficult language in the world. Chinese is one of the six official languages of the UN.
Language is usually called a system of signs, words, phonetic, lexical and grammatical means that serve to identify thoughts, motives, and actions for a certain group of people. Among scientists, researchers and linguists, attempts have been made more than once to calculate how many languages there are in the world.
According to various studies, the total number of languages on Earth varies from 3,000 to 6,000 thousand. Such a huge difference can be explained quite simply; different cultural and scientific traditions have their own concepts of what exactly is called a language and what refers to dialects and adverbs.
How many languages are there in the modern world?
When taking into account and identifying the number of all world languages, researchers have to take into account the fact that many less common ones are gradually becoming dead, that is, no one speaks them anymore. This happens for several reasons, including due to replacement by other languages, or the extinction and mixing of the native people. This trend is observed everywhere:
- in North America, many indigenous Indian languages are on the verge of extinction;
- on the African continent there are tribal languages spoken by only a few hundred, sometimes even dozens of people;
- In Russia, several languages have disappeared in the last 100 years alone, including Ke-rek in Kamchatka, as well as Sym in the Yenisei.
Scientists linguists claim that, according to their estimates, by the end of the 21st century, up to 50% of today's little-used languages will disappear from the category of living ones. Today, about 1,400 languages are considered endangered.
French researchers tried to answer the question of how many languages there are in the world at the end of the last century. In the review of the world's languages, published by A. Meillet and M. Cohen, 2796 languages are described. Scientists classify more than 3,000 thousand languages as dialects already described. According to various sources, there are about 6,000 languages and dialects in the world; only 500 languages are well studied. Two thirds of all languages do not have their own written language.
How many foreign languages are there in the world?
It is quite difficult to say exactly how many languages there are in the modern world. If we talk about learning foreign languages, it should be noted that every widely spoken language has many dialects and dialects. For example, Spanish, which is the official language in 58 countries around the world, has several large groups that differ greatly from each other. A dialect of Spanish, the Castilian language is partially distributed in Spain, in Latin America - Chile, Argentina, Cuba.
According to census data, there are more than 700 languages and dialects in India alone. The number of languages that are official in individual states is 14 and each of these languages is spoken by at least 10 million people.
The Chinese language, which belongs to the category of quite difficult languages to learn, is fragmented into dozens of dialects. Moreover, the difference between them is such that residents of different areas sometimes have difficulty understanding each other.
How many official languages are there in the world?
If we consider the distribution of various languages at the state level, the following picture emerges:
In general, 95 languages are considered official state languages on our planet. It's funny that Latin, which has long been considered dead, is also on this list, since it is the official language of the Vatican.
For a modern person to fully communicate, he often needs to know a foreign language, or even more than one, especially if this is required by business interests or a hobby in which it is necessary to make foreign contacts. This is a costly business for many, not only financially, but also intellectually.
In order to get the desired result, proper and strong motivation is required. You should not immediately take up the language that your friend or colleague is studying. Choose the one that you like or just need for specific purposes. Your task is to make sure that you work on yourself and learn day after day, receiving satisfaction from your own achievements. Is it difficult to immediately decide what exactly you need?
Your choice will probably be determined by our selection of 10 popular languages of the world.
The main selection criteria are popularization, influence in the economic and political arena, ease of study and individual effects (travel, study, work, etc.).
1. is without a doubt in first place. In its popularity, it has overtaken all others, the global method of communication in trade, in which people of many countries speak when it is necessary to establish communications (even if English is essentially foreign to the interlocutors). About a third of the people on the planet, one way or another, understand the speech of the country of Foggy Albion. Basically, all entrepreneurs, scientists and diplomats conduct negotiations at international meetings in this language. In many European countries, applicants for good jobs must speak English. If you set your mind to it, learning to speak English is not that difficult.
2. is the second most popular language in the world, this assessment is especially true for Americans. In North America (especially in the southern part of the continent) there are quite a lot of Spanish-speaking people, so for more comfortable communication it is simply necessary. For travel lovers, a trip to Latin America or Spain will also be much more interesting if you understand the conversations of the locals. In addition, Spanish is one of the working languages of the UN. 700 million people speak Spanish. If you want to read Cervantes, Borges and other wonderful authors in the original - it's easy!
3. . In recent years, China has been actively laying claim to the title of a new superpower. This is facilitated by both a powerful cultural layer with a long history, and a developed economy, plus an incredible number of inhabitants (1.3 billion). Working language of the UN. It has a huge number of dialects, so if you find it difficult to choose, pay attention to the official language - Mandarin, which is also understood by the majority of the country's citizens. Learning to speak will be relatively easy if you master the nuances of tone. In Chinese this is very important, because... The meaning of what is said depends on the pitch. Grammar shouldn't be too difficult either. The truly serious problem is represented by the characters, which even many people in China have not fully mastered.
4. also occupies a leading position in the top popularity on a global scale. In Eurasia, 250 million people use it (it is also common among pensioners in Eastern Europe). The working language of the UN, a large number of scientific and technical materials were published in it. Behind the Russian language there is a significant cultural heritage of such literary titans as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Russia is one of the world's leading energy and economic powers. Learning Russian is not easy from a grammatical point of view, but the consistency of verbal constructions makes things easier.
5. Arabic. The language of the Koran, approximately 400 million people in the world speak Arabic. Lately, Arabic has gained a lot of weight in international dialogues on security or energy. Arabic translators are in great demand on the labor market today and receive decent pay for their work. However, it is unknown whether this situation will maintain its stability in the future. Like all of the above, Arabic is part of the UN group of working languages. In its intricacy, Arabic script can compete with Japanese and Chinese; learning all the intricacies of writing and grammar is very difficult. The matter is also significantly complicated by the number of dialects, which bear little resemblance to one another.
6. Among the 10 most popular languages, it is not much inferior to English, because appeared on the historical European stage a little earlier. There are 130 million speakers of this language in the world, half of them are residents of France, and the other part are from the countries of the Maghreb and West Africa. In Brussels, the center of the EU community, French is spoken. In North America, French can be heard in Quebec and several regions in the south. Of course, it has somewhat lost the former authority that it had half a century ago, but there are also advantages - ease of learning, some similarity with English.
7. Portuguese, one might say, is now a fairly popular language, because... His homeland, Brazil, as a result of the pace of development, claims to be the world's raw material and economic empire. 200 million people in the world speak Portuguese. If we mention the difficulty of learning, there will be more difficulties than with its related Spanish, but no more than with the language of Dumas or Shakespeare. Cervantes called it "sweet tongue." Every year in all countries where Portuguese is spoken, Portuguese Language Day is celebrated. By the way, it also often contains words that are similar in spelling to Russian, but differ in meaning.
8. Japanese. The Land of the Rising Sun still firmly holds a leading position in the global economic arena. 130 million people on the planet are native speakers of Japanese. This is one of the toughest nuts to crack in linguistics. A very complex grammar, many forms of which change depending on the social status and gender of the interlocutors. Sometimes it gets ridiculous when foreign men, while studying a language, intensively communicate with representatives of the fair sex from Japan. As a result, it may turn out that they begin to speak “like women.”
9. . Türkiye has widely spread its influence in the Middle East. About 100 million people speak Turkish as their native language. It was included in our rating because it is quite easy to learn; there are practically no exceptions to the grammatical rules. It has many different dialects, but Istanbul is used as its literary basis. In order to better understand Turkish speech, you will also have to learn some common phrases associated with the religious and cultural traditions of this country.
10. . One of the European languages, popular among those interested in the history of the last century. In the Eurozone, Germany has a large economic weight, so in business you often cannot do without German. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of young people in the country speak English. The overall population of the country is declining, and it is likely that the influence of German in business will continue to wane. It resembles English in terms of difficulty in learning, but the grammatical structure is more complex.
There are a number of languages that could not join the list as the most popular language in the world, but in terms of their importance and popularity they can compete with the most famous:
Korean. There are 70 million people around the world who speak it, but limited growth opportunities have hampered its rise in importance. It can be as difficult to learn as Chinese or Japanese.
Italian and Polish, although they are fairly common European languages, have not acquired much importance on a global scale.
Hindi could claim its place in the ranking, because... it is the official language of India. Only the majority of the country's population speaks English or speaks one of the local dialects.
Farsi, it is also called Persian - everyone who, due to business or other interests, specializes in the countries of the Near and Middle East cannot do without it. May also appeal to lovers of beauty and melody of sound structures. It is not difficult to learn, and already in the first stages you will be able to put your knowledge into practice by participating in conversations in Persian.
Whatever choice you ultimately make, the main thing is that the result should bring benefit, satisfaction and pride in your own efforts.
