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+ "page_name": "Most Spoken Languages in the World 2022 - Busuu Blog",
+ "page_url": "https://blog.busuu.com/most-spoken-languages-in-the-world/",
+ "page_snippet": "In terms of native speakers alone, Mandarin Chinese is by far the most spoken language in the world, and when you count those who speak it as a second language, it comes in at a close second to English for the total number of speakers.Fun fact: approximately 6,500 languages are spoken around the world. But which languages have the most speakers? You might be surprised. With roughly 7,000 beautiful and diverse languages spoken in the world today, there are many incredible languages to explore. Sadly, some of these languages are less widely spoken than others. Take Busuu, for example \u2013 we\u2019re named after a language spoken by only eight people. In terms of native speakers alone, Mandarin Chinese is by far the most spoken language in the world, and when you count those who speak it as a second language, it comes in at a close second to English for the total number of speakers. There are about 610 million Hindi speakers, making it the third most spoken language in the world. It\u2019s the official language of India, but is also spoken in countries such as Nepal, Fiji, Mauritius and Guyana.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\tMost Spoken Languages in the World 2022 - Busuu Blog\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSkip to content\n\n\t\t
With roughly 7,000 beautiful and diverse languages spoken in the world today, there are many incredible languages to explore. Sadly, some of these languages are less widely spoken than others. Take Busuu, for example \u2013 we\u2019re named after a language spoken by only eight people.
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Others are spoken by huge populations across many different countries, making them popular choices among language learners.\u00a0
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If your language-learning goals include communicating with others or boosting your career, you may want to consider learning one of the most spoken languages in the world (according to Ethnologue).
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So, to learn more about the twelve most spoken languages in 2023 in terms of total speakers, read on!
Fun fact: The English word \u201cgoodbye\u201d was originally a contraction of \u201cGod be with ye\u201d.
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With over 1.4 Billion speakers, English is the most spoken language in the world.
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It\u2019s also the official language of the sky \u2013 all pilots have to speak and identify themselves in English.
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Not only is Shakespeare considered one of the greatest dramatists of all time, but over his lifespan he added an incredible amount of words to the English language \u2013 about 1,700, to be exact. How\u2019d he do it? By changing nouns into verbs, verbs into nouns, connecting some words with each other and adding prefixes or suffixes to others.
Fun fact: Research suggests that \u2013 though Mandarin Chinese has as many as 50,000 characters \u2013 you\u2019ll only need around 2,500 characters to be able to read around 98 percent of everyday written Chinese.
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In terms of native speakers alone, Mandarin Chinese is by far the most spoken language in the world, and when you count those who speak it as a second language, it comes in at a close second to English for the total number of speakers.
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It\u2019s an official language of mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Plus it\u2019s used, along with English, as a lingua franca for business and tourism in some other parts of Asia. So it\u2019s not surprising that there are approximately 1.1 Billion speakers worldwide!
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Mandarin is a tonal language, which means that the meaning of a word changes based on the way the pitch of your voice rises and falls when you pronounce it.
But don\u2019t worry: there are no verb conjugations, no tenses and no gender-specific nouns in Mandarin Chinese, so learning it might not be as hard as it sounds \u2013 especially if you have more of a musical ear and less of a knack for complex grammar.
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3. Hindi (609.5 million speakers)
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Language family: Indo-Aryan, a subfamily of Indo-European
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Related to: Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Nepali
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Fun fact: If you\u2019re an English speaker, you probably already know some Hindi. Do words like \u2018guru,\u2019 \u2018jungle,\u2019 \u2018karma,\u2019 \u2018yoga,\u2019 \u2018bungalow,\u2019 \u2018cheetah,\u2019 and \u2018avatar\u2019 ring a bell? These words (and many more!) have been borrowed from Hindi.
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There are about 610 million Hindi speakers, making it the third most spoken language in the world. It\u2019s the official language of India, but is also spoken in countries such as Nepal, Fiji, Mauritius and Guyana.
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Hindi is highly influenced by Sanskrit and named after the Persian word hind, which means \u2013 quite literally \u2013 \u201cLand of the Indus river.\u201d
Fun fact: The first modern novel and the second most translated book after the Bible was written in Spanish. Which novel? Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, of course!
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22 countries over four continents have Spanish as one of their official languages, and it\u2019s already the second most-studied language in the world.
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In fact, researchers believe that, within three generations, ten percent of the world\u2019s population will be able to communicate in Spanish!
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This is great news for native English speakers. After all, our language experts deemed Spanish to be the easiest foreign language for English speakers to learn! Experts say it takes just 22 to 24 weeks to reach general professional proficiency in the language.
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Want to learn Spanish today?
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Learn quickly with Busuu’s free online courses, and order your next cup of coffee in Spanish when you travel to 22 Spanish-speaking countries! Start learning Spanish today!
Related to: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian
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Fun fact: About 45 per cent of modern English words are of French origin.
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In spite of what Hollywood movies might tell you, the language of love doesn\u2019t solely exist on moonlit walks in Paris.
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Spoken across different parts of the world \u2013 from the rest of France and parts of Canada, to French Polynesia and the Caribbean, to a number of African countries, including Senegal and Madagascar \u2013 the French language has spread its roots far and wide. And it\u2019s still growing! While many of the less spoken languages globally are starting to die out, French is one of the 10 fastest growing languages in the world, along with several other languages on this list.
Language family: Semitic, a sub-family of Afro-Asiatic
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Related to: Hebrew, Amharic, Aramaic
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Fun fact: Arabic has at least 11 words for love, each of them expressing a different stage in the process of falling in love. Now isn\u2019t that a reason to start learning?
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With 274 million speakers, Arabic is the sixth most spoken language in the world, and the only one in our top twelve that is written from right to left.
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It has also heavily influenced European languages like Spanish and Portuguese thanks to many years of cross-cultural exchange and occupations between Southern Spain and North Africa. In fact, some words sound exactly the same across the different languages.
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And Arabic has left its mark on the English language, too. The word coffee, for example, comes from the Arabic word qahwa, and many words in math and science have Arabic roots, including \u2018algebra,\u2019 \u2018alkaline,\u2019 and \u2018chemistry.\u2019
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7. Bangla/Bengali (272.8 million speakers)
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Language family: Indo-Aryan, a subfamily of Indo-European
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Related to: Hindu, Punjabi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Nepali
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Fun fact: Though the Bengali script is relatively unknown in the West, it\u2019s actually the fifth most widely-used writing system in the world!
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Bengali, sometimes called Bangla in English, is mostly spoken in Bangladesh and India. It is considered by some to be the second most beautiful language after French.
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With around 273 million speakers, it\u2019s the seventh most spoken language in the world.
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The Bengali alphabet is particularly interesting. It\u2019s actually what\u2019s called a syllabary, like you see in Hangul in Korean and in Japanese hiragana and katakana. That means every consonant has a vowel sound built in, which is quite unusual for most Westerners.\u00a0
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In Bengali writing, different marks then change the default vowel sound of a syllable and, in doing so, change the meaning of the word!
Language family: Romance, a sub-branch of Indo-European
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Related to: Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian
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Fun fact: Until recently, the letters \u2018k\u2019, \u2018w\u2019 and \u2018y\u2019 were not part of the Portuguese alphabet. In 2009, a new agreement was signed to standardize spelling forms across different variations.
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Portuguese is rooted in the region of Medieval Galicia (which was partly in the north of Portugal and partly in the northwest of Spain), but only a small percent of the 263 million Portuguese speakers actually live in Portugal.
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You probably know that it\u2019s the official language of Brazil, which has a population of around 214 million people. But you might be surprised to learn that Portuguese also has the sole official status in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Cape Verde, and S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe!
Language family: East Slavic, a subfamily of Indo-European
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Related to: Ukrainian, Belarusian
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Fun fact: Due to Russia\u2019s presence in space technology, it is a requirement for foreign astronauts to know a certain amount of Russian (as if becoming an astronaut wasn\u2019t already difficult enough!).
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With around 255 million speakers living across the world, the ninth most spoken language in the world is Russian. Russian speakers are also among the most spread out in the world, thanks both to Russia\u2019s large geographical size and history, including the use of the Russian language across the former Soviet Union. Today, there are roughly 1 million native Russian speakers in Israel and over 2 million in Germany, plus millions more in neighboring countries like Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
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While Russian grammar is renowned to be a little tricky, Russian only has about 200,000 words. (For context, English has roughly 1 million!)
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While this makes memorizing vocabulary a little easier, to make up for the difference, many of those 200,000 words have more than one meaning.
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10. Urdu (231.7 million speakers)\u00a0\u00a0
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Language family: Indo-Aryan
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Related to: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kashmiri, Nepali
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Fun fact: Dubbed by some as the language of love for its intriguing-sounding and beautiful words, the French language may have some competition on its hands!
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Hindi and Urdu speakers can have a simple conversation just fine, provided they keep things relatively simple. After all, Urdu is the lingua franca of Pakistan and linguistically very close to Hindi.\u00a0
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Urdu, which is also spoken to a lesser extent in India, Nepal, South Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and has been making its way up the most spoken languages list in the last few years.
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11. Indonesian (199.1 million speakers)
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Language family: Austronesian
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Related to: Malay, Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese etc.\u00a0
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Fun fact: Indonesian is the name for the standardized lingua franca used in Indonesia, but there are over 700 indigenous languages across the Indonesian archipelago!
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Indonesian is a standardized variation of Malay, the official language of Malaysia. It\u2019s the official language of Indonesia, which makes it a shoe-in for most spoken languages. After all, Indonesia is the 4th largest country in the world by population.\u00a0
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Indonesian is a great example of a widely spoken language that encompasses a number of distinct dialects. Most Indonesians speak at least one of the many, many other languages found around the country.
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And despite Western preconceptions, with relatively simple structure and easy pronunciation in its favor, Indonesian is surprisingly easy to learn.\u00a0
Language family: West Germanic, a subfamily of Indo-European
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Related to: English, Frisian, Dutch
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Fun fact: Thanks to the way German grammar works, German is known for its seemingly endless sentences.
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Often referred to as the language of writers and thinkers, German has around 95 million native \u2013 and just over 38 million non-native \u2013 speakers worldwide, and is the most spoken native language among citizens of the European Union.
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It\u2019s an official language of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.
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German is especially well known for its ability to create completely new and super specific words that capture unique ideas and feelings.
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Schadenfreude, for example, literally means \u2018damage happiness,\u2019 and is used to describe the happiness or entertainment derived from someone else\u2019s misfortune, injury or pain. Kummerspeck, literally \u2018grief bacon,\u2019 refers to weight gained from emotional eating.
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Ready to learn one of the languages in our top 12 list?
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Busuu offers 14 languages for you to choose from. Pick a language today and start your journey with our free online courses and resources designed by language experts.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEmily Duncan is a Canadian writer, comedian and avid language learner currently based in New York City. Emily\u2019s first language is English, she\u2019s fluent in French, speaks some Irish, and is currently learning Japanese and Spanish. Emily loves dogs, iced coffee, and cooking experiments.\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn languages online\n\t\t\t\t\t
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+ "page_last_modified": ""
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+ "page_name": "List of languages by total number of speakers - Wikipedia",
+ "page_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_total_number_of_speakers",
+ "page_snippet": "This section does not include entries that Ethnologue identifies as macrolanguages encompassing all their respective varieties, such as Arabic, Lahnda, Persian, Malay, Pashto, and Chinese. The World Factbook, produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), estimates the ten most spoken languages ...The following languages are listed as having 45 million or more total speakers in the 26th edition of Ethnologue published in 2023. This section does not include entries that Ethnologue identifies as macrolanguages encompassing all their respective varieties, such as Arabic, Lahnda, Persian, Malay, Pashto, and Chinese. The World Factbook, produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), estimates the ten most spoken languages (L1 + L2) in 2022 as follows: There are also difficulties in obtaining reliable counts of speakers, which vary over time because of population change and language shift. In some areas, there is no reliable census data, the data is not current, or the census may not record languages spoken, or record them ambiguously. In some areas, there is no reliable census data, the data is not current, or the census may not record languages spoken, or record them ambiguously. Sometimes speaker populations are exaggerated for political reasons, or speakers of minority languages may be underreported in favor of a national language. The World Factbook, produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), estimates the ten most spoken languages (L1 + L2) in 2022 as follows: ... ^ Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is not an L1. Arabic speakers first learn their respective local dialect. MSA is acquired through formal education. ^ Tagalog and Filipino are defined as two different languages in the ISO 639 standard. Ethnologue considers that Filipino is a standardized variety of the Tagalog language with no speakers. It is difficult to define what constitutes a language as opposed to a dialect. For example, Chinese and Arabic are sometimes considered single languages, but each includes several mutually unintelligible varieties, and so they are sometimes considered language families instead.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n\nList of languages by total number of speakers - Wikipedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJump to content\n
This is a list of languages by total number of speakers.\n
It is difficult to define what constitutes a language as opposed to a dialect. For example, Chinese and Arabic are sometimes considered single languages, but each includes several mutually unintelligiblevarieties, and so they are sometimes considered language families instead. Conversely, colloquialregisters of Hindi and Urdu are almost completely mutually intelligible, and are sometimes classified as one language, Hindustani. Such rankings should be used with caution, because it is not possible to devise a coherent set of linguistic criteria for distinguishing languages in a dialect continuum.[1]\n
There is no single criterion for how much knowledge is sufficient to be counted as a second-language speaker. For example, English has about 450 million native speakers but, depending on the criterion chosen, can be said to have as many as two billion speakers.[2]\n
There are also difficulties in obtaining reliable counts of speakers, which vary over time because of population change and language shift. In some areas, there is no reliable census data, the data is not current, or the census may not record languages spoken, or record them ambiguously. Sometimes speaker populations are exaggerated for political reasons, or speakers of minority languages may be underreported in favor of a national language.[3]\n
The following languages are listed as having 45 million or more total speakers in the 26th edition of Ethnologue published in 2023.[4] This section does not include entries that Ethnologue identifies as macrolanguages encompassing all their respective varieties, such as Arabic, Lahnda, Persian, Malay, Pashto, and Chinese.\n\n
^Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is not an L1. Arabic speakers first learn their respective local dialect. MSA is acquired through formal education.[10]\n
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^Tagalog and Filipino are defined as two different languages in the ISO 639 standard. Ethnologue considers that Filipino is a standardized variety of the Tagalog language with no speakers.\n
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+ "page_last_modified": " Mon, 11 Mar 2024 11:39:28 GMT"
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "20 Most Spoken Languages in the World in 2024 | Berlitz",
+ "page_url": "https://www.berlitz.com/blog/most-spoken-languages-world",
+ "page_snippet": "Tamil is the fifth most common language in India, with a sizeable presence in the state of Tamil Nadu. It\u2019s also commonly spoken in Sri Lanka and Singapore by Tamil people. Tamil is considered the oldest living language in the world, with a history spanning more than 5,000 years!This language has existed in its current form for about 1,300 years, making it one of the oldest languages in the world! ... Telugu is the fourth most common language in India, right behind Marathi. Telugu is predominantly spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, although it\u2019s also the official language of several other states. It is a part of the Dravidian language family, which has been around for about 5,000 years. Tamil is considered the oldest living language in the world, with a history spanning more than 5,000 years! ... Yueh Chinese is a group of closely-related Chinese dialects. The most popular of these dialects is Cantonese, which is spoken predominantly in the Guangdong province of mainland China as well as in Hong Kong and Macau. Cantonese is also popular among overseas communities, making it one of the most common dialects of Chinese outside of China. ... The Vietnamese language has six tones and is, of course predominantly spoken in Vietnam. More than half of the world's population speaks only 23 out of 7000 existing languages. Keen to know which are the most spoken languages \u200b\u200bin the world? Telugu is predominantly spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, although it\u2019s also the official language of several other states. It is a part of the Dravidian language family, which has been around for about 5,000 years. ... Turkish is the official language of \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 Turkey.",
+ "page_result": "20 Most Spoken Languages in the World in 2024 | Berlitz
Ever wondered what the most widely spoken languages are in the world? Although there are currently more than 7,000 languages, more than half of the world's population speak 23 of them only.
Whether it's the melodic tones of Spanish, the rich intricacies of Mandarin, or the rhythmic cadence of English, mastering these top tongues will open doors to new cultures and opportunities
Knowing this information is essential to understand if you\u2019re planning a global expansion strategy and levelling up in the business world. Additionally, whether in the workplace or personal development, knowledge of more than one language offers us new horizons and the opportunity to expand our cultural understanding.
So keep reading to find out what the most spoken languages are.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2021 and has been updated and revamped for accuracy and comprehensiveness as of February 2024.
According to Ethnologue, English is the most-spoken language in the world including native and non-native speakers.
Like Latin or Greek at the time, English has become the world's common language. It is the default language in international business, tourism, technology, and much more.
Looking at total speakers, Mandarin is the second most widely spoken language in the world. However, it's the most spoken language in the world if you count only first-language (native) speakers due to China's significant population.
Mandarin is not actually a language, but a set of dialects of the Chinese language. What unifies these dialects under the same name is that their speakers can understand each other.
Hindi is, along with English, one of the 22 official languages of India, the second most inhabited country in the world. India\u2019s incredible linguistic diversity (more than 121 languages coexist) explains the high rate of non-native speakers who use it as a lingua franca. In addition to India, Hindi is spoken by over a quarter of the population of Nepal!
Spanish is the second most widely spoken language globally in terms of native speakers. In addition, it is the most spoken of the Romance languages and the third most used on the internet.
Spain\u2019s enormous colonial expansion took this language not only to the Americas but also to Africa and Asia. Today, there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries in the world, with dozens more that have a significant Spanish-speaking population. Interestingly, the United States is the second country with the largest number of Spanish speakers in the world!
Like Spanish and English, French spread throughout the world along with the French colonial empire. Today, there are 29 French-speaking countries all around the world!
If English is the language of business, then French is considered the language of culture. Its enormous importance is also reflected in the fact that it is the third language with the largest number of non-native speakers.
Ready to further your career with a new language?
Get the language skills, cultural understanding and confidence to open up your world with Berlitz.
Did you know that Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the only language on this list without native speakers? Indeed, Arabic is a large language with many different dialects, and all Arabic speakers grow up speaking a local dialect, like Egyptian Arabic, Levantine Arabic, Mesopotamian Arabic or another local variety.
So, how does MSA have so many non-native speakers? That\u2019s because MSA is commonly used in newspapers, TV broadcasts, and movies, but people don\u2019t speak it with each other. It\u2019s an academic language that you\u2019ll find in literature in politics, but not in everyday life. As such, if you\u2019re interested in learning Arabic, you\u2019re better off starting with one dialect and then learning MSA to widen your horizons.
7. Bengali (272+ million speakers)
First language speakers: 233.7 million
Total speakers: 272.7 million
Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and is also spoken in some areas of India and Burma. It may come as a surprise that a language spoken in such a small region appears in a list of the most spoken languages in the world. However, it makes sense when you think about the population density of that region.
Less surprising is the inclusion of Russian among the most widely spoken languages globally considering that Russia is the largest country in the world by territory. Plus, while Russian is the official language of only four countries, it\u2019s widely spoken in 19 countries. Did you know that it\u2019s also the language with the highest number of native speakers in all of Europe?
Portuguese is another language that expanded worldwide during the European colonial period. Today, Portuguese is the official language of nine countries in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. Brazil is the largest country out of those nine and has the most Portuguese speakers. Brazil\u2019s large population makes Portuguese the most widely spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere!
Urdu is one of the two official languages in Pakistan and is also widely used in certain regions of India. The spoken part of Urdu is widely intelligible with Hindi, as both speakers can understand each other without much issue. However, Urdu uses a modified Persian script for its alphabet, while Hindi uses Sanskrit.
Bahasa Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world. Peculiarly, it\u2019s not the native language of most of its speakers. Rather, it\u2019s a second language necessary for mutual understanding in a country with more than 200 languages.
German is, of course, the official language of Germany. Unlike its other European counterparts, it\u2019s mostly spoken in Europe, with only Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Luxembourg having sizeable German-speaking populations. With that said, learning German is incredibly popular relative to its small population, ranking as the fifth most studied language in the world.
Japanese is the first language on this list that is entirely spoken within one country. In fact, over 99% of Japanese people speak Japanese as their native language! With that said, learning Japanese is extremely popular among people who want to enjoy Japanese culture and do business with the third-largest economy in the world.
14. Nigerian Pidgin (120.7 million speakers)
First language speakers: 4.7 million
Total speakers: 120.7 million
Nigeria is one of the fastest-growing countries in terms of population. Indeed, it is estimated that the West African country will be the fourth-largest country in the world in terms of population by 2050 \u2014 just a hair behind the U.S. We can expect the Nigerian Pidgin to climb on this list in the coming decades following Nigeria\u2019s population boom.
Marathi is the third most common language in India, with most of its speakers concentrated in the state of Maharashtra. This language has existed in its current form for about 1,300 years, making it one of the oldest languages in the world!
16. Telugu (95.7 million speakers)
First language speakers: 82.7 million
Total speakers: 95.7 million
Telugu is the fourth most common language in India, right behind Marathi. Telugu is predominantly spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, although it\u2019s also the official language of several other states. It is a part of the Dravidian language family, which has been around for about 5,000 years.
Turkish is the official language of \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 Turkey. What you may not know is that Turkish used to be written in a modified version of the Arabic alphabet until 1928, when it was replaced by the Roman alphabet. There are sizeable Turkish-speaking populations in Cyprus, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Greece and other European states.
18. Tamil (86.4 million speakers)
First language speakers: 78.4 million
Total speakers: 86.4 million
Tamil is the fifth most common language in India, with a sizeable presence in the state of Tamil Nadu. It\u2019s also commonly spoken in Sri Lanka and Singapore by Tamil people. Tamil is considered the oldest living language in the world, with a history spanning more than 5,000 years!
19. Yue Chinese (85.6 million speakers)
First language speakers: 85.2 million
Total speakers: 85.6 million
Yueh Chinese is a group of closely-related Chinese dialects. The most popular of these dialects is Cantonese, which is spoken predominantly in the Guangdong province of mainland China as well as in Hong Kong and Macau. Cantonese is also popular among overseas communities, making it one of the most common dialects of Chinese outside of China.
The Vietnamese language has six tones and is, of course predominantly spoken in Vietnam. However, did you know that it is also recognized as an official language in the Czech Republic, and can therefore be used in courts and official radio and television broadcasts?
There you have it! That\u2019s the list of the 20 most spoken languages in the world. Are you inspired to open your world with language skills and culture? Discover all the languages Berlitz has to offer here.
",
+ "page_last_modified": " Mon, 11 Mar 2024 03:27:13 GMT"
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "List of languages by total number of speakers - Wikipedia",
+ "page_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_total_number_of_speakers",
+ "page_snippet": "This section does not include entries that Ethnologue identifies as macrolanguages encompassing all their respective varieties, such as Arabic, Lahnda, Persian, Malay, Pashto, and Chinese. The World Factbook, produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), estimates the ten most spoken languages ...The following languages are listed as having 45 million or more total speakers in the 26th edition of Ethnologue published in 2023. This section does not include entries that Ethnologue identifies as macrolanguages encompassing all their respective varieties, such as Arabic, Lahnda, Persian, Malay, Pashto, and Chinese. The World Factbook, produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), estimates the ten most spoken languages (L1 + L2) in 2022 as follows: There are also difficulties in obtaining reliable counts of speakers, which vary over time because of population change and language shift. In some areas, there is no reliable census data, the data is not current, or the census may not record languages spoken, or record them ambiguously. In some areas, there is no reliable census data, the data is not current, or the census may not record languages spoken, or record them ambiguously. Sometimes speaker populations are exaggerated for political reasons, or speakers of minority languages may be underreported in favor of a national language. The World Factbook, produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), estimates the ten most spoken languages (L1 + L2) in 2022 as follows: ... ^ Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is not an L1. Arabic speakers first learn their respective local dialect. MSA is acquired through formal education. ^ Tagalog and Filipino are defined as two different languages in the ISO 639 standard. Ethnologue considers that Filipino is a standardized variety of the Tagalog language with no speakers. It is difficult to define what constitutes a language as opposed to a dialect. For example, Chinese and Arabic are sometimes considered single languages, but each includes several mutually unintelligible varieties, and so they are sometimes considered language families instead.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n\nList of languages by total number of speakers - Wikipedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJump to content\n
This is a list of languages by total number of speakers.\n
It is difficult to define what constitutes a language as opposed to a dialect. For example, Chinese and Arabic are sometimes considered single languages, but each includes several mutually unintelligiblevarieties, and so they are sometimes considered language families instead. Conversely, colloquialregisters of Hindi and Urdu are almost completely mutually intelligible, and are sometimes classified as one language, Hindustani. Such rankings should be used with caution, because it is not possible to devise a coherent set of linguistic criteria for distinguishing languages in a dialect continuum.[1]\n
There is no single criterion for how much knowledge is sufficient to be counted as a second-language speaker. For example, English has about 450 million native speakers but, depending on the criterion chosen, can be said to have as many as two billion speakers.[2]\n
There are also difficulties in obtaining reliable counts of speakers, which vary over time because of population change and language shift. In some areas, there is no reliable census data, the data is not current, or the census may not record languages spoken, or record them ambiguously. Sometimes speaker populations are exaggerated for political reasons, or speakers of minority languages may be underreported in favor of a national language.[3]\n
The following languages are listed as having 45 million or more total speakers in the 26th edition of Ethnologue published in 2023.[4] This section does not include entries that Ethnologue identifies as macrolanguages encompassing all their respective varieties, such as Arabic, Lahnda, Persian, Malay, Pashto, and Chinese.\n\n
^Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is not an L1. Arabic speakers first learn their respective local dialect. MSA is acquired through formal education.[10]\n
\n
^Tagalog and Filipino are defined as two different languages in the ISO 639 standard. Ethnologue considers that Filipino is a standardized variety of the Tagalog language with no speakers.\n
\n\n\n\n",
+ "page_last_modified": " Mon, 11 Mar 2024 11:39:28 GMT"
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "What Are the 7 Most Spoken Languages in the World?",
+ "page_url": "https://www.thecollector.com/what-are-the-most-spoken-languages-in-the-world/",
+ "page_snippet": "However, Spanish has the second ... the most spoken of all the Romance languages (which are derived from ancient Rome). Looking at the world map, there are 21 different Spanish speaking countries, including Spain, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Peru and Puerto Rico. Many others have strong Spanish speaking communities, particularly the United States. ... Coming in 5th place worldwide, ...However, Spanish has the second highest number of native speakers in the world, at 474.7 million, and is the most spoken of all the Romance languages (which are derived from ancient Rome). Looking at the world map, there are 21 different Spanish speaking countries, including Spain, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Peru and Puerto Rico. Many others have strong Spanish speaking communities, particularly the United States. ... Coming in 5th place worldwide, French has at least 300 million speakers worldwide, and 79.9 million mother tongue speakers. We take a look at the top 7 most spoken languages from around the world, including native and non-native speakers. Coming in 5th place worldwide, French has at least 300 million speakers worldwide, and 79.9 million mother tongue speakers. 29 different countries use French as their official, formal language, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Rwanda and Senegal. Meanwhile, learning a second, or even third, new language can be a powerful tool that opens up a wealth of new opportunities in far flung places, particularly in a world which is more globalized than ever before. Incredibly, studies suggest there are more than 7,000 different languages spoken by people all around the world.",
+ "page_result": "What Are the 7 Most Spoken Languages in the World?
What Are the 7 Most Spoken Languages in the World?
We take a look at the top 7 most spoken languages from around the world, including native and non-native speakers.
Sep 8, 2023 \u2022 By Rosie Lesso, MA Contemporary Art Theory, BA Fine Art
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Language is the foundation of all learning, a vital skill that we learn from a young age and carry with us for the rest of our lives. Meanwhile, learning a second, or even third, new language can be a powerful tool that opens up a wealth of new opportunities in far flung places, particularly in a world which is more globalized than ever before. Incredibly, studies suggest there are more than 7,000 different languages spoken by people all around the world. Of these thousands, only around 23 take up half of the world\u2019s population. Of them all, these are the top 7 most spoken languages, according to 2023 analytical statistics.
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Statistical evidence from 2023 revealing the top 10 most spoken languages around the world, with numbers including first and second language speakers.\n
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1. English
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Map showing English speaking countries\n
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Including both natives and non-natives, English is the most spoken language in the world, with approximately 1.4 billion speakers. Little wonder then that English is a native language across more than 60 different countries, while many, many more are fluent in English as a second language. Intriguingly, as far as native speakers go the numbers are less; there are nearly 400 million people in the world who speak English as their mother tongue. The most prominent of these are the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.\u00a0
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2. Mandarin Chinese
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Map illustrating the Mandarin Chinese speaking nations\n
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By comparison, approximately 1.118 billion people speak Mandarin Chinese worldwide. It is the official language of Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore, while Mandarin Chinese is spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Tibet. Chinese people and communities live all around the world and continue to speak Mandarin Chinese as either a first or second language, meaning the language is spoken in nations around the globe, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius and Madagascar. However, it is worth noting that some Chinese communities also speak Cantonese, as is the case in New York\u2019s Chinatown. As far as native speakers go, Mandarin is much higher than English, with 929 million first language speakers.\u00a0
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3. Hindi
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Map showing the languages of India\n
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Studies show Hindi is the third most spoken language in the world, with approximately 615 million speakers worldwide. This statistic from the 25th edition of Ethnologue includes both first and second language speakers. Hindi is the official language of India, and it is also spoken in numerous other countries in differing dialects. Many speak Hindi as a second language, including Mauritius, Suriname, Nepal, Trinidad, Tobago and the United States, among others. Meanwhile 343.9 million people speak Hindi as a first, native language.
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4. Spanish
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Spanish speaking countries on the world map\n
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According to a poll in 2022, Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world, with 548 million speakers including first and second language. However, Spanish has the second highest number of native speakers in the world, at 474.7 million, and is the most spoken of all the Romance languages (which are derived from ancient Rome). Looking at the world map, there are 21 different Spanish speaking countries, including Spain, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Peru and Puerto Rico. Many others have strong Spanish speaking communities, particularly the United States.
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5. French
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French speaking countries around the world\n
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Coming in 5th place worldwide, French has at least 300 million speakers worldwide, and 79.9 million mother tongue speakers. 29 different countries use French as their official, formal language, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Rwanda and Senegal. Meanwhile France has 11 Overseas Territories spread across the world which speak French, including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, and New Caledonia.\u00a0
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6. Arabic (Modern)
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Map of Arab dialects\n
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Arabic as a whole is spoken across 26 different countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa, but each has developed their own distinct dialects that differ from one another. Curiously, the language known as Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is rarely actually spoken in day-to-day life, as it is reserved for written form, or a means of global communication for speakers of one dialect to communicate with another. This means there are no actual native speakers of Modern Standard Arabic, but there are 274 million speakers who do use this dialect for communication. Meanwhile, if we group together all the Arabic dialects, there are around 422 million native and non-native speakers worldwide.
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7. Bengali
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Languages of Bangladesh, including Bengali\n
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The official language of Bangladesh, Bengali, is spoken by 233.7 million first language speakers, while 272.7 million people speak the language in varying dialects worldwide. Bengali is less widespread than many of the other languages on our list, spreading from Bangladesh into certain areas of India and Burma, and as a second language in areas including Canada and the United States. However, the high numbers of Bengali speakers reveal just how highly populated this part of the world really is.
By Rosie LessoMA Contemporary Art Theory, BA Fine ArtRosie is a contributing writer and artist based in Scotland. She has produced writing for a wide range of arts organizations including Tate Modern, The National Galleries of Scotland, Art Monthly, and Scottish Art News, with a focus on modern and contemporary art. She holds an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in Fine Art from Edinburgh College of Art. Previously she has worked in both curatorial and educational roles, discovering how stories and history can really enrich our experience of art.
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