South Africa
South Africa is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world with 11 official languages. These languages are identified as official by the Constitution, and include: Zulu, English, Afrikaans, Swati, Northern Sotho, Venda, Tswana, Ndebele, Xhosa, Sotho and Tsonga. The most widely spoken native language in South Africa is Zulu, which belongs to the Niger-Congo language family, while English is the principal language of the government and media. There has also been a broader language policy happening in South Africa with the aim of achieving for Zulu the institutional and academic status equal to that of English. 22.7% of South Africa’s population speaks Zulu as their first language with 11.6 million speakers. English is widely used and understood by a large percentage of the population, especially among the urban areas of the country. However, only 9.6% of the population consider it as their native language, which translates to a little under 4.9 million speakers. The second most spoken native language in South Africa is Xhosa, with 16% of the population who claim it as their first language, or 8.15 million speakers. Next are Afrikaans at 13.5% or 6.85 million, Northern Sotho at 9.1%, Tswana at 8%, Sotho at...
Hong Kong
Chinese and English are the two official languages in Hong Kong, as established in 1990 and effected in 1997 by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. This is due to the fact that Hong Kong, with a majority of immigrants from China, used to be a British Colony for a long time. During the colonial period, English was the official language and the language of business in Hong Kong. Approximately 3% of Hong Kong’s population today speaks fluent English, while almost 38% have basic conversational English skills. In recent years, the government has advocated for the continued use of English in primary and secondary levels of education. English mainly dominates urban centers and decreases in the interior parts of China, where Chinese is more prominent. Although no particular dialect of Chinese is specified, Standard Cantonese is the dominant language spoken in Hong Kong. There are, however, several other Chinese dialects used in Hong Kong, most of which may be found in interior regions of the country, such as the Yue dialects of Weiteou, Tanka, Hakka, Minnan (Teochew, Hokkien, and Taiwanese), Taishanese and Shanghainese, to name a few. Cantonese and Mandarin...
Ireland
English and Irish are Ireland’s official languages, however Ireland’s linguistic landscape is very diverse, with over 70 languages being spoken within the country. Irish a Celtic language with a rich history, which is sometimes referred to as Gaelic or Gaelige, is part of the Indo-European family languages as a Goidelic language. The Irish language uses the Latin script ant its alphabet is comprised of a total of 18 letters. Irish Gaelic is recognized as the first official language of the Republic of Ireland and one of the oldest and most historic written languages in the world. Irish began to lose its popularity in Ireland at the end of the 1800s when English started gaining more prominence. After King Henry VIII of England declared himself King of Ireland in an attempt to restore British authority, English started emerging as the favored language of politics and the upper class, with Irish remaining as a rural vernacular. It was even outright banned in the newly unified schooling system. After the Irish War of Independence in the early 20th century, the Republic of Ireland was created in an attempt by the country to emancipate itself from Great Britain. Although Irish was subsequently declared as...
Denmark
Danish is the official and national language of the Kingdom of Denmark which is spoken by the majority of the country’s population. Historically, Denmark was a homogeneous country, but after the Second World War the country began receiving immigrants from a large number of countries from all over the world. This has resulted in a number of citizens from Western countries who have arrived to Denmark in pursuit of work or study opportunities. Nearly 88% of the country’s population are of Danish descents, with the others being immigrants or descendants of the recent immigrants to the country. This varied ethnic composition of the population has influenced the linguistic landscape inside the country. As aforementioned, Danish is the official national language of Denmark, spoken by the majority of the people of the country. The Danish language is a North Germanic language spoken by abut 6 million people, mainly Danes. Danish is also spoken by the residents of Southern Schleswig in northern Germany, where Danish is regarded as a minority language, and by minor populations in other countries such as Canada, the USA, Spain, Argentina and Brazil, as well as Greenland, where 15% to 20% of the population speaks the language. Aside...
Singapore
The official languages of Singapore include Mandarin, Tamil, English and Malay. Mandarin is one of the major languages spoken in Singapore which also serves as one of the official languages in the country. Mandarin or Huayu, has been on the rise since the 1970s due to its ability to unify the Chinese living in the region. Most people in Singapore who speak Mandarin are Chinese Singaporeans. Despite its widespread use, Mandarin is only the second most used language in the country, right after English. Tamil language, which is written using the Tamil Script, is widely used by the Indians living in Singapore. As indicated by the statistics, the Tamil language is a dominant language in many Indian homes and serves as one of the official languages spoken in Singapore. The Tamil language was chosen as the official Indian language in Singapore, as settlers from the southern India’s Tamil Nadu region comprise more than half of the local Indian diaspora. English is the main language used at work and in education facilities in Singapore, as well as the city’s most commonly spoken language. After the country attained its independence in 1965, the leaders decided to keep English as one of the...
Malaysia
Malay is the national language of Malaysia and one of the two official languages of the country, along with English. Aside from these two, Malaysia is home to a vast number of indigenous languages, a total of 137 of them. Most people in Malaysia, especially those among the younger generations, are multilingual and possess the ability to speak at least English, Malay and Mandarin with moderate fluency. The official language spoken in Malaysia is the Malaysian language, also called Malaysian Malay or just Malay or Malaysian. Malaysian is spoken by the vast majority of the population and is taught in the public education system. The Malay language belongs to the Austronesian family of languages and has ten dialects, all of which are represented in the country. The official standardized dialect is the Bahasa. Apart from Malay, English is also a very commonly spoken language in Malaysia. Malaysia has its own version of English, also known as ‘Manglish’, or the Malaysian Standard English (MySE). This variant of the English language is rooted in the British English but is primarily used in educational establishments and less in other sectors of the country. The language is on the decrease, however, although the majority...
Colombia
Colombia is an ethnically and linguistically diverse environment, with over 100 languages spoken within the country. Spanish, with more than 99.2% of Colombians who speak it, is the official and the most popular language spoken in Colombia. The variant of the Spanish language spoken in Colombia is also known as the Colombian Spanish, and it varies from the traditional Spanish language spoken in Spain, Mexico, Argentina and other Spanish-speaking nations. There are also several regional Spanish dialects spoken in different parts of the country. As the country’s official language, Spanish is often used during public functions and by most media outlets. Some regions have their own official languages other than Spanish. Spanish is also a mandatory subject taught in schools, and in regions where Spanish is not the official language, bilingual education is mandatory. Spanish slang is very popular in Colombia, often used in popular culture. Many Spanish slang words have become commonly used and understood throughout the country, especially by radio stations in order to connect to the younger generation. In the Paisa and Medellin regions, the local Spanish slang is known as ‘Pariache’. Apart from Spanish, there are several other languages spoken in Colombia. 65 of these minor...
Philippines
The Philippines is an ethnically diverse country with over 150 languages that can be heard all over the country. During the colonial rule, the official language of the Philippines was Spanish, but in 1901, under US occupation, English became the language of the public school system. Both English and Spanish were established as the official languages of the country in 1935, with a note that a native language should be nominated as a national language. Tagalog was subsequently included as the national language by the Congress in the year of 1937. Tagalog later became known as Pilipino. Pilipino and English were later named as the new official languages of the country, after which Congress decided that a new national language called Filipino should be developed. In 1987, upon another constitutional amendment, Filipino and English became the co-official languages of the Philippines. Today, English is primarily used in printed publications, magazines and newspapers. Filipino is one of the official languages and the national language of the Philippines which primarily consists of Tagalog with some mix of other Philippine languages. Filipino is taught in most classes and it is the language of choice for TV and cinema. Nowadays, it is the lingua...
Pakistan
As a result of the rule of several dynasties and empires over Pakistan throughout the centuries, varied cultures and a rich linguistic diversity is present in this country to this day. Both English and Urdu are the official languages of Pakistan. English is an important medium of formal communication in the country, left as a remnant of the British colonial rule in the region. The Constitution and the laws of Pakistan were originally written in English, and are now being translated into the local languages. English is also used by many educational institutes in the country, and is spoken, along with the local languages, in the homes and informal circles of the upper class of the country. The other official language of Pakistan is Urdu, which is used in government administration, formal occasions, and taught in education institutions. Apart from being the official language of Pakistan, Urdu is also the national language of the country. Only around 8% of the country’s population speaks it as their first language, although a vast majority of the population speaks it as their second language. Urdu is thought to have evolved from an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the area around Delhi which absorbed words...
Chile
Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Chile, particularly the variant of Spanish called Chilean Spanish. This is a dialect of Spanish that is significantly different from the Castilian variant of Spanish, albeit similar in pronunciation to the Andalusian Spanish. Around 14 million Chilean people speak this language. Apart from Spanish, there are also several other indigenous and immigrant languages that are spoken in the country. Native language which can be found in Chile include Mapudungun, Quechua, Rapa Nui, Huilliche, Central Aymará and Kawésqar. Mapudungun is spoken mainly in south-central Chile, with about 114,000 of the 700,000 Mapuche people living in Chile who speak this language. Quechua is spoken by about 8,200 Chileans living in the northeast high plains of Chile. They speak Chilean Quechua, which is believed to be highly intelligible with South Bolivian Quechua. Rapa Nui is a Polynesian language spoken by about 3,200 Chileans living on Eastern Island as well as 200 living on the mainland. Huilliche, also known as Chesungun, only had about 2,000 – mostly elderly – speakers back in 1982. It is possible that the language is completely extinct by now. Central Aymará is spoken by the Aymara people who live in parts...
Finland
There are over 150 different languages spoken in Finland, however the official languages used are Finnish and Swedish. The Finnish language belongs to the Finnic languages, particularly the family of Uralic languages. It is closely related to languages such as Nenets, which is a Samoyedic language, and Hungarian, an Ugric language. Other autochthonous languages of Finland with a long history in the country include Finnish Romani, Karelian, Finnish sign language and Finland-Swedish sign language. Approximately 90% of Finland’s population speaks Finnish, or 4,868,751 residents, with the most significant percentage of the remaining population speaking Swedish. Aside from Finnish and Swedish, other commonly spoken languages in Finland include the Sami languages, Romani, and Karelian. A large portion of the population can speak and understand English as well. Swedish is spoken by nearly 290,747 people in Finland, which is equivalent to approximately 5.31% of the total population of the country. About 92.4% of Swedish speakers in Finland hail from the autonomous province of Åland. Until the late 19th century, Finland’s language of administration was Swedish. Along with Finnish, they are compulsory languages in schools in Finland. Vaasa, Porvoo, Helsinki and Espoo are the four largest Swedish-speaking communities in the country. Other minority...
Bangladesh
The official and national language of Bangladesh is Bengali or Bangla, which is also the language spoken by the majority of the country’s inhabitants. Bengali is the world’s seventh most spoken native language which belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family. Its vocabulary is also influenced by languages from the Austroasiatic, Dravidian and the Tibeto-Burman families of languages. Bengali acts as a force of binding between the separated Bengali communities living in Bangladesh and India. The national anthems of India and Bangladesh are both composed in Bengali. 98% of Bangladeshis in Bangladesh speak Standard Bengali or one of the many Bengali dialects as their first language. Aside from Bengali, which is the de facto language of the country, Bangladesh also has several indigenous languages spoken by the different indigenous groups living in the country. The Aryan languages spoken in Bangladesh can be heard mainly in the lowlands of Bangladesh. The Bengali language is also an Aryan language and it’s the most widely spoken language from this group of languages in the country. Several other Eastern Indic languages spoken here might be treated as dialects of Bengali or as separate languages. These include: Bishnupriya, Chakma, Chittagonian, Hajong, Rohingya, Sylheti, Tangchangya, Rangpuri, Assamese,...
Egypt
There are several languages spoken in Egypt, with the most common being Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. Modern Standard Arabic is the official language of Egypt, and almost everyone in the country speaks it. It is taught in schools and used in TV, official government speeches, newspapers, etc. Modern Standard Arabic is also used in most written documents. Despite Standard Arabic being the official language of Egypt, the language of Egyptians used in the day-to-day communication is a local dialect called Egyptian Arabic. Egyptian Arabic is the most common variant of the Arabic language, and is spoken as a second language in many parts of northern Africa. Egyptian Arabic is spoken by about 65.2 million people, which translates to about 68% of the population speaking it as their first language. Due to the influence and popularity of Egyptian music and films throughout the Arabic-speaking world, Egyptian Arabic is widely understood throughout Northern Africa and other Middle Eastern countries. It is also understood by almost every single Egyptian. Egyptian Arabic and traditional Arabic are quite similar, with some slight differences in pronunciation. Also, the Egyptian variant contains unique consonants and vowels which cannot be found in the traditional Arabic language....
Vietnam
Vietnamese is the official and national language of Vietnam, however, its rich tradition has resulted in the country becoming home to 110 officially recognized languages and dialects spoken all over the country. Vietnamese is spoken by 75 million people as their native language. It is a language that belongs to the Austro-Asiatic family which is further divided into three dialects: northern (spoken in and around Hanoi), central (Hue) and southern (Ho Chi Minh City). Vietnamese borrows heavily from Chinese and English, and is written using the Latin alphabet. Aside from Vietnamese, minority languages spoken in Vietnam include Tay, Muong, Cham, Khmer, Nung and Hmong. Tay is a minority language spoken by 1.7 million Vietnamese people, most of which hail from northeastern Vietnam. The Tay ethnic group from the northeastern Vietnam is mainly comprised of farmers who cultivate rice and create handicraft items. Tay is divided into several regional dialects, all of which slightly vary from one another. Muong is a mountainous language which comes from the Austroasiatic group of languages. It is spoken by the Muong ethnic group of Vietnam and largely concentrated in the tribal households in Vietnam’s mountainous regions. It is very similar to Vietnamese, with the only...
Portugal
Portugal is home to more than 10 million people, of which approximately 96% is of Portuguese descent. The remaining population is formed by the minority communities. The ethnic groups in Portugal include Spaniards, Iberians and Italians. Therefore, Portuguese is the commonly spoken language and the first language of the vast majority of the population. Aside from the Portuguese language, the people in Portugal have adopted the use of other foreign languages such as English, French and Spanish. Portuguese is the country’s official language, with English being the second most commonly spoken language. As aforementioned, Portuguese is the official language of Portugal. It is an Indo-European Romance language with ten unique dialects spoken around Portugal. Portuguese is used in several other countries around the world which have had contact with Portugal over the years, with Brazil perhaps being the best known one. In Portugal, Portuguese is used in all areas of life, from daily interactions, business communication, to writing. Aside from Portugal, other popular languages in Portugal include English, Spanish and French. English is the second most widely spoken language in Portugal, having become a major language in major cities and tourist regions such as Lisbon, despite having almost no native...