Czech Republic (Czechia)
Czech is the official language spoken in the Czech Republic, and the dominant language of the country. There are an estimated 10.7 million people in the Czech Republic who speak the Czech language, and data from a 2012 survey showed that the vast majority of all citizens of the Czech Republic were defined as Czech speakers – precisely, 98% of them. Aside from being the official language of the Czech Republic, Czech is also recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. Other languages spoken in the Czech Republic include Slovak and Polish, although they are spoken by a small percentage of the total population of the country. The origin of the Czech language can be traced back to the 9th and 10th centuries, when Czech and Slovak emerged from the West Slavic language group. Until the 20th century, the Czech language was known as Bohemian language. The Czech language is a member of the Indo-European language family and the Czech-Slovak language group. As such, it is closely related to the Slovak language. Three main varieties of the Czech language which are spoken in the Czech Republic, all three of which are geographically defined. Each of them...
Romania
Romania has a population of around 19.5 million residents, most of which speak Romanian as their first language. This translates to about 91% of the population whose native language is Romanian. Romanian is also the only official language of the country. The Romanian language belongs to the Balkan-Romance group of languages, which dates back to the 5th century AD and is descended from Vulgar Latin. Over the centuries, the Romanian language borrowed words from Slavic languages, Turkic, Hungarian, French and Italian. Of all the Romance languages, however, it shares most similarities with Italian. Romanian is the predominant language in the country, and all government publications, legal contracts and public education is conducted and written in Romanian. The most widely spoken minority language in Romania is Hungarian. Approximately 6.7% of the country’s total population speaks the Hungarian language, the majority of which live in Transylvania. Hungarian belongs to the Uralic language family, and its written records date back to the 900s AD, when it used the Old Hungarian alphabet. Today, Hungarian is written using the Latin alphabet and has been influenced by French, Italian and German. Hungarian is used in certain public offices of Romania at local levels, in places where...
Peru
Being a multilingual nation, Peru has an extremely diverse linguistic landscape. It is dominated by Spanish, but it is also home to dozens of other indigenous languages. Approximately 84% of the population of Peru speaks Spanish, also known as Castellano or Espanol. This makes it the most widely spoken language in Peru by far. Spanish is also the main language of the Peruvian government, the education system, as well as the media. There are some slight regional variations in the language which correspond with the country’s three geographic regions of coast, mountains, and jungle. These variations include things like differences in pronunciation and common expressions. Peruvian slang is also popular across the country, particularly among the young people. Quechua, which was the language of the Inca Empire, is the most widely spoken native language and the second most common language in Peru. It is spoken by about 13% of the country’s population, mainly in the central and southern highland regions of Peru. The Incan influence helped it spread and remain strong in the Andean regions of Peru. There are many subdivisions within the Quechua language family, to the extent of being mutually unintelligible in some instances. Aymara is the next...
New Zealand
New Zealand English is the de facto official language of New Zealand and the language of the majority. Maori is the dominant indigenous language spoken in the country. There are also several other native languages which are spoken in the outlying territories and islands of New Zealand, while immigrants speak their own native languages in the country. The Maori Language Act of 1987 granted the Maori language an official status in the country. Maori is the de jure official language of New Zealand and can be used in legal settings. English is the de facto official language of the nation and the most widely spoken language among the population. The vast majority of New Zealanders, approximately 3,819,969 people (96.14%) possess sound knowledge of the English language. The native Maori language, on the other hand, is spoken by less than 150,000 people, which translates to about 3.73% of New Zealand’s population. Out of 500,000 Maori people in the country, only 70,000 speak the language as their native tongue. Aside from English and Maori, the New Zealand Sign Language is also recognized as an official language in New Zealand and granted the official status in 2006. Aside from the Maori language, other...
Greece
Greek is the official and primary language of Greece, spoken by the majority of the country’s population. It is one of the oldest Indo-European languages in the world, having survived for more than 34 centuries. Today it exists as Modern Greek, and has many dialects in the different regions of the country. 99.5% of the population of Greece speaks the language in its standard language form. The Standard Modern Greek is used as the standard language form in Greece. Modern Greek comes from Medieval Greek and has many regional dialects depending on the geographical location. However, despite its long history, Modern Greek has managed to conserve its integrity and has retained the basic principles of the syntax, morphology and phonology of the Greek language. There are different non-official dialects of Hellenic languages spoken in Greece as well. These include the Tsakonian dialect, the Cappadocian Greek, the Cretan Greek, the Maniot dialect, the Pontic Greek, and the Yevanic Greek. Tsakonian dialect is spoken by 1,200 people in the Tsakonian regions of Peloponnese, where it branches out into Northern, Southern and Propontis dialects. The Cappadocian Greek is facing extinction due to having very few speakers, as a result of most of the...
Iraq
Most of Iraq’s population speaks Mesopotamian Arabic, which is a Variant of the Arabic language also spoken in Iran, Syria and Turkey. Arabic has been the primary language in the history of Iraq given that Islam has dominated the region’s religious environment for centuries. Iraq’s constitution recognizes Arabic and Kurdish as the official languages of the country. Standard Arabic is used for official purposes, however most of the inhabitants of Iraq use the Mesopotamian Arabic. Mesopotamian Arabic is spoken in two primary dialects: Gelet Mesopotamian Arabic and Qeltu Mesopotamian Arabic. The variant of Arabic used in Iraq has been heavily influenced by Turkish, Persian, Aramaic and Akkadian languages. Kurdish is spoken in three major dialects: Northern Kurdish, Southern Kurdish and Central Kurdish. Northern Kurdish is the largest variant of the language, and is mainly used in the north of the country. Southern Kurdish is used in the Khanaqin district in the east of Iraq, while Central Kurdish (also called Sorani) is spoken in Iraq as well. Kurds comprise approximately 10 to 15% of the total population of Iraq. Iraq recognized Kurdish as an official language in 2004, becoming the only nation to ever recognize Kurdish officially. There are two regional...
Algeria
Modern Standard Arabic and Tamazight – also called Berber – are the two official languages in Algeria. Around 73% of the country’s population speaks Algerian Arabic, while 27% speak Berber. French is also used by the Algerian government, media and schools. Arabic was established as the official language of Algeria by the 1963 constitution. Algerian Arabic, spoken by 73% of the population, is derived from the various Arabic languages used in northern Algeria. It encompasses different dialects spoken by two different groups: Hilalian and pre-Hilalian dialects. Algerian Arabic is mostly used for the purposes of daily communication, while Modern Standard Arabic is used for official purposes. Berber, on the other hand, is regarded as Algeria’s native language. There are five primary dialects of the Berber languages which are spoken mainly in the Algerian Sahara desert, the Awras, and in Kabylia. Berber is a language which has been spoken since medieval times in Algeria and which has remained popular despite the latter introduction of Latin and Arabic. Berber was made Algeria’s second official language in 2016. Regional languages in Algeria include Hassaniya and Korandje. Hassaniya is a variety of Maghrebi Arabic native to Algeria as well as Morocco, Senegal, Mauritania, Western...
Qatar
Qatar has a population of about 2,672,522, which varies widely in origin and culture, as well as languages. Different groups use different languages, which is why Qatar is home to many ethnic, foreign and immigrant languages which can be heard inside the country. Arabic is the official language of Qatar. Arabic is an Afro-Asiatic language which is spoken in Qatar as well as several other countries in parts of Asia and Africa. The majority of the population in Qatar uses Arabic as their native language. The version of Arabic spoken in Qatar has two distinct and mutually intelligible dialects, standard Arabic and native Gulf Arabic. Arabic is used for business and official purposes, as well as for daily communication and as a means of instructing in Qatar’s education facilities. English is the second most widely spoken language in Qatar. This is primarily due to Qatar’s history as a colony under British rule, during which time English was used for official purposes. Despite the fact that English is not an official language, it is widely accepted as the country’s second language in schools. English is particularly present in schools and among the business community. This strong influence of English has also...
Kazakhstan
As a bilingual nation and a multilingual society, Kazakhstan is home to two major languages: Kazakh and Russian. Aside from these, there are over 130 nationalities in the nation, and 117 languages which are identified as of right now. Kazakh enjoys an official status awarded by the Constitution of Kazakhstan, which also argues that the President of Kazakhstan should be a speaker of Kazakh. The Kazakh language is a Turkic language from the Kipchak branch and it bears some similarities to Karakalpak, Nogai and Kyrgyz. The Kazakh language is used by nearly 65% of the population of Kazakhstan, which accounts to about 5,290,000 speakers. It is spoken in three dialects which include the Southern, Western and Northeastern dialects. Kazakh features words from Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Tatar, Mongolian, Persian and Uzbek languages, due to the country’s interactions with various communities over the years. Russian is a popular language spoken in Kazakhstan, with about 95% of the country’s population speaking the language fluently. Russian was recognized by the 1995 Constitution as a state language, along with Kazakh. Russian is the primary language in academic, scientific and business sectors. However, substantial knowledge of Kazakh is required to be able to work in state...
Hungary
Hungarian, also called Magyar, is the official language of Hungary and the language most widely spoken across the country. In addition to being the most spoken language in Hungary, Magyar is also Europe’s 13th most widely spoken language. 99.6% of the population of Hungary speak Hungarian, with 99% of these speakers who speak it as their first language. Around 13 million speakers in Hungary speak Hungarian as their native tongue. Hungarian belongs to the Uralic language family and is one of the most spoken Uralic languages and the only one from this group that is spoken in Central Europe. The fact that no other language from this language group is spoken in Central Europe is the reason why Hungarian is largely unrelated to most of the languages spoken in the neighboring countries. The minority languages of Hungary include German, Slovak, Serbian, Slovene, Croatian, Romanian and Romani. German is spoken by the ethnic Germans residing in Hungary, most of which live in and around the Mecsek Mountains. Slovak is spoken by the Slovak minority community in Hungary, a community living mainly near Békéscsaba and in the North Hungarian Mountains. Serbian is mainly spoken in the southern parts of the country by...
Angola
Angola has a single official language and several national languages. Portuguese, which was introduced during the country’s period under colonial rule, is spoken widely within the country. Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language of Angola. The most popular indigenous languages of the country include Kikongo, Umbundu, and Kimbundu. As aforementioned, Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language of Angola. The variant of Portuguese spoken in Angola is called the Angolan Portuguese and shares many similarities to Brazilian Portuguese due to historical reasons. Angolan Portuguese also has some remnants of Old Portuguese which can be found especially in some popular grammar uses. There are local variations of Portuguese which may include some differences when it comes to the lexicon. In the capital of the country, Luanda, Portuguese is quite standard since it isn’t influenced by tribal cultures as much. Nearly 71% of the population of Angola speak Portuguese, which is the native language of 39% of the country’s population. Many more speak it as a second language, however. Among the younger Angolans, Portuguese is the most spoken and sometimes the only language spoken. Urban areas of Angola are more likely to harbor Portuguese speakers, where nearly...
Kuwait
Given that Kuwait is one of the world’s Arab nations, Arabic is inherently the predominant language in the country. Modern Standard Arabic is Kuwait’s official language, however, Kuwaiti Arabic is preferred for the day-to-day communication within the country. Kuwait is home to a large immigrant workforce who use English along with their native languages. Expatriates make up for about 70% of the population of Kuwait, which is why the country has such an increasingly diverse linguistic landscape. Modern Standard Arabic is mainly used in journalism and education in Kuwait, with the spoken form of Arabic having evolved depending on the region where it is being used. Gulf Arabic is the variant of the Arabic language which is used in Kuwait, or more specifically, Kuwaiti Arabic. Kuwaiti Arabic features many loan words from Indian, Persian, English, Turkish and Italian, due to immigration and trade. Dialects used in Kuwait’s urban and rural areas differ slightly. Locally, Kuwaiti Arabic is known as Khaliji, Khamseh, and Al Hasaa in other Arab nations. Kuwait’s public, as well as private schools teach students in Modern Standard Arabic, and at university levels, lectures are conducted in Arabic in courses with a religious or historical focus. Official documents,...
Sudan
Sudan is a multilingual nation where both English and literary Arabic serve as the official languages of the nation. The total number of languages used in Sudan is around 142, however only 133 are currently spoken as 9 of the languages have gone extinct over the years. The most spoken language in the north, east, west and middle regions is Arabic, and tribal languages which are spoken across the whole country. The dominant language in Sudan is Arabic, having been given official status by the Constitution of Sudan. The Arabic language is used mainly in one dialect, the Sudanese Arabic, which is further classified in the Afro-Asiatic family. Sudanese Arabic has been influenced by a number of different Nubian languages. This language is different from Egyptian Arabic but similar to Hejazi Arabic. Even among the Arabic speaking population in Sudan there are notable differences in the Arabic spoken in different regions. For example, a variant called Juba Arabic is more common in Southern Sudan, while the western region of the country mainly uses Chadian Arabic, and Hejazi and Najzdi Arabic can be heard in the country’s mid-eastern and mid-northern regions. Two other languages from the Afro-Asiatic family are spoken in...
Ukraine
The Ukrainian language is the official language of the state of Ukraine. Ukrainian is an East Slavic language largely believed to have evolved from the Old East Slavic language which used to be spoken in the medieval state of Kievan Rus’. Modern Ukrainian is written using a variant of the Cyrillic script. A new law was passed in 2012 that allowed local languages that were spoken by at least 10% of the local population of an area to be declared as that area’s official languages. As a result, Russian – the second most widely spoken language in Ukraine – became the official language in a number of cities and regions in the southern and eastern parts of the country. After the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, however, the Parliament voted against the regional language law and made Ukrainian into the only official language to be spoken at all levels of government and administration in the country. This law was not signed, however. Even during the Soviet era, there had been government efforts undertaken with the aim of protecting the Ukrainian language. The population of Ukrainian speakers had drastically declined during this period, and by the mid-1980s, the use of the Ukrainian language...
Morocco
Due to the varied historical influences on the people of Morocco, there is a large variety of different languages and dialects spoken across the country. There are 11 most commonly spoken languages in Morocco. The official language of Morocco is Moroccan Arabic, which is somewhat different from most other types of Arabic. Most Moroccans can understand standard Arabic, however. Other variants of the Arabic language spoken in Morocco include Hassaniyya Arabic, Judeo-Moroccan Arabic and Standard Arabic. Hassaniyya Arabic is also known as Moor, and over 40,000 people in Southern Morocco speak this variant of Arabic. Judeo-Moroccan Arabic is spoken by less than 9,000 people, as it is generally confined to certain smaller areas of Morocco. Standard Arabic can be understood by most Moroccans given that this form of Arabic is spoken and written throughout most of the Middle East and North Africa regions, and most Arabic television programs are in Standard Arabic. Moroccan Sign Language is used by a large number of deaf people in the city of Oujda. Most people who use MSL cannot read or write Arabic. MSL is also significantly different from American Sign Language. Other languages found in Morocco include Spanish, which is spoken by over...