Ecuador
The South American nation of Ecuador is home to three official languages, which include: Spanish, Kichwa, and Shuar. Ecuador’s culture, ethnicity and languages spoken, have all been influenced by the country’s long history of Spanish colonialists, the Inca Empire, and the Amerindian peoples. Out of these, the most widely spoken one is Spanish, which is spoken by around 93% of the population. As such, Spanish is the primary language of business, education, government and religion in Ecuador. It is also widely understood by the vast majority of the population. The variant of Spanish spoken in Ecuador varies slightly depending on the region. The regional varieties of Spanish in Ecuador include Equatorial Coastal, Andean, and Amazon. Despite the variations, however, most Spanish-speaking individuals are able to understand one another regardless of the region. Along with Spanish, Kichwa and Shuar are the other two official languages of Ecuador. Kichwa is an indigenous language which belongs to the Quechuan family and which is primarily spoken in the Chimorazo region of Ecuador, where the number of speakers fluent in this language is estimated at somewhere between 1 and 2 million. Shuar language is an indigenous language which belongs to the Jivaroan language family. It...
Cuba
Cuban Spanish is the most popular and widely spoken language in the South American nation of Cuba, spoken by close to 11 million people. Both Cuban Spanish and Haitian Creole are the most dominant languages in the country. Cuban Spanish belongs to the Indo-European family of languages and the West Iberian language group, and is known to be one of the most difficult forms of Spanish spoken in the world. In comparison to the Castellan Spanish spoken in mainland Spain, Cuban Spanish is quite different in terms of grammar and pronunciation in particular. 90% of the citizens of Cuba speak Spanish as their first language. Aside from Spanish, Creole is spoken by about 400,000 people, with classes being conducted in Creole in regions such as Havana, Guantanamo, and Matanzas. Some of the minority languages in Cuba include the Galician, Corsican, Lucumí, and Haitian Creole. Haitian Creole is a major language in Cuba and the second most widely spoken language, spoken by about 4% of the population or 300,000 individuals. Lucumí is a West African language influenced by the West Yoruba language which has a rather minor presence in Cuba. It has no native speakers in Cuba as it mainly defined...
Slovakia
Slovakia has an estimated population of about 5.4 million people, with the largest ethnic group being the Slovaks, which make up more than 80% of the total population. Hungarians, Czechs, Rusyns, Poles, Ukrainians and the Roma make up the minority ethnic groups in Slovakia. All of these ethnic groups speak their own native languages, which leads to a diversity in the country’s linguistic and cultural landscapes. Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, spoken by more than 80% of the population. As such, it is given priority over other languages in Slovakia. The use of Slovak in the country is regulated by the State Language Law. Slovak is a Slavic language from the broader Indo-European language family which is spoken in Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Hungary. Speakers of the Slovak language in Slovakia use three common, mutually intelligible dialects: central, eastern, and western dialects. There is also a standard version for teaching in schools. Over the centuries, the Slovak language has developed and expanded due to the influence from other languages such as Latin, Hungarian, Czech, English and German. Minority ethnic languages spoken in Slovakia may earn a co-official status if there are over 15% of...
Sri Lanka
Sinhala or Sinhalese and Tamil are the official languages of the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka. Sinhala is primarily spoken in the southern, western and central parts of Sri Lanka, while Tamil is almost exclusively spoken in the eastern and northern parts of the island. Sinhala is the native language of the Sinhalese people, who comprise about 70% of the total population of Sri Lanka. This translates to around 13 million people. Sinhala is the most widely spoken in Sri Lanka, as it is also spoken among other ethnic groups within the island as a second language. The language was heavily influenced by the liturgical language of Sri Lankan Buddhists, Pali. Moreover, Sinhala has adopted many English, Portuguese and Dutch loanwords over the years, as a result of the centuries of colonial rule in Sri Lanka. Sinhala has also borrowed a number of words from Tamil as well. Tamil is the second official language of Sri Lanka, spoken by about five million people all over the island, or about 15% of the total population. The Tamil language belongs to the Dravidian language family, which is predominant in southern India, particularly in the state of Tamil Nadu. Tamil was...
Ethiopia
The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic, which is also the national language of the country. Other than Amharic, there are around 88 other different languages spoken in Ethiopia, most of which belong to the Semitic, Cushitic, and Omotic branches of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages. Out of the 88 languages spoken in the country, 86 are currently alive, 41 are institutional, 14 are developing, 18 are vigorous, two are already extinct, five are almost extinct, while eight are in danger of extinction. Oromo and Amharic are the two main languages spoken in the country, while English is the principal foreign tongue which is taught in schools as a second language. Amharic used to be the medium of instruction in schools, but this changed when it started to be replaced by other local languages such as Oromo and Tigrinya. Amharic is the official national language and is spoken as a native language by approximately 30% of the population, or 21,634,396 speakers. All federal laws are published in this language. However, Amharic is not the most widely spoken language in Ethiopia, given that, as per the Ethiopian census of 2007, Oromo is the most widely spoken language in Ethiopia, at 24,930,424...
Kenya
The Republic of Kenya is an eastern African country which harbors one of the most multiethnic, varied cultural landscapes in all of Africa. With a population of some 50 million people, around 17 million of them speak Swahili at varying levels of proficiency. Swahili, along with English, is one of the country’s two official languages. Due to its widespread usage and pervasiveness, Swahili is considered the lingua franca of southeastern Africa. It is the official language in the African Union as well as the East African Community. Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a member of the Niger-Congo family of languages, particularly the Bantu subdivision. There are many different varieties of Swahili which are all mutually intelligible with one another, with the Kimvita dialect as one of the most likely ones to be heard in Kenya. Other dialects of Swahili include Kivumba and Mambrui. Kimvita is native to Mombasa, while Kivumba and Mambrui are native to the southern coast and Malindi, respectively. A government body called “Chama cha Kiswahili cha Taifa”, which is based in Nairobi, regulates the use of Swahili in Kenya. The influence of English in Kenya is a result of the country’s history of being under British...
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a multilingual country with several languages being spoken within its borders. The Spanish language is the most widely spoken one, and it is spoken by and/or understood by more than 90% of the country’s total population. It is also used in government offices, education, as well as in business, media, and commerce. Spanish is the official language spoken in the Dominican Republic, with several dialects being spoken across the country. Dominican Spanish is the local dialect found in the Dominican Republic, which is spoken by around 80% of the people and is influenced by West African languages to a large degree. Dominican Spanish has also borrowed loanwords from the Arawak language. Dominican Spanish is based on the Canarian Spanish dialect and is similar to the Coastal Caribbean Spanish dialects, but it also has strong African influences. Dominican Spanish, interestingly, uses old Spanish words which are no longer used in modern Spanish. Some words are also borrowed from the African languages which were spoken by Africans who came here during the 1500s, after the Taino extinction. Other languages spoken in the Dominican Republic include Haitian creole, which is spoken by those who are of Haitian descent, an...
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country with a highly diverse linguistic landscape, with dozens of languages being spoken within its borders. Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, however there are also 21 Mayan languages, one Arawakan language, and one indigenous language spoken in the country aside from Spanish. Spanish is spoken by nearly 93% of the population, making it the most spoken language in the country. The Spanish language was brought to Guatemala by the Spanish colonists and was taught to the country’s indigenous inhabitants by missionaries and early Guatemalan schools. Spanish is the primary medium of instruction in schools all over the country today, and is also widely used in both formal and informal settings. The Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala include K’iche’ or Quiché as the most notable one. K’iche’ is spoken by the K’iche’ people who inhabit Guatemala’s central highlands, an estimated 1 million or 11.31% of them. After Spanish, K’iche’ is the second most popular language in Guatemala. Many speakers of K’iche’ also possess knowledge of Spanish to varying degrees. Several dialects of K’iche’ exists, of which the most widely used on is the Central Dialect. This dialect is used in education and media. Other Mayan languages...
Oman
Arabic is the official and national language of Oman and the language heard most often within the country’s borders. The variant of Arabic spoken in Oman features several dialects, representing the nation’s diversity. Omani Arabic is prevalent in the Al-Hajar mountains as well as some neighboring coastal areas, and is regarded as the easternmost Arabic dialect. Omani Arabic was previously spoken by the colonialists in Kenya and Tanzania. The sub-dialects of Omani Arabic include Shihhi Arabic, heard in the Musandam Governorate of Oman, and Dhofari Arabic, used in Oman’s Dhofar Governorate. Another dialect of Arabic native to Oman is Bahrani Arabic. Apart from Arabic, English is the unofficial second language of Oman and the most widely spoken second language in Oman. English is used as an instruction medium in schools from the earliest grades, and is especially popular in the business circles in the country. It is easy for expatriates and tourists to get around in Oman, given that many road signs, notices, and posters are in both Arabic and English. The usage of English is experiencing an upward trend due to the growing size of the expatriate community of English speakers in Oman. Balochi Arabic or Baluchi is another...
Myanmar (Burma)
There are nearly 100 languages spoken in Myanmar, the most popular among them being the Burmese language. Burmese is the official language of the country, and is also the most widely spoken language in the country. Burmese is spoken by two-thirds of the country’s total population. Burmese is a Sino-Tibetan language and the native language of millions of Bamar people who speak it as their first language. Burmese is also spoken by the ethnic minority group called Mon, as well as some other minority ethnic groups across Myanmar. The Burmese language is related to the Tibetan and Chinese languages, while the script used to write Burmese was developed from a southern Indian script in the 5th century. Burmese is taught in Myanmar’s schools and monasteries, with about 32 million people speaking it as their first language and another 10 million people who speak it as a second language. The Burmese language is an age-oriented language and includes the use of honorifics. Apart from Burmese, there are a number of indigenous languages native to Myanmar, such as: Shan, the Karen Languages, Kachin, Mon, and several othersspoken by the various ethnic communities of Myanmar. Shan is a native language of Myanmar spoken...
Luxembourg
Luxembourg has three official and major languages: Luxembourgish, French, and German. Luxembourgish is the national language, however all three are established as the official administrative languages of the country. Luxembourgish is a member of the Indo-European language family and is defined as a West Central Germanic language and part of the High German languages. As such, Luxembourgish is closely related to the German language, with some linguists arguing the theory that Luxembourgish is not a distinct language but rather a standardized form of the German language due to all the similar characteristics between the two languages. There are several dialects of Luxembourgish whose characteristics are defined by the regions in which they are spoken. These dialects include: Stater from Luxembourg, Areler from Arlon, Weelzer from Wiltz, Minetter from Southern Luxembourg, Veiner from Vianden, Kliarrwer from Clervaux, Miseler from Moselle, and Eechternoacher from Echternach. The version of Luxembourgish used in official communication is the standardized version of Luxembourgish. The standardization of Luxembourgish began in the mid-19th century, with the first documented standard Luxembourgish orthography, known as the “ofizjel lezebuurjer ortografi” or OLO, which was adopted in 1946. The standardization of the language was initially met with widespread rejection all over Luxembourg....
Panama
Spanish is the official and the most widely spoken language in Panama. The introduction of Spanish in Panama came with the emergence of Spanish rule in the country. Prior to the emergence of Spanish in the country, the region was home to a number of various ethnicities. The interaction between the incoming Europeans and the indigenous peoples resulted in Mestizos – ethnic groups comprised of people of both European and Indigenous origins – which make up around 65% of Panama’s population. There are various differences in pronunciation between the Spanish spoken in Panama and the Spanish used in other parts of the world. Although the Panamanian Spanish is largely similar to Spanish used in Spain in many ways, the Panamanian variant has some words and phrases that are unique to Panama. In the capital of the country, the Panama City, a blend of Spanish and English is used as slang by the younger population. Around 93% of the population speak Spanish as their first language, while bilingual citizens who speak both Spanish and English comprise about 14% of the population. The number of residents who use the indigenous languages of Panama stand at approximately 7%, with the largest of the...
Ghana
The West African state of Ghana, situated along the Gulf of Guinea, is home to more than 28.21 million residents and about 80 native and foreign languages and dialects which together create a highly diverse linguistic and cultural environment. As a result of the country’s colonial past, the official language in Ghana is English, which is also the language of instruction in schools across the country. Aside from being the language used in educational institutions, English is also the language used in government affairs, legal and administrative documents and procedures, business affairs, and media. There is a number of newspapers published in Ghana which are written in English, such as the “Daily Guide Ghana” and the “Ghanaian Chronicle”. The English spoken in Ghana is mostly influenced by the idioms, phrases and grammatical rules of the indigenous languages, and is generally not as fluent as native speakers’ English. The variant of English spoken in Ghana is referred to as Pidgin English. Fante-Twi, Ga, and Ewe are the most important Kwa languages spoken in the south of the country, while the northern region is dominated by the three subdivisions of the Gur branch: Mole-Dagbane, Grusi, and Gurma. Hausa is a language of...
Bulgaria
The Republic of Bulgaria is a country in the southeast of Europe which has a population of 7.4 million people. Bulgarians are the primary ethnic group inhabiting the country, with the largest minority groups being the Turks and Roma people. Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria and is spoken by the majority of the country’s population. The Bulgarian language is a member of the Slavic group of languages and is closely related to the Macedonian language. Both languages possess several features that set them apart from other Slavic languages, such as the suffixed definite article, lack of a verb infinitive, removal of case declension, etc. In its written form, Bulgarian utilizes the Cyrillic alphabet. The number of speakers of Bulgarian in the country is estimated at around 5.7 million. All aspects of official and social life are conducted in Bulgarian, which is the medium of instruction in educational institutions, as well as in electronic and printed media. Contemporary Standard Bulgarian is the official variant of the Bulgarian language spoken in Bulgaria. There are two other dialects which are mutually intelligible with the Standard variant, and these include the Palityan dialect, and the Pomak dialect which is spoken in Greece...
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a Central American country whose population is estimated at 4.5 million people. Costa Rica’s official and predominant language is Spanish, due to the country’s colonial history. The variety of Spanish spoken in Costa Rica is called Costa Rican Spanish, which is a form of Central American Spanish. Costa Rica is also home to many foreign languages as a result of the large number of immigrants from all over the world who have come inside the country in the recent years. Jamaican patois, also known as Mekatelyu, is a Creole-English language spoken along the Carribean coast. This language is spoken by the Afro-Carib immigrants who have settled primarily in the Limón Province. Around 10.7% of the adult population of Costa Rica speaks English, while 0.7% speak French, and 0.3% who speak Portuguese or German as a second language. Mennonite immigrants to Costa Rica speak Plautdietsch, while the settlers of Monteverde called the Quakers community, speak an older dialect of English using thou instead of you. Furthermore, Costa Rica is home to at least five living local indigenous languages spoken by the pre-Columbians’ descendants. These languages include: Maléku, Cabécar, Bribri, Guaymí, and Buglere. Maléku is also known as Guatuso...