English language

Geographic distribution

English is the second- or third-most widely spoken language in the world today; a total of 600-700 million people use English regularly. About 377 million people use English as their mother-tongue and an equal number of people use it as their second or foreign language. It is used widely in either the public or private sphere in more than 100 countries all over the world. In addition, the language has occupied a primary place in international academic and business communities. The current status of the English language compares with that of Latin in the past.

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English is the primary language in Australia (Australian English), the Bahamas, Barbados (Caribbean English), Bermuda, Dominica, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica (Jamaican English), New Zealand (New Zealand English), Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom (British English), the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the United States (American English). Welsh, Scots Gaelic and Irish are also indigenous languages in the United Kingdom.

Related Topics:
Australia - Australian English - Bahamas - Barbados - Caribbean English - Bermuda - Dominica - Gibraltar - Grenada - Guyana - Jamaica - Jamaican English - New Zealand - New Zealand English - Antigua and Barbuda - St. Lucia - Saint Kitts and Nevis - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Trinidad and Tobago - United Kingdom - British English - U.S. Virgin Islands - United States - American English - Welsh - Scots Gaelic - Irish

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English is also one of the primary languages of the Belize (with Spanish), Canada (with French), India (with Hindi and 21 other state languages), Ireland (with Irish), Malaysia & Singapore (with Malay, Mandarin and Tamil), the Philippines (along with Tagalog), Israel (along with Hebrew and Arabic), South Africa (along with 10 other languages, including Zulu and Afrikaans), Uganda, Rwanda (along with French and Kinyarwanda).

Related Topics:
Belize - Spanish - Canada - French - India - Hindi - Ireland - Irish - Malaysia - Singapore - Malay - Mandarin - Tamil - Philippines - Tagalog - Israel - Hebrew - Arabic - South Africa - Zulu - Afrikaans - Uganda - Rwanda

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In Hong Kong, English is an official language and is widely used in business activities. It is taught from kindergarten level, and is the medium of instruction for a few primary schools, many secondary schools and all universities. Substantial numbers of students acquire native-speaker level. It is so widely used and spoken that it is inadequate to say it is merely a second or foreign language, though there are still many people in Hong Kong with poor or no command of English.

Related Topics:
Hong Kong - Official language - Kindergarten - Primary schools - Secondary schools - Universities - Native-speaker - Foreign language

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The majority of English native speakers (67 to 70 percent) live in the United States. Although the U.S. federal government has no official languages, it has been given official status by 27 of the 50 state governments, most of which have declared English their sole official language. Hawaii, Louisiana, and New Mexico have also designated Hawaiian, French, and Spanish as official languages in conjunction with English, respectively.

Related Topics:
U.S. federal government - Hawaii - Louisiana - New Mexico - Hawaiian - French - Spanish

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In many other countries where English is not a major first language, it is an official language; these countries include Cameroon, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Ghana, Gambia, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Related Topics:
Cameroon - Fiji - Federated States of Micronesia - Ghana - Gambia - Kiribati - Lesotho - Liberia - Kenya - Namibia - Nigeria - Malta - Marshall Islands - Pakistan - Papua New Guinea - Philippines - Rwanda - Solomon Islands - Samoa - Sierra Leone - Swaziland - Tanzania - Zambia - Zimbabwe

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English is the most widely learned and used foreign language in the world, and, as such, many linguists believe it is no longer the exclusive cultural emblem of "native English speakers," but rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it grows in use. Others believe that there are limits to how far English can go in suiting everyone for communication purposes. It is the language most often studied as a foreign language in Europe (32.6 percent), followed by French, German, and Spanish. It is also the most studied in Japan, South Korea and in the Republic of China (Taiwan), where it is compulsory for most high school students. See English as an additional language.

Related Topics:
Europe - Japan - South Korea - Republic of China - Taiwan - High school - English as an additional language

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English as a global language

See also: English on the Internet

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Because English is so widely spoken, it has been referred to as a "global language." While English is not the official language in many countries, it is the language most often taught as a second language around the world. It is also, by international treaty, the official language for aircraft/airport communication. Its widespread acceptance as a first or second language is the main indication of its global status.

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There are numerous arguments for and against English (or any language, for that matter) as a global language. On one hand, having a global language aids in communication and in pooling information (for example, in the scientific community). On the other hand, it excludes those who, for one reason or another, are not fluent. It can also marginalize populations whose first language is not a "global language."

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A secondary concern with respect to the spread of global languages (English, Spanish, etc.) is the resulting disappearance of minority languages, often along with the cultures and religions that are primarily transmitted in those languages. English has been implicated in a number of historical and ongoing so-called 'language deaths' and 'linguicides' around the world, many of which have also led to the loss of cultural heritage. In the Americas, Native American nations have been most strongly affected by this phenomenon.

Related Topics:
Language death - Linguicide - Native American

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Dialects and regional variants

The expansiveness of the British and the Americans has spread English throughout the globe. It is now the second- or third-most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese; whether English or Spanish has more native speakers depends on who is doing the counting and how they count. Due to its global spread, it has bred a variety of English dialects and English-based creoles and pidgins.

Related Topics:
Mandarin Chinese - English dialects - Creole - Pidgin

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The major varieties of English in most cases contain several sub-varieties, such as Cockney within British English, Newfoundland English within Canadian English, and African American Vernacular English ("Ebonics") within American English. English is considered a pluricentric language, with no variety being clearly considered the only standard.

Related Topics:
Cockney - British English - Newfoundland English - Canadian English - African American Vernacular English - Ebonics - American English - Pluricentric language

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Some consider Scots as an English dialect. Pronunciation, grammar and lexis differ, sometimes substantially. The Scottish dialect retains many German aspects including guttural pronunciations.

Related Topics:
Scots - Guttural

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Due to English's wide use as a second language, English speakers can have many different accents, which may identify the speaker's native dialect or language. For more distinctive characteristics of regional accents, see Regional accents of English speakers. For more distinctive characteristics of regional dialects, see List of dialects of the English language.

Related Topics:
Accent - Regional accents of English speakers - List of dialects of the English language

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Many countries around the world have blended English words and phrases into their everyday speech and refer to the result by a colloquial name that implies its bilingual origins, which parallels the English language's own addiction to loan words and borrowings. Named examples of these ad-hoc constructions, distinct from pidgin and creole languages, include Engrish, Wasei-eigo, Franglais and Spanglish. (See List of dialects of the English language for a complete list.) Europanto combines many languages but has an English core.

Related Topics:
Pidgin - Creole language - Engrish - Wasei-eigo - Franglais - Spanglish - List of dialects of the English language - Europanto

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Constructed variants of English

• Basic English is simplified for easy international use. It is used by some aircraft manufacturers and other international businesses to write manuals and communicate. Some English schools in the Far East teach it as an initial practical subset of English.
• Special English is a simplified version of English used by the Voice of America. It uses a vocabulary of 1500 words.
• English reform is an attempt to collectively improve upon the English language.
• Seaspeak and the related Airspeak and Policespeak, all based on restricted vocabularies, were designed by Edward Johnson in the 1980s to aid international cooperation and communication in specific areas.
• European English is a new variant of the English language created to become the common language in Europe.