It is a tough task to determine which languages are mostly spoken in the world. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 languages spoken at the global level by the native speakers. Language is a source of communication without which people are speechless. They cannot tell anything to others unless the listener knows the language of the speaker. Translation comes into play to bring communication between the native and non-native speakers. Here is the list of the 10 most spoken languages across the globe by native speakers.
Chinese
There are 1.3 billion people across the world who use Chinese as their native language. 918 million of these 1.3 billion people speak Mandarin. In other words, every sixth person in the world speaks the Chinese language. Chinese people find it tough to communicate with people who do not know the Chinese language. They use translation services to communicate with non-natives. Students coming from other parts of the world to China use different translation apps to communicate with Chinese native speakers. The world has become a global village. It enhanced the importance of translation in the current world.
Spanish
There are almost 460 million people who speak Spanish language as their mother tongue. Spanish is one of the languages of the world that is spoken on almost every continent. You can open up whole continents for you if you know the Spanish language. It is the primary language of Central and South America, large part of the US, Spain, and many other countries. There are several other local languages in these regions but Spanish is categorized as the primary language. Surprisingly, the native Spanish speakers in the world are more than native English speakers.
English
According to dependable databases, there are almost 379 million native speakers of English across the world. There are approximately 753 million people in the world that consider English their second language. In terms of popularity, English is one of the most popular languages in the world. It is also known as the most successful language in the world. It is a language of international communication, business, and travel. According to linguistic experts, English will keep dominating the world in the future. It is quite easier to learn as compared to Chinese, the most spoken language in the world. The soft power of the US culture increases the strength of the English language. In the current world, English is categorized as a source of better life and opportunity.
Hindi
Hindi is the primary language in India. However, the country has 23 official languages. Hindi is spoken by almost 341 million people as their native language. In speaking, it is very similar to Urdu, the national language of Pakistan. Hindi is spoken in India and some parts of Pakistan. In the Hindi language, devnagri script is used, while in Urdu, Persian notation is used. However, English is the language of official communication in most of India. Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, wants to replace English with Hindi as an official language in the southern states of India. If you know a little bit of Hindi, you can get a long way in India.
Picture by Mike
Bengali
It is a surprising fact that Bengali is one of the top 10 languages spoken across the world. There are over 228 million people who speak Bengali as their native language. In 1947, the Bengal was divided into two parts including East Bengal as a part of Pakistan and West Bengal as a part of India. The East Bengal became independent in 1971 with the name of Bangladesh. Bengali is spoken in Kolkata, Bangladesh, and the Andaman Islands. Bangladesh is facing a huge climate change. According to the researchers, 15% of the land is expected to disappear below the rising sea in the next century in Bangladesh. Moreover, the population of Bangladesh is expected to become double in the next century.
Portuguese
Portuguese is the native language of approximately 221 million people. The conquerors and traders brought this language to Africa, Asia, and America in the 15th century. Portuguese is spoken in several countries including Brazil, Goa, Angola, Macau, Principe, Sao Tome, Mozambique, and more. The European colonization played a crucial role in the spread of the Portuguese language.
Russian
According to the recent numbers, the Russian language is spoken 154 million people as their native language. It is one of the six languages spoken in the UN. Cyrillic script is used in writing the Russian language. The inscrutable grammar of this language makes it quite famous across the globe.
Japanese
Japanese is spoken by at least 128 million native speakers. According to the recent stats, most of the native speakers reside in Japan. There are two different writing systems of Japanese including katakana and hiragana. The Japanese language uses many characters of the Chinese Kanji. In the US, Philippines, and Brazil, you will find the largest groups of people who speak Japanese.
Lahnda (A language of Western Punjabi)
Lahnda is the native language of people living in Western Punjab. It is spoken by almost 93 million people in the world as their first language. Surprisingly, the German language does not come in the list of 10 most spoken languages in the world. Lahnda is a macro-language spoken in Pakistan. In India, the Eastern Punjabi language is spoken. It also does not come in this list. British divided Punjab into two (East Punjab and West Punjab) in 1947. Millions of people were enforced to leave their properties, lands, houses, and businesses during the partition. East Punjab became a part of Pakistan while West Punjab became a part of India. In terms of native speakers, the French language also does not come in this list.
Marathi
Just like the previous one, this language is not well known from people around the world. But it however has 83 million native speakers. This language is commonly used in Maharashtra (India). Native speakers of this language represent 6.86% of Indian population. Amazing right?
