Skip navigation.
Home
Web of Influence
Blogging blogs and the bloggers who blog them
 A student project of Bryn Mawr College
Hall of Fame | Blogroll | Help | About
Home » blogs » How I learned to drive's blog

The TOP TEN most spoken languages in the WORLD!

Submitted by How I learned t... on Sat, 2005-10-22 00:35. language

I know many of us are studying another language, and to each his/her own reason. I speak Spanish and English, and consider them to be pretty important languages to know in today’s society. However I was wondering what the most spoken languages in the world were. My first guess was… English (of course) but I quickly discovered I was very wrong! Here’s the list of the ten most widely spoken languages in the world. Maybe you’ll be surprised too!

1. Chinese (Mandarin)= 1,000,000,000 +
2. English = 508,000,000
3. Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu)= 497,000,000
4. Spanish = 392,000,000
5. Russian = 277,000,000
6. Arabic = 246,000,000
7. Bengali = 211,000,000
8. Portuguese = 191,000,000
9. Malay-Indonesian = 159,000,000
10. French = 129,000,000

It makes logical sense, when you think of the population sizes in each of the countries which speak the languages.

* This information was based on a research done by Washington University. Also, another website presented equal information on the subject.

» How I learned to drive's blog | login to post comments | 5836 reads

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

The Language of Negotiations.

Submitted by Salamander on Sat, 2005-10-22 12:20.

If you look at the population of countries, where people speak that language then it is correct. But, I guess it may be a little bit different taking into the consideration that English is probably the most spoken language of people from different countries, or in other words second language. English is most of the time the language of the negotiations. It is spoken everywhere. So, I think we should not underestimate its value.

» login to post comments

When I was younger, I used

Submitted by City on Sat, 2005-10-22 16:58.

When I was younger, I used to wonder how Mandarin could be the most widely spoken language in the world if I was Chinese in New York City and met so few people who spoke Mandarin. I guess that wasn't the best way to look at it, but there actually was an explanation. It turns out that 70% of Chinese immigrants to America come from a region called Guangzhou where Cantonese is spoken. I just found that interesting.

» login to post comments

my family is from guangzhou

Submitted by remember to breathe on Mon, 2005-10-24 21:44.

my family is from guangzhou and it is true. growing up in nyc too, most of the chinese friends i know come from a family that speaks cantonese. immediately, i ask if they're from guangzhou or hong kong because that is primarily where that dialect is spoken. in asian american communities we studies immigration patterns of people from east and south asia to the united states and the reason is because of the location. guangzhou and hong kong are harbor cities. just to add, guangzhou is an amazing place, the seafood is extraordinary like my grandma's home cooking.

» login to post comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.