Shem’s Idle Notes’: Top 10 Most Spoken Languages

‘Here is a list of the top ten languages, grouped by the number of native speakers. 10. German (over 90 million speakers) German is a member of the West Germanic language family, alongside English. German is primarily spoken in Germany,as the official language. It is also the official language of Austria, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, Beilgium, Switzerland , and the Italian province of Bolzano-Bozen. Common German phrases include Guten tag (Good day), Sprechen sie Deutsch? (Do you speak German?), and auf wiedersehen (Goodbye). 9. Japanese (132 million speakers) Japanese is a member of the Japonic language family. Most Japanese native speakers live in Japan, but native Japanese speakers also live in Korea, the United States and Europe. Japanese is the official language of Japan, and it also enjoys official status in Palau. Common phrases in Japanese include konichiwa (hello), arigato (Thank you), and sayonara (goodbye). 8. Russian (144 million speakers) The Russian language is a member of the East Slavic family of languages, which also includes the Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Rusyn languages. Most of Russian’s 144 million speakers live in Russia, and other countries with large Russian-speaking populations include Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Common Russian phrases include ZDRAHST-vooy-tyeh; hello,dah: yes, and spuh-SEE-buh; thank you. 7. Portuguese (178 million speakers) Portuguese is a member of the Italo-Western branch of the Romance language family. It is a descendant of Latin (“Romance” referring to Rome). It is the official language of both Portugal and Brazil. it is also the official language of Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe. It is currently the fourth most learned language in the world, with 30 million learners. Common Portuguese phrases include: Bom dia (Good day), Como está? (How are you?), and Não (No). 6. Bengali (181 million speakers) Bengali is a member of the Indo-Aryan language family, alongside languages such as Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. Most of its speakers live in Bangladesh. Speakers also live in West Bengal, Tripura and Assam, Europe, the United States, and even Saudi Arabia. Common Bengali phrases include Nômoshkar (Hello), Apnar nam ki? (What is your name?), and Ektu (please). TO BE CONTINUED

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Shem’s Idle Notes’: Top 10 Most Spoken Languages