For human beings to remain in this society, it is important to communicate their thoughts, ideas, wishes, and opinions. The best way to do this is with the language tool. There are hundreds of languages in the world. Each has its own specialty, background, melody, and rhythm. Each one has its own essence. But have you ever wondered what are the most popular languages in the world? Let’s find out:
10 Most Popular Languages in the World:
1. English
Believe it or not, English was not in the first position, but it follows closely behind Mandarin to acquire the second position. Now the total number of speakers increased rapidly. As of 2021, it is spoken by more than 1.4 billion people around the world. And it is also another of the six official languages of the UN. Derived from an Indo-European language family, this Germanic language is the global lingua franca. Unlike Mandarin, which is primarily spoken in a particular geographic region, English is the first language in many countries of the world on all continents. And almost a billion people speak it as a second language.
2. Mandarin
Almost 1.2 billion people speak Mandarin. And it is one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations. There are 1200 million varieties of this language. It is popularly spoken in North and Southwest China. The language is derived from the Sino-Tibetan family. But just because this language is at the top of the list does not mean that it is an easy language to learn or speak. It has multiple dialects and each one has multiple tones, so all Mandarin-speaking areas have different pitch values.
3. Hindi
Hindi is one of the official languages of India. It is the Sanskrit record of the Hindustani langue, with Indo-Aryan and Indo-European roots. It is spoken by millions of local Indians, but it closely resembles Urdu, which is the native language of Pakistan. A large number of dialects of Hindi are famous throughout India, with approximately 615 million people speaking Hindi. But, the main prominence of the language is probably through Bollywood movies that use Hindi as the lingua franca.
4. Spanish
Another of the official languages of the UN, Spanish went from 2nd to 3rd only recently. It is spoken by more than 586 million people. It is also a Romance language, born from an Indo-European family. Spanish is used as a mother tongue in Latin America and Equatorial Guinea, in addition to Spain. The language is spoken so widely that many Spanish words are also used in the English language.
5. Bengali
Bengali, or Bangla, is the native language of Bangladesh, as well as West Bengal, southern Assam, and Tripura in India. The national anthems of Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka, as well as the national song of India, were written in Bengali. This language has a long history of evolution from Indo-Aryan dialects like; Prakrit and Pali, developed from Sanskrit. While the language still retains originality, it has also absorbed words from foreign languages. Some of the most important literary works are written in Bengali, including the works of Rabindranath Tagore. Approximately 265 million people speak it.
6. Portuguese
This Romance language of Indo-European roots is spoken by more than 270 million people. And it is the official language in Brazil, Mozambique, and several other places. The language is spoken in many countries of the world.
7. Russian
This Slavic language of Indo-European origin is one of the six official languages recognized by the UN. It is spoken by more than 258 million people. And it is not only in practice in the Russian Federation and other components of the USSR but also in the Baltic countries and the United States, to name just a few. In addition, many great works of literature and film have been created in this language.
8. Urdu
Considered one of the sweetest languages in the world. Urdu is a record of the Hindustani language, spoken by more than 170 million people, mainly in Pakistan and in 6 states of India. The language is very similar to Hindi. And it is also associated with Muslims. Urdu is one of the languages belonging to the Indo-European and Indo-Aryan families. Urdu poetry and songs are celebrated all over the world.
9. Indonesian
This Austronesian language, spoken in Malaysia and Indonesia, is a record of Malay and belongs to the Malay-Polynesian family. It is spoken by more than 170 million people and is the official language of Indonesia.
10. Japanese
In the tenth position is the Japanese language. Approximately 128 million people speak this language; Mainly in Japan, a country in East Asia, as well as in other parts of the world where people learned the language and know how to speak it, or because Japanese immigrants live there. The language is a member of the Japonica family, and its history is debated.
All languages are evolving as they absorb new words, phrases, and styles from other languages, especially English. But, in essence, each language has its own story to tell, in its own unique way.
