English is probably the most relevant language in the world, not only because it is the language of many countries of great importance at the global level, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, but because it has become the lingua franca with which we we communicate with people from all over the world. It is the language of the Internet and the language of business, that is, it is the language of the present and the future.
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Expansion of the English language in the world
English is spoken all over the world, in fact, it is the first or second language in almost all of the countries of our planet. Perhaps it may surprise the fact that it is not the most spoken language, it is the third behind Mandarin and Spanish, and however, it has almost twice as many speakers as a second language than native speakers, which accounts for the enormous importance of this language across the globe.
Since the last century, English has become the lingua franca of the whole world, the common language through which people from different countries communicate and, with the appearance of the Internet, it has also become the language of online communications.
Beyond practical issues and communication, this is due in large part to the politics and influence of the United Kingdom during the 19th century and the United States during the 20th century. In the case of the first one, he built a great colonial empire that expanded English all over the globe and on all continents. Something that can be seen in the following list about the countries where English is spoken, the great majority of them ex-colonies of the British Empire.
Where is the English language spoken?
English is the most spoken language in the world, in fact, although it is not official, many countries have this language as the dominant language in the territory. However, before speaking about the countries where English is the official language, it is worth mentioning some factors that complicate this list.
If we think of English, the first countries that come to mind are the United States and the United Kingdom. However, did you know that in these countries English is not the official language? In these two countries there is no established official language, as it happens in Australia and other Caribbean countries that have English as the dominant language. This does not mean that all government action, compulsory education, the justice system and public media are in this language, which is why we have included them in the list.
A different case is that of India, where there is an official language – Hindi – but which also has English as the official language of support according to the constitution. Anyway, English is still mandatory in the drafting of laws, is one of the languages of parliament and is used almost exclusively in higher education, business and administrative system. De facto, we could say that it is still the official language of India.
The opposite of what happens in Malaysia, which does have English as the only language, however, despite the fact that it is the only language of the government, laws or education, in the street it does not have such an extended use. Keeping all this in mind we must understand that the list that follows is not fixed at all. In fact, there are many countries where English is not official but it is dominated by almost the entire population.
In which countries is English spoken as an official language
Europe
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- malt
America
- Old and bearded
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Glen
- Dominica
- S
- Pomegranate
- Guiana
- Jamaica
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Vincent and the Grenadines
- lucia
- Trinidad and Tobago
Asia
- Philippines
- India
- Malaysia
- Pakistan
- Singapore
Africa
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mauricio
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Swaziland
- South Africa
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Oceania
- Australia
- Fiji
- Marshall Islands
- Solomon Islands
- Kiribati
- Micronesia
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
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Article Source: Tape Daily
In Australia, English is widely spoken, and for Deaf individuals, Auslan interpreter ensure they’re fully included in the conversation.