Top 10 Best Sopken Languages In The World
Language
is perhaps the most important function of the human body – it allows us
to get sustenance as a child, it allows us to get virtually anything we
want as an adult, and it allows us many hours of entertainment through
literature, radio, music, and films. This list (in order of least to
most spoken) summarizes the most important languages in use today.Mandarin
Number of speakers: 1 billion+
Surprise,
surprise, the most widely spoken language on the planet is based in the
most populated country on the planet. Beating second-place English by a
2 to 1 ratio, but don’t let that lull you into thinking that Mandarin
is easy to learn. Speaking Mandarin can be really tough, because each
word can be pronounced in four ways (or “tones”), and a beginner will
invariably have trouble distinguishing one tone from another. But if
over a billion people could do it, so could you. Try saying hello!
To
say “hello” in Mandarin, say “Ni hao” (Nee HaOW). (“Hao” is pronounced
as one syllable, but the tone requires that you let your voice drop
midway, and then raise it again at the end.)
English
Number of speakers: 508 million
While
English doesn’t have the most speakers, it is the official language of
more countries than any other language. Its speakers hail from all
around the world, including New Zealand, the U.S., Australia, England,
Zimbabwe, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Canada. We’d tell
you more about English, but you probably feel pretty comfortable with
the language already. Let’s just move on to the most popular language in
the world.
To say “hello” in English, say “What’s up, freak?” (watz-UP-freek).
Hindustani
Number of speakers: 497 million
Hindustani
is the primary language of India’s crowded population, and it
encompasses a huge number of dialects (of which the most commonly spoken
is Hindi). While many predict that the population of India will soon
surpass that of China, the prominence of English in India prevents
Hindustani from surpassing the most popular language in the world. If
you’re interested in learning a little Hindi, there’s a very easy way:
rent an Indian movie. The film industry in India is the most prolific in
the world, making thousands of action/romance/musicals every year.
To say “hello” in Hindustani, say “Namaste” (Nah-MAH-stay)
Spanish
Number of speakers: 392 million
Aside
from all of those kids who take it in high school, Spanish is spoken in
just about every South American and Central American country, not to
mention Spain, Cuba, and the U.S. There is a particular interest in
Spanish in the U.S., as many English words are borrowed from the
language, including: tornado, bonanza, patio, quesadilla, enchilada, and
taco grande supreme.
To say “hello” in Spanish, say “Hola” (OH-la).
Russian
Number of speakers: 277 million
Mikhail
Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Yakov Smirnoff are among the millions of
Russian speakers out there. Sure, we used to think of them as our Commie
enemies. Now we think of them as our Commie friends. One of the six
languages in the UN, Russian is spoken not only in the Mother Country,
but also in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the U.S. (to name just a few
places).
To say “hello” in Russian, say “Zdravstvuite” (ZDRAST-vet-yah).
Arabic
Number of speakers: 246 million
Arabic,
one of the world’s oldest languages, is spoken in the Middle East, with
speakers found in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. Furthermore, because Arabic is the language
of the Koran, millions of Moslems in other countries speak Arabic as
well. So many people have a working knowledge of Arabic, in fact, that
in 1974 it was made the sixth official language of the United Nations.
To say “hello” in Arabic, say “Al salaam a’alaykum” (Ahl sah-LAHM ah ah-LAY-koom).
Bengali
Number of speakers: 211 million
In Bangladesh, a country of 120+ million people, just about everybody speaks Bengali. And because Bangladesh is virtually surrounded by India (where the population is growing so fast, just breathing the air can get you pregnant), the number of Bengali speakers in the world is much higher than most people would expect.
To say “hello” in Bengali, say “Ei Je” (EYE-jay)
Portuguese
Number of speakers: 191 million
Think
of Portuguese as the little language that could. In the 12th Century,
Portugal won its independence from Spain and expanded all over the world
with the help of its famous explorers like Vasco da Gama and Prince
Henry the Navigator. (Good thing Henry became a navigator . . . could
you imagine if a guy named “Prince Henry the Navigator” became a
florist?) Because Portugal got in so early on the exploring game, the
language established itself all over the world, especially in Brazil
(where it’s the national language), Macau, Angola, Venezuela, and
Mozambique.
To say “hello” in Portuguese, say “Bom dia” (bohn DEE-ah).
Malay-Indonesian
Number of speakers: 159 million
Malay-Indonesian
is spoken – surprise – in Malaysia and Indonesia. Actually, we kinda
fudged the numbers on this one because there are many dialects of Malay,
the most popular of which is Indonesian. But they’re all pretty much
based on the same root language, which makes it the ninth most-spoken in
the world.
Indonesia is a
fascinating place; a nation made up of over 13,000 islands it is the
sixth most populated country in the world. Malaysia borders on two of
the larger parts of Indonesia (including the island of Borneo), and is
mostly known for its capital city of Kuala Lumpur.
To say “hello” in Indonesian, say “Selamat pagi” (se-LA-maht PA-gee).
French
Number of speakers: 129 million
Often
called the most romantic language in the world, French is spoken in
tons of countries, including Belgium, Canada, Rwanda, Cameroon, and
Haiti. Oh, and France too. We’re actually very lucky that French is so
popular, because without it, we might have been stuck with Dutch Toast,
Dutch Fries, and Dutch kissing (ew!).
To say “hello” in French, say “Bonjour” (bone-JOOR).
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