And the Levada Center (data for Russia) speaks English to 33% of the European population, for 13% of them this language is native, and for 21% - foreign.
The largest percentage of people who speak English are by far the UK and Ireland. Rounding out the top five are Malta, Sweden and Denmark. In these countries, the percentage of the population who know English as a foreign language is half of the total population of the country.
In Russia, the percentage of English speakers is relatively small - only 15%.
The UK and Ireland, for objective reasons, also lead in terms of the number of people for whom English is their native language, the next largest percentage is noted in Malta (3.55%), followed by Germany (2.16%).
As for English as a foreign language, Malta (58.84%) and Sweden (52.45%) take the first place here.
Least of all people speak English in the Czech Republic (11.75%) and Spain (11.7%).
Countries with a high percentage of English proficiency include Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Malta and Sweden.
For example, let's take the Scandinavian countries: Finland, Denmark and Sweden. In these countries, there is a lot of media in English. Also, Scandinavians often watch American films and TV shows in their original language with subtitles. Scandinavians are actively creating a language environment around themselves, which is a positive factor in the overall development of the English language. Also Scandinavian education system puts great emphasis on the thorough study of English in school. Teachers work a lot with students, emphasizing the integration of theory and practice.
With Austria it develops no less interesting story. In this country it is very important economic factor tourism is considered, therefore, in order to find a good well-paid job, you just need to know English at a good level.
In Malta, English is taught from an early age school age. Parents encourage their children to speak English at home. In Malta, English is recognized as one of the official languages of the country. The vast majority of Maltese prefer to read books in English. The country publishes the same number of newspapers in Maltese and English.
Every year English language schools in Malta attract 80,000 foreign students. Also interesting is the fact that Malta is considered one of the best places in the world to learn English.
There are several countries in the world where the main official language is English. This happened for a number of reasons: in some lands the dialect itself was born (Great Britain), in others it was brought by settlers (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). In some of them, the language penetrated along with the colonialists and remained the state language, since these powers are still under the influence of Great Britain or the United States (Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica). There are also such English-speaking countries where the local dialect has almost died out during the years of occupation and the majority of the population no longer remembers how their ancestors spoke (Ireland).
The territories of some states are inhabited by different nationalities, whose representatives simply will not understand each other without the presence of one dialect common to all. Therefore, such English-speaking countries as India and Singapore have made British speech official on a par with Hindi (in India) or Tamil, Malay and Chinese (in Singapore), but outside of the above countries, the language originating from the British Isles is gaining more and more popularity. Agree in modern world more or less educated person you just have to be fluent in English.
One can be perplexed as much as one likes why the "universal" Esperanto has failed, and young people from different countries, dreaming of making a career, are cramming "English". Perhaps it was the skillful policy of British colonization. While France, Belgium, Holland and Germany conquered countries in Africa, but the influx of population from the monopoly there was minimal, Britain tried to populate the conquered territories with its settlers. The English-speaking countries of the American continent - the USA and Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand, were simply ousted indigenous people to margines - along with their dialects and dialects.
An interesting situation has developed with Ireland and Malta. These English-speaking countries of Europe have rather complex local dialects. Gaelic was gradually replaced on the "Green Island", especially after the famine, when most of its speakers - the villagers - died. Now Dublin is leading a multi-year program to revive the native language, but it is officially used
Maltese, which is a complex mixture of Semitic, Arabic, Occitan and Italian, was a language of oral communication for a long time, and only at the beginning of the 19th century did literary works. The "learned" speech was until 1800 Italian (when the island was owned by the Knights of St. John), and after that date, when Britain seized power, English. In the 1920s, residents decided by referendum which dialect to keep as the second official (after Maltese). The choice was not in favor of Italian, and thus Malta was accepted into the English-speaking countries of the world.
Why did the dialect of a rather small island - Britain - conquer the planet? Experts believe that they began with the United States. There, on undeveloped lands, emigrants flocked from all over the Old World. They were enterprising people, not afraid to take risks. They were creative and thought outside the box. European bureaucracy and feudal remnants did not tie the hands of new entrepreneurs as they did in Europe. And since the majority of the population came from Great Britain, the United States and Canada, which accepted a motley wave of emigrants, preserved the speech of the former historical homeland. Now these two English-speaking countries are leaders in high-tech technologies.
Everyone knows that English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is spoken by more than 430 million people in the world. Many call it the language of politics and business, because in most countries it is official.
Today, every fifth person in our country has at least a minimum English language because it is internationally recognized. It is studied in different countries peace.
It became international due to its high demand.
List of states where English is used in communication
In which countries of the world is English recognized as the national language?
State | Number of people living | Top 3 countries with the best knowledge of English among the population of other European countries The largest English-speaking countries by population are:
American English and British English differ phonetically and grammatically. On the territory of the United States of America, the English language appeared in the 17th-18th centuries, when the mass migration of British colonists to America began. At that time, Indian peoples lived on the territory of the country, who in colloquial speech used exclusively autochthonous names. Along with the Indians, representatives of the Spanish and French nation also lived in the United States. It was the mixed population that influenced the formation and change of the English language into a variation of the American one. American English was fully formed over 400 years after its introduction in America. Top 3 countries with the worst knowledge of English among the population of European countries A very significant contribution to the formation of the American language was made by Noah Webster. It was this person who developed the phonetics, spelling and vocabulary of modern American English. He also published a dictionary English words in 1828.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, English is recognized as the official language, and in Wales, the national language is Welsh. The formation of the English language in Great Britain began with the arrival of the Celts on the territory of this state in 800 BC. In the XIV century given language officially recognized as literary. Gradually, it was introduced for study in schools. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, Great Britain began to introduce Irregular Verbs. This period in the history of the development of the English language is called the Great Vowel Shift.
In Canada, English appeared in the 17th century thanks to the arrival of English colonists.
Level of English in Europe This state did not accept English for a very long time. It began to be considered “native” only in the 19th century after a lean year, which caused the departure of many indigenous people to the United States of America. |
Why are you learning English? For work, education, travel… It all comes down to communication, right? People who speak English feel confident not only at home, but also abroad. Especially in those countries where English is used not by tourists, but by the local population. Moreover, the English-speaking countries of the world have much in common not only in the language of communication, but also in culture as a whole. We recently discussed.
At the same time, English-speaking countries often have a second or even a third official language. Tourists do not need to know it, but imagine how much it will expand the boundaries of perception! After all, that is why we travel. Therefore, let's find out in which countries English is used as the main language, and what is the Anglosphere.
Anglosphere as the sum of the English-speaking countries of the world
The term "Anglosphere" is still young - it appeared in 1995 thanks to the wit of the writer Neil Stevenson. In his fantasy novel The Diamond Age: or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, London is the center of the cultural English-speaking world. He wrote about English-speaking countries in English and had in mind a purely cultural component without any political overtones.
But we understand that in real world one cannot ignore such political and social aspects as, for example, the borders of states, the number of their population, official symbols, etc. Therefore, let's remember which countries are officially English-speaking, that is, English remains the main state language for them:
- Kenya (pop. 33,829,590)
- Canada (pop. 32,300,000)
- Uganda (pop. 27,269,482)
- Ghana (pop. 25,199,609)
- Australia (pop. 23,130,931)
- Cameroon (pop. 16,380,005)
- Zimbabwe (pop. 12,746,990)
- Sierra Leone (pop. 6,017,643)
- Papua New Guinea (pop. 5,545,268)
- Singapore (pop. 4,425,720)
- Ireland (pop. 4,130,700)
- New Zealand (pop. 4,108,561)
- Jamaica (pop. 2,731,832)
- Fiji (pop. 893,354)
- Seychelles (pop. 81,188)
- Marshall Islands (pop. 59,071).
India (pop. 1,129,866,154)
United States (pop. 300,007,997)
Pakistan (pop. 162,419,946)
Nigeria (pop. 128,771,988)
Philippines (pop. 87,857,473)
United Kingdom (pop. 60,441,457)
Republic of South Africa (pop. 44,344,136)
Tanzania (pop. 38,860,170)
Sudan (pop. 36,992,490)
This list contains the names of not all, but the largest and / or most interesting countries for travelers in which English is the official language. However, be careful when using the term “official language”. Because each state, despite belonging to the imaginary "Anglosphere", manages in its own way. For example, the vast majority of Australians speak English, including government agencies use it at work, but Australia simply does not have an official language.
But India, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the Philippines, which have a large and multinational population, consider English the official language, but not the only one - other official languages are used along with it.
Other countries where English is spoken
The map of the Anglosphere is colorful and varied. It is impossible to unite all English-speaking countries with common bridges and / or roads, they are too scattered around the world. But you can trace the spread of the English language around the planet. It originated in Great Britain, and its policy in XVIII-XIX centuries contributed to the spread of the English language throughout the world. Many of the countries where English is the official language are former British colonies. And even today, not all of them have become sovereign states. Here are the non-sovereign English-speaking countries of the world:
- Guam (pop. 108,708)
- US Virgin Islands (pop. 108,708)
- Jersey (pop. 88,200)
- Bermuda (pop. 65,365)
- Cayman Islands (pop. 44,270)
- Gibraltar (pop. 27,884)
- British Virgin Islands (pop. 22,643)
- Falkland Islands (pop. 2,969)
Hong Kong (pop. 6,898,686)
Puerto Rico (pop. 3,912,054)
These territories, and even the British territory in Indian Ocean with its population of 2,800, are not sovereign states. Their inhabitants speak mostly English. Simply put, English-speaking people are called Anglophones (from the Greek "anglo" - English and "phonos" - sound). This collective term conditionally unites the entire English-speaking population of the Earth. And this, for a moment, is 510 million people. Moreover, only for 380 million English is their native language, and another 130 million communicate fluently in English, but it is the second for them, that is, learned. Studying English in courses and / or on our own, we strive to join them, right? :)
Symbols of English-speaking countries
Each country where English is the official language has its own traditions and symbols. For example, there are floral (plants), animalistic (animals) symbols of English-speaking countries. They can overlap with each other or be completely different, such as, for example, the symbol of Ireland is clover and Britain is a rose. But often you can easily trace the commonality or continuity of the flags of English-speaking countries.
Do you remember in which countries these or those animals are revered? Here are some hints:
Learn English, explore English-speaking countries and make English-speaking friends to really get to know the culture of different peoples in depth.
English is the second most spoken language in the world. It was overtaken only by Mandarin Chinese, and then only because in terms of population, China surpasses all the powers of the world. AT various states in different parts of the world you can hear English speech. Most of them are English-speaking countries, a list of which will be presented in this article.
The language of the world
We can safely say that English has conquered the whole world. It's language international communication, politics, business, tourism, science, better education and many other areas of human life. It is the most taught all over the world, and not only in countries where it is considered state. Native language Since the 18th century, Great Britain has been spreading around the world along with its bearers, who explored and captured new territories, expanding their military, economic and cultural influence on them. Therefore, many modern English-speaking countries are former British colonies. The times of active expansion are long gone, but English has firmly established itself in these states, coexisting peacefully with the indigenous languages of the locals. English-speaking, or English-speaking, countries are so called due to the fact that this language is one of the official or predominant languages in them. In addition to the sovereign states that will be presented in the list, there is also a considerable list of objects and territories that are dependent on other powers, in which English also prevails.
Europe and America
English in Europe is the official language of the United Kingdom, which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as Canada, Ireland, Malta. Although there are other official languages in these countries, English remains the dominant language, laws are made in it, it is spoken in government, it is the main language of education. In general, it prevails in all major areas of life. In the US, it is the official language of 31 states, but it prevails in all, both in the field of record keeping and at the household level. English is spoken in such North American states as the Bahamas, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Saint Lucia. Other English speaking countries in America are Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Guyana.
Extensive geography
Australia is a country where, in principle, there is no official language, but de facto English is one. Other English speaking countries in Oceania: New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga and other small island nations.
In Asia, besides India and the Philippines, Pakistan and Singapore are also English-speaking countries. English is also spoken in many African countries. These are South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana and some others. Despite the official status of the English language in many of these countries, only a small number of citizens know it and are fluent in it. These are the inhabitants major cities, well-educated people and those who are directly connected with the tourism business, such as service personnel. This is especially true of resort and island states.
