Language is the main tool for gaining mutual understanding between people around the world. There are not many languages that are considered international. First of all, these include the languages in which the largest number of people communicate. Many of them are also the official languages of the United Nations.
The languages of international communication are those languages that are spoken by the largest number of people around the world. In addition, this can be called the official languages of the UN: English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and French.
There were also attempts to create artificial languages for international communication. Esperanto became the most widespread of these, but it failed to fully meet the expectations of its creator, the Warsaw doctor Ludwig Zamenhof.
Official languages of the United Nations
Today, English is rightfully considered the language of international communication No. 1. It is home to 410 million people in the world. In addition, up to a billion people study it as a foreign language.
Chinese has taken the second place in recent years. It is used as a native language by 845 million people and up to 500 million speak it as a foreign language. In our country, the Chinese language is becoming more and more popular.
For centuries Spanish has not lost its international status. It is spoken by 400 million people in Spain and many Latin American countries. Up to 80 million people study Spanish as a foreign language.
The honorable fourth place among international languages belongs to Russian. It is home to 170 million people. As a second language, it is used by up to 125 million people, primarily residents of the former Soviet republics and countries of the socialist camp.
For 240 million people, Arabic is their mother tongue, and up to 40 million are studying it as a foreign language.
French is spoken by 80 million people on the planet, including not only the French, but also the inhabitants of Belgium, France, Switzerland. Up to 120 million use it as a second language. In addition, French, along with Italian, is considered the international language of art.
Other languages of international communication
In addition to the official languages of the United Nations, Portuguese and German are also international. Portuguese is native to 178 million people. Up to 10 million more use it as a second. German is spoken by 98 million people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Up to 20 million more people study it as a foreign language. Moreover, German is considered to be an international technical language.
However, the status of the language of international communication is not constant. Over time, some languages lose it, while others gain it.
