How Many Languages Do You Speak?

There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today. However, about 2,000 of those languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers. The most popular language in the world is Mandarin Chinese. There are roughly 1,213,000,000 people in the world that speak that language or 14.1 percent of the world’s population. The next most popular language is Spanish which accounts for about 5.85 percent of the world’s population. In third place is English, which accounts for about 5.52. percent of the world’s population. The list goes on and on with Konkani rounding out the top 100 languages with a little over a tenth of a percent of the world’s native speakers.
In between there is a labyrinth of languages that a whole lot of people speak, either as their native or learned language. Over 40 percent of the world’s population speaks only one language. Monolingual speakers are usually found in English speaking countries. Bilingual speakers account for 43 percent of the world’s population. These people speak two languages. Multilinguals and polyglots are those who speak more than 4 languages. They are obviously less common: In fact only around 3 percent for 4 language speakers and less than one per thousand for those who speak more than 5 languages.
I am an oddity I admit. Being that I love language and have traveled the world, I speak many languages with varying degrees of fluency and efficiency. They include English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Dutch, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, Nones, Südtirolerisch, Lakota and Siksika (Blackfoot). That’s 15 languages, of which I use regularly English, Italian, Nones, Südtirolerisch, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Siksika is my newest language and I’m just a poor beginner but I take pride in practicing all of my language skills as much as I can and I often go out of my way to make them a part of my daily life. In fact, being a songwriter, I often spend idle moments translating popular songs into other languages for linguistic practice.
Most of us learn a new language only when we are forced to do so. But since most of us are not transferring with our job to Beijing, the onus is really on us (pun intended). While schools are quick to offer a variety of languages, children often don’t retain what they learn of other languages for one simple fact: They don’t need to because their friends and family all speak their native language. One great solution to this mess is to seek out friends and situations that don’t require you to speak your native tongue. You would be surprised how quickly you will learn and retain another language if you truly need to speak another language. Here are factors that contribute to speaking more than one language:
. If you speak one language at home and another outside with friends, at school or at work.
. If your native language is full of foreign words.
. If you live in a country influenced by other cultures and eventually other languages.
. If you live in a country with open borders with other nations speaking different languages.
. If you love languages and willing to dedicate time learning them.
. If you have the ability to learn and memorize a good number of new words.
. If you have an interest in grammar and attention to linguistic detail.
. If you are just curious and like to communicate with others.
. AND If you are willing to make mistakes and learn from them.
How many languages do you speak? Please leave a comment here in one of your languages and let me know. I’ll try my best to answer each comment in one of your languages. ᖹᒧᐧᖹᖱᔪᒣᖽ (nitsíniiyi’taki) ((Thank You))
Please follow this blog by clicking follow below. Your comments are always welcome.
Read author Allen E. Rizzi’s latest books available at Amazon.com
I love the German language, Allen. I would love to be able to speak it fluently. It’s incredible that you can speak so many languages.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Vielen Dank für das Kommentieren. Ich hoffe du lernst Deutsch. Es ist die genaueste Sprache der Welt.😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Allen, I did get the gist of that but haven’t replied in German – my ability to speak German is as good as my piano playing … and you wouldn’t want to hear that either! 😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
Un articolo davvero molto interessante.
Io parlo e leggo il francese l’inglese il tedesco abbastanza fluidamente ma scritti con difficoltà.
Sei fantastico, chapeau!!!
shera
LikeLiked by 2 people
L’italiano è una lingua che amo. Sfortunatamente il nostro dialetto (Nones) spesso influisce negativamente sul mio italiano.
LikeLike
oh va ne ti assicuro!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fas i sas rider! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can speak better Spanish than my spell check which has changed every Spanish word I’ve tried to type.
LikeLiked by 2 people
¡Tengo el mismo problema!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yo entiendo. Ud puedo usar la punctuacion espanol. Muy bien.
LikeLiked by 1 person
(Spell check does not like this) – Hablo un poquito espanol. Quando vivi en Guatemala, mucho mas.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Su español parece bastante bueno para mí
LikeLiked by 1 person
Muchas gracias, senor. Puedo conocir quando es necessario.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Es mas facil a entender si la persona habla mas lente.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lento siempre es mejor. Hablas con fluidez cuando puedes contar una broma y hacer reír a alguien. 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really hope to learn German someday, since it’s such an enormous part of my genetic heritage. If only my 2nd great-grandmother were around to teach me!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Deutsch ist meine Zweitsprache. Meine Frau hasst es, wenn ich sage: Deutsch ist die schönste Sprache der Welt. 😏
LikeLiked by 1 person
This will have to go to Google translate!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, beautiful is in the ear of the beholder, yes?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eilene – Genau!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Entonce necessito a practicar mas.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Congratulations! Your blog has been included in INTERESTING BLOGS in FRIDAY FOSSICKING at
https://thatmomentintime-crissouli.blogspot.com/2019/05/friday-fossicking-17-may-2019.html
Thank you, Chris
LikeLiked by 2 people
Vielen Dank!
LikeLike
Efharisto!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Crissouli – Parakalo!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wowww!!! One on the information and two you’re amazing… 15 languages is unbelievable… Great!! I truly enjoyed the information, thanks for sharing😊
LikeLiked by 2 people
15? Félicitations! You beat me by a long shot. I “speak” only half a dozen.
French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, all fluently. I dabble in Italian, struggle in German and Dutch, and remember a bit of Swahili.
Kwaheri sassa mzee. 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wir sind nie wirklich alt, aber die Teile sind abgenutzt….😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Genau. (You amost got me there. I had to check Teile and abgenutzt which I had fogotten) Viel dank.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am very impressed – not only do you speak so many languages, you write & read them! I know english, spanish, some french, italian, & farsi 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
تشکر از شما برای اظهار نظر.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re very welcome, Allen – thank goodness for google translate lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nach iontach an rud é a bheith ábalta a labhairt as cúig déag teanga! Comhghairdeas! Níl ach cúpla focal Gaeilge agam agus mé ag foghlaim é ar feadh na blianta. And I wouldn’t guarantee the accuracy of the grammar or phrasing of that little piece!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Go raibh maith agat!
LikeLiked by 1 person