"Mithila" Ask the Editors. Information Please. © 2000.
Family Education Network http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/12-6-2000askeds.html
(January 1, 2000).
Source: Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor. © 1996,
Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc.
| Rank, language |
Countries |
Population (millions)
|
| 1. Chinese, Mandarin
|
Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, S. Africa, Taiwan, Thailand
|
885.0 |
| 2. Spanish |
Andorra, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Rep., Ecuador, El
Salvador, Eq. Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, U.S., Venezuela |
332.0 |
| 3. English |
Australia, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon,
Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Guyana, Ireland,
Israel, Lesotho, Liberia, Malaysia, Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru,
New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra
Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, S. Africa, Suriname,
Swaziland, Tonga, U.K., U.S., Vanuatu, Zimbabwe, many Caribbean
states |
322.0 |
| 4. Bengali |
Bangladesh, India, Singapore |
189.0 |
| 5. Hindi |
India, Nepal, Singapore, S. Africa, Uganda
|
182.0 |
| 13. French |
Andorra, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Cameroon, Canada, Comoros, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep. of),
Djibouti, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Luxembourg, Mauritania,
Monaco, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Vanuatu |
72.0 |
| 15. Telugu |
India, Singapore |
66.4 |
| 17. Marathi |
India |
64.8 |
| 18. Tamil |
India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, S.
Africa, Sri Lanka |
63.1 |
| 20. Urdu |
Afghanistan, India, Mauritius, Pakistan, S.
Africa, Thailand |
58.0 |
| 23. Gujarati |
India, Kenya, Pakistan, Singapore, S. Africa,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
44.0 |
| 37. Bhojpuri |
India, Mauritius, Nepal |
25.0 |
| 40. Maithili |
India, Nepal |
24.3 |
| 43. Burmese |
Bangladesh, Myanmar |
22.0 |
| 44. Serbo-Croatian
4 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia |
21.0 |
| 45. Chinese, Gan |
China |
20.6 |
| 46. Awadhi |
India, Nepal |
20.5 |
| 47. Thai |
Singapore, Thailand |
20.0 |
| 48. Dutch |
Belgium, France, Netherlands,
Suriname |
20.0 |
| 49. Yoruba |
Benin, Nigeria |
20.0 |
| 50. Sindhi |
Afghanistan, India, Pakistan,
Singapore |
19.7 |
1. Many of the languages listed are technically dialects, not
separate languages. They are listed separately because they differ
from each other enough to be mutually unintelligible.
2. The countries listed under Spanish, English, Portuguese,
French, and Serbo-Croatian do not include those in which less than
1% of the population speaks the language as a first language.
3. The population figures refer to first language speakers in all
countries and are general estimates.
4. Serbo-Croatian is now known variously as Serbian, Croatian, or
Bosnian, depending on the speaker's ethnic or political affiliation.
Source: Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor. ©
1996, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc.
|