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Which Languages Are Used the Most in the World Today?
当今世界，哪种语言被使用最多？
Martin Puddy/ Stone/ Getty Images
Martin Puddy / Stone / Getty Images
There are 6,909 languages actively being spoken in the world today, although only about six percent of them have more than a million speakers each. As globalization becomes more common so does the learning of languages. People in many different countries see the value of learning a foreign language to improve their international business relations.
当今世界上活跃着6909种语言，尽管其中只有6% 的语言使用者超过100万人。 随着全球化变得越来越普遍，语言学习也变得越来越普遍。 许多不同国家的人们看到了学习外语以改善国际商务关系的价值。
Because of this, the number of people who speak certain languages will continue to rise. There are 10 languages that currently dominate the globe. Heres a list of the 10 most popular languages spoken worldwide, along with the number of countries where the language is established, and the approximate number of primary or first language speakers for that language:
因此，说某种语言的人数将继续增加。 目前有10种语言在全球占据统治地位。 下面是世界上最受欢迎的10种语言，以及这种语言所在的国家数量，以及使用这种语言的小学或第一语言的大约人数:
1、Chinese/Mandarin—37 countries, 13 dialects, 1,284 million speakers
1、汉语 / 普通话ー37个国家、13种方言、12.84亿人
2、Spanish—31 countries, 437 million
2、西班牙ー31个国家，4.37亿人
3、English—106 countries, 372 million
3、英语ー106个国家，3.72亿人
4、Arabic—57 countries, 19 dialects, 295 million
4、 *** 语ー57个国家，19种方言，2.95亿人
5、Hindi—5 countries, 260 million
5、印度ー5个国家，2.6亿
6、Bengali—4 countries, 242 million
6、孟加拉ー4个国家，2.42亿人
7、Portuguese—13 countries, 219 million
7、葡萄牙ー13个国家，2.19亿人
8、Russian—19 countries, 154 million
8、俄罗斯ー19个国家，1.54亿人
9、Japanese—2 countries, 128 million
9、日本ー2个国家，1.28亿人
10、Lahnda—6 countries, 119 million
10、兰达ー6个国家，1.19亿人
The Languages of China
中国的语言
With more than 1.3 billion people living in China today, it is no surprise that Chinese is the most commonly spoken language. Due to the size of Chinas area and population, the country is able to sustain many unique and interesting languages. When speaking of languages, the term "Chinese" encompasses at least 15 dialects spoken in the country and elsewhere.
今天中国有超过13亿人口，汉语是最常用的口语也就不足为奇了。 由于中国的面积和人口规模，这个国家能够保存许多独特和有趣的语言。 说到语言，“汉语”一词包括至少15种方言在该国和其他地方说。
Because Mandarin is the most commonly spoken dialect, many people use the word Chinese to refer to it. While roughly 70 percent of the country speaks Mandarin, many other dialects are spoken as well. The languages are mutually intelligible to a varying degree, depending on how close the languages are to one another. The four most popular Chinese dialects are Mandarin (898 million speakers), Wu (also known as Shanghainese dialect, 80 million speakers), Yue (Cantonese, 73 million), and Min Nan (Taiwanese, 48 million).
因为普通话是最常用的方言，许多人用汉语来指代它。 虽然中国大约70% 的人讲普通话，但也有许多其他方言。 这些语言可以相互理解到不同的程度，这取决于语言之间的距离有多近。 四种最受欢迎的中国方言是普通话(8.98亿人)、吴语(也称上海话，8,000万人)、粤语(7,300万人)和闽南语(4,800万人)。
Why Are There So Many Spanish Speakers?
为什么说西班牙语的人这么多？
While Spanish is not a commonly heard language in most parts of Africa, Asia, and the majority of Europe, that hasnt stopped it from becoming the second most commonly spoken language. The spread of the Spanish language is rooted in colonization. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, Spain colonized much of South, Central, and large parts of North America as well. Before being incorporated into the United States, places like Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona were all part of Mexico, a former Spanish colony. While Spanish is not a common language to hear in most of Asia, it is very common in the Philippines because it too was once a colony of Spain.
虽然西班牙语在非洲、亚洲和欧洲大部分地区并不是一种常见的语言，但这并没有阻止它成为第二常用的口语。 西班牙语的传播植根于殖民地化。 在15世纪到18世纪之间，西班牙殖民了南部、中部和北美的大部分地区。 在被并入美国之前，像德克萨斯、加利福尼亚、新墨西哥和亚利桑那这些地方都是墨西哥的一部分，而墨西哥曾是西班牙的殖民地。 虽然西班牙语在亚洲大部分地区并不常见，但在菲律宾却很常见，因为它也曾是西班牙的殖民地。
Like Chinese, there are many dialects of Spanish. The vocabulary between these dialects varies greatly depending on what country one is in. Accents and pronunciation also change between regions. While these dialectical differences can sometimes cause confusion, they do not block cross-communication between speakers.
像汉语一样，西班牙语也有许多方言。 这些方言之间的词汇差别很大，取决于一个人所在的国家。 口音和发音也会在不同地区之间发生变化。 虽然这些辩证的差异有时会造成混淆，但它们并不妨碍说话者之间的交流。
English, a Global Language
英语，全球通用语言
English too, was a colonial language: British colonial efforts began in the 15th century and lasted until the early 20th century, including places as far flung as North America, India and Pakistan, Africa, and Australia. As with Spains colonial efforts, each country colonized by Great Britain retains some English speakers.
英语也是一种殖民语言: 英国的殖民努力始于15世纪，一直持续到20世纪初，包括远至北美、印度和巴基斯坦、非洲和澳大利亚的地区。 与西班牙的殖民努力一样，被英国殖民的每个国家都保留了一些说英语的人。
After World War II, the United States led the world in both technological and medical innovation. Because of this, it was considered beneficial for students pursuing work in these fields to learn English. As globalization occurred, English became a shared common language. This caused many parents to push their children to study English as a second language in the hopes of better preparing them for the business world. English is also a useful language for travelers to learn because it is spoken in so many parts of the globe.
第二次世界大战之后，美国在技术和医疗创新方面处于世界领先地位。 正因为如此，人们认为在这些领域工作的学生学习英语是有益的。 随着全球化的发生，英语成为一种共同的语言。 这导致许多家长推动他们的孩子学习英语作为第二语言，希望他们更好地为商业世界做准备。 英语也是旅行者学习的有用语言，因为它在全球许多地方都有使用。
A Global Language Network
全球语言网络
Since the popularity of social media, the development of a Global Language Network can be mapped using book translations, Twitter, and Wikipedia. These social networks are only available to elites, people with access to both traditional and new media. Statistics of use from these social networks indicate that while English is definitely the central hub in the Global Language Network, other intermediate hubs used by elites to communicate business and science information include German, French, and Spanish.
由于社交媒体的流行，全球语言网络的发展可以通过图书翻译、 Twitter 和 *** 来映射。 这些社交网络只对精英们开放，他们可以接触到传统和新媒体。 这些社交网络的使用统计数据表明，虽然英语无疑是全球语言网络的中心枢纽，但是其他精英们用来交流商业和科学信息的中间枢纽包括德语、法语和西班牙语。
Currently, languages such as Chinese, Arabic, and Hindi are vastly more popular than German or French, and it is likely that those languages will grow in use of traditional and new media.
目前，汉语、 *** 语和印地语等语言比德语或法语更受欢迎，而且这些语言很可能会在传统和新媒体的使用中得到发展。
