So now, I have the facts, gathered from several websites that said the same exact thing.
MOST POPULAR LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD:
Over one billion people in China and nearby countries speak Mandarin, which is often called Chinese.
Hindi, English, Spanish and Russian round out the top five.
MOST WIDELY SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD:
1. Mandarin
Number of speakers: 1 billion+
Surprise, surprise, the most widely spoken language on the planet is based in the most populated country on the planet. Beating second-place English by a 2 to 1 ratio, but don't let that lull you into thinking that Mandarin is easy to learn. Speaking Mandarin can be really tough, because each word can be pronounced in four ways (or "tones"), and a beginner will invariably have trouble distinguishing one tone from another. But if over a billion people could do it, so could you. Try saying hello!
To say "hello" in Mandarin, say "Ni hao" (Nee HaOW). ("Hao" is pronounced as one syllable, but the tone requires that you let your voice drop midway, and then raise it again at the end.) |