Which countries are spoken in English? Examples and history

Today, English is not just a requirement for prestigious work or education abroad. By its prevalence, this language occupies only 2 nd place, yielding the palm of primacy to Mandarin's dialect of Chinese. In total, about 430 million people in the whole world are speaking in English. But, in addition to Great Britain, this language is official for several countries.

Why do people speak English in Australia?

But in the eastern hemisphere, countries that speak English include not only European states. To understand why this happened, it is necessary to learn something from the history of Oz. Australia was discovered by seafarer Willem Jansson in 1606. The land to which his ship moored, a native of the Netherlands called "New Holland."

Immediately they were declared possession of the Netherlands. By the beginning of the second half of the 17th century. As a result of the discoveries of many seafarers, the contours of the new continent were already quite clearly traced. However, Australia has never mastered the Dutch, nor representatives of other nations. So it was until the moment when James Cook's ship landed for the first time to its shores. He carried the proud title of "Endeavor", which in translation means "attempt, diligence". The beginning of the first British colony in Australia was laid on January 26, 1788.

How many languages were in Australia before?

The first settlers of the Australian coast were the convicts sent here. The language in which they spoke was a dialect of English. It was filled with various jargon, having its origin in England, Scotland and Ireland. However, many of these words did not become part of the official English language.

Those who are interested in what countries speak English, are unlikely to suspect what competition in Australia it was made up by other adverbs. It is believed that during the landing of the first convicts in Australia, there were about 250 languages and 600 dialects. In the first century, about 80 new words were translated into English from here. Some of them belonged to the aboriginal language, for example, boomerang (boomerang), Dingo (wild dingo dog), Koala (koala).

But the status of the country with the official English language Australia has not been acquired. In Australia there is no official language, but the most common is Australian English. This dialect is called "Strine". Written rules of English in Australia correspond to those adopted in its British version.

English in Canada

In which countries are spoken in English other than Australia? Another country that has always attracted foreigners as a place to learn English is Canada. Not so long ago the expression "Canadian English" appeared. Initially, North America was inhabited by aborigines - the Eskimos and Indians. In 1622, when the English colony was first founded here, the first time there was an English speech.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the English language was becoming increasingly widespread. More and more colonies and trading companies appear on the territory of Canada. The oldest of them - Hudson's Bay Company - exists to this day. Its main office is in the city of Toronto, and it was founded in the distant 1670.

Why is Canadian English the easiest to learn?

Canadian English combines the features of both British and American options. Many are interested in which countries speak English in order to attend specialized linguistic courses. It is believed that in Canada the English language is subject to the least influence of other languages. Many specialists in linguistics believe that it is in Canada that it is easier to learn English. After all, the local version of English is most easily perceived by foreigners by ear. Canadian pronunciation is very different from American, and, in particular, from South American. After all, in the American pronunciation, the endings of words seem to be "swallowed", the speech is filled with hypertrophied sounds "r" and "a", which makes it very difficult to understand the interlocutor.

Languages of India

For those who are interested in which countries speak English, the list continues with India. This is the second country in terms of population, and its territory has 845 languages and dialects. Hindi and English are recognized as state languages. English came to India as a result of the colonization of lands by British conquerors. India was an English colony for almost 200 years - until 1947.

Why did English become public in India?

After independence, it was decided to include English in the school curriculum. This was necessary in order to avoid problems of communication between individual regions and states. In commercial educational institutions, English is not just one of the disciplines - it hosts many other subjects.

Many people are interested in what countries they speak English for the purpose of moving or just traveling. Therefore, for those who would like to visit India, knowledge of Hindi will not be mandatory. But at the same time it will be an advantage - because not everyone here knows English perfectly. Indians do not expect from guests of their country that they will communicate with them in any particular language - be it Hindi, English, or one of the dialects. This they differ, for example, from the French, who expect their interlocutors to communicate only in French.

Other countries where English is the official language

In addition to those listed, which countries speak English? The list, except for Australia, India and Canada, includes many other countries. These are the Bahamas, Botswana, Gambia, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Cameroon, the Philippines, South Africa and many others. Despite the prevalence of English, the researchers do not believe that it can supplant their native languages in these countries. An example of what countries are spoken in English, and thus the national language does not lose its positions, can serve as the Philippines. For a hundred years, English has not been able to oust the native Phillippinian language here, despite the widespread teaching and emigration of local residents.