World Top Ten Things

World Top 10 Spoken Languages

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<b>1. Mandarin<br />
Number of speakers: 1 billion+</b><br />
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Surprise, surprise, the most 
widely spoken language on the planet is based in the most populated 
country on the planet, China. 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!<br />
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.)</div>
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<b>2. English<br />
Number of speakers: 508 million</b><br />
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While English doesn't have the 
most speakers, it is the official language of more countries than any 
other language. Its speakers hail from all around the world, including 
the U.S., Australia, England, Zimbabwe, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, South 
Africa, and Canada. We'd tell you more about English, but you probably 
feel pretty comfortable with the language already. Let's just move on to
 the most popular language in the world.<br />
To say "hello" in English, say "What's up, freak?" (watz-UP-freek).</div>
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<b>3. Hindustani<br />
Number of speakers: 497 million</b><br />
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Hindustani is the primary 
language of India's crowded population, and it encompasses a huge number
 of dialects (of which the most commonly spoken is Hindi). While many 
predict that the population of India will soon surpass that of China, 
the prominence of English in India prevents Hindustani from surpassing 
the most popular language in the world. If you're interested in learning
 a little Hindi, there's a very easy way: rent an Indian movie. The film
 industry in India is the most prolific in the world, making thousands 
of action/romance/ musicals every year.<br />
To say "hello" in Hindustani, say "Namaste" (Nah-MAH-stay).</div>
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<b>4. Spanish<br />
Number of speakers: 392 million</b><br />
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Aside from all of those kids who
 take it in high school, Spanish is spoken in just about every South 
American and Central American country, not to mention Spain, Cuba, and 
the U.S. There is a particular interest in Spanish in the U.S., as many 
English words are borrowed from the language, including: tornado, 
bonanza, patio, quesadilla, enchilada, and taco grande supreme.<br />
To say "hello" in Spanish, say "Hola" (OH-la).</div>
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<b>5. Russian<br />
Number of speakers: 277 million</b><br />
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Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris 
Yeltsin, and Yakov Smirnoff are among the millions of Russian speakers 
out there. Sure, we used to think of them as our Commie enemies. Now we 
think of them as our Commie friends. One of the six languages in the UN,
 Russian is spoken not only in the Mother Country, but also in Belarus, 
Kazakhstan, and the U.S. (to name just a few places).<br />
To say "hello" in Russian, say "Zdravstvuite" (ZDRAST-vet- yah).</div>
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<b>6. Arabic<br />
Number of speakers: 246 million</b></div>
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Arabic,
 one of the world's oldest languages, is spoken in the Middle East, with
 speakers found in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, 
Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. Furthermore, because Arabic is the language 
of the Koran, millions of Moslems in other countries speak Arabic as 
well. So many people have a working knowledge of Arabic, in fact, that 
in 1974 it was made the sixth official language of the United Nations.<br />
To say "hello" in Arabic, say "Al salaam a'alaykum" (Ahl sah-LAHM ah ah-LAY-koom).</div>
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<b>7. Bengali<br />
Number of speakers: 211 million</b><br />
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In Bangladesh, a country of 120+
 million people, just about everybody speaks Bengali. And because 
Bangladesh is virtually surrounded by India (where the population is 
growing so fast, just breathing the air can get you pregnant), the 
number of Bengali speakers in the world is much higher than most people 
would expect.<br />
To say "hello" in Bengali, say "Ei Je" (EYE-jay).</div>
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<b>8. Portuguese<br />
Number of speakers: 191 million</b><br />
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Think of Portuguese as the 
little language that could. In the 12th Century, Portugal won its 
independence from Spain and expanded all over the world with the help of
 its famous explorers like Vasco da Gama and Prince Henry the Navigator.
 (Good thing Henry became a navigator . . . could you imagine if a guy 
named "Prince Henry the Navigator" became a florist?) Because Portugal 
got in so early on the exploring game, the language established itself 
all over the world, especially in Brazil (where it's the national 
language), Macau, Angola, Venezuela, and Mozambique.<br />
To say "hello" in Portuguese, say "Bom dia" (bohn DEE-ah).</div>
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<b>9. Malay (Indonesian)<br />
Number of speakers: 159 million</b><br />
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Malay-Indonesian is spoken - 
surprise - in Malaysia and Indonesia. Actually, we kinda fudged the 
numbers on this one because there are many dialects of Malay, the most 
popular of which is Indonesian. But they're all pretty much based on the
 same root language, which makes it the ninth most-spoken in the 
world.Indonesia is a fascinating place; a nation made up of over 13,000 
islands it is the sixth most populated country in the world. Malaysia 
borders on two of the larger parts of Indonesia (including the island of
 Borneo), and is mostly known for its capital city of Kuala Lumpur.<br />
To say "hello" in Indonesian, say "Selamat pagi" (se-LA-maht PA-gee).</div>
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<b>10. French<br />
Number of speakers: 129 million</b><br />
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Often called the most romantic 
language in the world, French is spoken in tons of countries, including 
Belgium, Canada, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Haiti. Oh, and France too. We're 
actually very lucky that French is so popular, because without it, we 
might have been stuck with Dutch Toast, Dutch Fries, and Dutch kissing 
(ew!).<br />
To say "hello" in French, say "Bonjour" (bone-JOOR). </div>
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Source :-http://worldtoptenthings.blogspot.in/search/label/World%20Top%2010%20Spoken%20Languages </div>
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World Top 10 Spoken Languages

1. Mandarin Number of speakers: 1 billion+ Surprise, surprise, the most widely spoken language on the planet is based in the most pop...