In some countries, just 1 or 2 languages are deemed “official,” whereas, in others, all individuals have access to information in their native language. Only English and French are recognised as Canada’s most linguistically varied territory’s official languages. However, those with a strong interest in a language know that this province alone has 32 distinct languages spoken inside its boundaries. This is a common occurrence in multiple other countries like China: Hakka, Cantonese, Mandarin, Switzerland: French, German, Canada: English, French, etc. Having the capacity to communicate in several methods, might open up previously closed doors for a person. According to our findings, the countries in Asia have the highest officially recognised languages.
Countries in Which More Than One Natural Language Is Spoken
- Canada: French, English
- China: Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Tong Shan, etc.
- In India, over a dozen languages are spoken by the people. These include Hindi and Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali, and Gujarati and Marathi. Also, some speak English.Â
- Switzerland: German, French, Italian, Rumantsch.
- South Africa has two official languages: Xhosa and Zulu. The country also has English and Afrikaans as official languages.
- Belgium: Dutch, French, German
- Trilingual Luxembourg speaks three languages: French (official), German (official), and Luxembourgish (native).
- There are seven different languages spoken in Spain: Basque, Galician, Spanish, Catalan, Valencian, and Asturian.
- Wales: English, Welsh
- In Northern Ireland, English, Scots Gaelic, and Anglo-Irish cultures all live together. Gaelic
- The United Kingdom in general: Papua New Guinea Hiri Motu’s native tongue Enga and Melpa, as well as the dialects of Tok Pisin and English, as well as the native tongues of Enga and Melpa spoken by Hiri Motu, the dialects of Boikin and Kewa spoken by Angel Henning, the dialects of Enga and Melpa spoken by Hiri Motu, the dialects of Enga and Melpa spoken by Hiri Henning, and
- Nigeria comprises roughly 350 different languages.
Details of Few Countries With Multiple Languages
- Netherlands
The Dutch government recognises four languages. Some of them are Dutch, Limburgish, Frisian, and Papiamento. In the Netherlands, a lot of people speak English well. The Dutch economy benefits from better relationships with other countries and native English speakers.
- Switzerland
Due to its close ties with France, Italy, and Germany, Switzerland has three of its 4 official languages that people can speak with each other. In Grisons, a Swiss canton in the southeast of the country, the last people who still speak Romansh live.
- Serbia
With 10 official languages, Serbia is one of the countries with the most different languages globally. Most people who speak it are Serbo-Croatian and come from the Balkans and the countries of Croatia and Romania that used to be part of Yugoslavia. Because of its history and ethnic background, Serbia has a similar range of languages to Moldova.
- South Africa
Also, English and Afrikaans are the two official languages of South Africa. Ndebele, Sotho, Northern Sotho, and Swati are some of the other languages spoken in the area. The South African governance helps people who speak Khoi, Nama, San, or sign language. In the 1990s, two things were done to eliminate the effects of apartheid. One was to ensure that all South Africans had access to public government information. People from all walks of life may talk to each other more easily because South Africa’s basic languages have legal status. Even though language equality isn’t always kept, it’s still a big step forward, given how divided our country is.
- India
India has twenty-two official languages that people can speak. In addition to Hindi and English, Bengali and Kokborok are recognised in some states and union territories. In contrast, Meitei Manipur and Oriya are recognised in India’s other states and union territories. This large area on the subcontinent of India has been where many languages have started and changed, even before the British ruled the area. This is still true today.
- Russia
Russia is the most diverse country globally because it has the most official languages (24). Each republic has its own set of 24 dialects in the Russian Federation. Ethnic groups include the Buryat, Bashkir, Ingush, Kabardian, Altay, Tyvan, Khakas, Sakha, Adygean, and Balkar. People from Tatarstan, Kalmykia, Abaza, and Cherkess. There are connections between the Mordvin, Mari Komi, Ossetian, and Udmurt groups. Chechens and Chuvash. Russian. All of them use Russian as their main language. The language of Russia brings together Russians from all over the large country and makes it easier to talk to each other.
Conclusion:
Many countries have official languages and regional recognised languages. However, the governments cannot recognise all the languages used in the country due to various issues like the sheer paperwork involved for example. The unofficially recognised languages are not always accounted for and this does not give a true estimate of multiple languages used in a country or region. Some of these languages get merged into other languages, get recognised later or may even die out.