Some facts about English

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE is a language of United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and lots of other countries.
Population: 55,000,000 first language speakers in United Kingdom (1984 estimate). Population total all countries 341,000,000 first language speakers (1999 WA), 508,000,000 including second language speakers (1999 WA).
Region: Also spoken in 104 other countries including American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Denmark.
Dialects: COCKNEY, SCOUSE, GEORDIE, WEST COUNTRY, EAST ANGLIA, BIRMINGHAM (BRUMMY, BRUMMIE), SOUTH WALES, EDINBURGH, BELFAST, CORNWALL, CUMBERLAND, CENTRAL CUMBERLAND, DEVONSHIRE, EAST DEVONSHIRE, DORSET, DURHAM, BOLTON LANCASHIRE, NORTH LANCASHIRE, RADCLIFFE LANCASHIRE, NORTHUMBERLAND, NORFOLK, NEWCASTLE NORTHUMBERLAND, TYNESIDE NORTHUMBERLAND, LOWLAND SCOTTISH, SOMERSET, SUSSEX, WESTMORLAND, NORTH WILTSHIRE, CRAVEN YORKSHIRE, NORTH YORKSHIRE, SHEFFIELD YORKSHIRE, WEST YORKSHIRE.
Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English.
Comments: 60% lexical similarity with German, 27% with French, 24% with Russian. National language. Dictionary. Grammar. SVO; prepositions; genitives after noun heads; articles, adjectives, numerals before noun heads; question word initial; word order distinguishes subject, object, indirect objects, given and new information, topic and comment; active and passive; causative; comparative; consonant and vowel clusters; nontonal. Deciduous forest. Island, plains, hills. Industrial, fishermen, craftsman.

Also spoken in:
American Samoa
Population: 1,248 first language speakers in American Samoa, foreign born (1970 census), 15,050 mainly second language speakers, representing 75% of the native born population.
Comments: Official language.

Anguilla
Comments: National language.

Antigua and Barbuda
Comments: National language.

Aruba
Dialects: ARUBA ENGLISH.
Comments: The third most important language. Bible 1382-1989.

Australia
Population: 15,682,000 in Australia (1987), 95% of population (1980 WA).
Dialects: AUSTRALIAN STANDARD ENGLISH, ABORIGINAL ENGLISH, NEO-NYUNGAR (NOONGA, NOONGAR, NOOGAR).
Comments: Minor regional dialect differences. Neo-Nyungar is the community dialect of the Nyungar people. National language. Dictionary. Bible 1382-1989.

Bahamas
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Barbados
Population: 13,000 (1995).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Belize
Population: Second language speakers: 55,998 in Belize (1991 census).
Comments: Used in education, government, and business. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Bermuda
Population: 58,800 in Bermuda (1989 estimate).
Dialects: BERMUDAN ENGLISH.
Comments: Colloquial English may not be a creole but a regional variety of uncreolized English. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Botswana
Alternate names: SEKGOA
Comments: International trade, medium of western influences, language of instruction from fifth grade, written language, official purposes, as second language. Official language. Taught as a subject from the beginning of primary school as a required subject. Officially becomes the language of instruction in Standard 5. Standard 7 exams are written in English. Medium of instruction. Newspapers, magazines, radio programs, TV. Bible 1535-1989.

British Indian Ocean Territory
Comments: The indigenous population no longer resides in the islands. Current residents include members of the USA military, a small detachment of British officials, and support staff, mainly of Mauritian and Philippine origin. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

British Virgin Islands
Population: 2,000 (1998).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Brunei
Population: 8,000 in Brunei. 16% of ethnic Chinese speak English as first language. Probably other first language speakers.
Comments: Government, education. Used increasingly by educated speakers as first or second language. National language. Newspapers, TV. Bible 1535-1989.

Cameroon
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Canada
Population: 17,100,000 mother tongue speakers in Canada, or 60% of the population (1998 Statistics Canada). 820,000 mother tongue speakers in Quebec (1995 Statistics Canada); plus another 1,500,000 in Quebec whose first or second language is English (1995 Statistics Canada).
Dialects: NEWFOUNDLAND ENGLISH.
Comments: National language. Bible 1382-1989.

Cayman Islands
Population: 9,200 (1993).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Cook Islands
Population: 683 in Cook Islands (1966 UN report).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Dominica
Dialects: DOMINICAN ENGLISH.
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Eritrea
Comments: Language of higher education and many technical fields. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Ethiopia
Population: 1,986 mother tongue speakers, 169,726 second language users (1998 census).
Comments: Language of higher education, many technical fields, and international communication. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Falkland Islands
Population: 1,991 in Falkland Islands (1993 Johnstone).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Fiji
Population: 4,929 Europeans in Fiji (1976 census). An additional 10,276 or 1.8% of population (1976 census) are part-European, and speak English and Fijian.
Comments: Also used by many urban Chinese (4,652 in 1976), Rotuman, occasionally by Indians, rarely by Fijians (P. Geraghty 1981). Main language of commerce, education, government. There are also reports of a Fijian Pidgin English. National language. Newspapers, radio programs. Bible 1535-1989.

Gambia
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Ghana
Population: Second language speakers: 1,000,000 (1977 Voegelin and Voegelin).
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Gibraltar
Population: 3,300 in Gibraltar (1993 Johnstone).
Dialects: YANITO.
Comments: Yanito is spoken by most Gibraltarians among themselves. It is a dialect of English with a strong Spanish influence, with over 500 words coming from Genoese (Ligurian) and Hebrew. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Grenada
Dialects: GRENADIAN ENGLISH.
Comments: Post-creole English with French Creole influences (M. Alleyne). National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Guam
Population: 28,800 in Guam (1987).
Comments: USA military and dependents. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Guyana
Dialects: GUYANESE ENGLISH.
Comments: Spoken as first language by some Blacks and some Hindustanis. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Honduras
Population: 9,000 first language speakers in Honduras.

India
Population: Second language speakers: 11,021,610 (1961 census).
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Ireland
Population: 2,600,000 in Ireland (1983 estimate).
Dialects: SOUTH HIBERNO ENGLISH, NORTH HIBERNO ENGLISH.
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Israel
Population: 100,000 in Israel (1993).
Alternate names: ANGLIT
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Jamaica
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Kenya
Population: Mainly second language speakers.
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Kiribati
Population: 338 in Kiribati (1978 census).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Lebanon
Comments: Has been used to some extent since the founding of the American University of Beirut in 1866. Many English language publications. Not spoken on the street or in Lebanese homes. Bible 1535-1989.

Lesotho
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Liberia
Population: 69,000 or 2.5% of the population are Americo-Liberian (1993).
Dialects: LIBERIAN STANDARD ENGLISH.
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Malawi
Population: 16,000 in Malawi (1993).
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Malaysia (Peninsular)
Comments: Bible 1535-1989.

Malta
Population: 2,400 speakers in Malta (1993 Johnstone).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Marshall Islands

Mauritius
Population: 3,000 in Mauritius (1993 Johnstone).
Comments: Used in secondary school, courts, for road signs. Not widely known. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Micronesia
Population: 3,540 first language speakers in Micronesia, foreign born (1970 census).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Midway Islands
Population: 2,256 in Midway (1975 WA).
Comments: National language. 99% USA military. Bible 1535-1989.

Montserrat
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Namibia
Population: 10,941 in Namibia (1991 census).
Comments: Not understood or spoken by everyone. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Nauru
Population: 564 first language speakers, 7,254 including second language users (1979 Government figures).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Netherlands Antilles
Comments: Post-creole English is the dialect used (Alleyne). The third most important language in Netherlands Antilles. Bible 1382-1989.

New Zealand
Population: 3,213,000 in New Zealand (1987), 90% of the population.
Comments: National language. Bible 1382-1989.

Nigeria
Population: Second language speakers: 1,000,000 (1977 Voegelin and Voegelin).
Comments: Used in government, education. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Niue
Population: Second language speakers in Niue: 2,082.
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Norfolk Island
Population: 1,678 in Norfolk Island (1980 Government report).
Comments National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Northern Mariana Islands
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Pakistan
Comments: Mainly second language speakers in Pakistan. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Palau
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Papua New Guinea
Population: 50,000 in Papua New Guinea (1987), 1.5% of the population.
Comments: Official language. Used in schools. Bible 1535-1989.

Philippines
Population: 32,802 in Philippines (1990 census). 52% of the population said they could speak it as a second language (1980 census).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Pitcairn
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Puerto Rico
Population: 82,000 mother tongue speakers (1995), 376,371 second language users (1970 census).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Rwanda
Population: Mainly second language speakers.
Comments: There may be more users of English than of French. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Seychelles
Population: 1,601 in Seychelles (1971 census).
Comments: Principal language of the schools. Official language. Bible 1382-1989.

Sierra Leone
Comments: Used in administration, law, education, commerce. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Singapore
Population: 227,000 speakers, 8.9% of population, 729,000 second language users (literate in English) in Singapore, 28.5% of population (1985 estimate).
Comments: Ethnic groups which use English: Chinese 154,000, 68%; European and Eurasian 34,000, 15%; Indian 32,000, 14%; Malay 6,000, 3%. Chinese varieties and Tamil also used at home. National language. Bible 1382-1989.

Solomon Islands
Comments: National language. Bible 1382-1989.

Somalia
Comments: Used more in the north. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

South Africa
Population: 3,500,000 in South Africa (1991 Christos van Rensburg), 9.1% of the population (1995 The Economist).
Comments: The main means of communication in urban areas. Many second generation people from India, Portugal, Germany, and Greece speak English as first language. Official language. Bible 1382-1989.

Sri Lanka
Population: 97,000 first language speakers in Sri Lanka (1962).

St. Helena
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

St. Kitts-Nevis
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

St. Lucia
Dialects: ST. LUCIAN ENGLISH.
Comments: There is an emerging English vernacular on St. Lucia, in a certain rural area. It is significantly restructured, heavily French creole-influenced, English lexicon (Paul Garrett 1998). National language. Bible 1535-1989.

St. Pierre and Miquelon
Population: 188 in St. Pierre and Miquelon (1967 census).

St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Swaziland
Comments: Taught in all government and private schools. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Tanzania
Population: Second language speakers in Tanzania: 1,500,000 (1977 Voegelin and Voegelin).
Comments: Used by some Asian residents as mother tongue. Taught in secondary school and university. Bible 1535-1989.

Tokelau
Comments: Used in schools. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Tonga
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Trinidad and Tobago
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Turks and Caicos Islands
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

U.S. Virgin Islands
Population: 8,414 mother tongue speakers in U.S. Virgin Islands (1970 census).
Comments: National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Uganda
Population: Second language speakers: 1,000,000 (1977 Voegelin and Voegelin).
Comments: Used in primary schools, law courts. Official language. Newspapers, radio programs. Bible 1535-1989.

USA
Population: 210,000,000 first language speakers in USA (1984 estimate). 8,400,000 USA residents with no one 14 years old or older who speaks fluent English; 38% or 7,700,000 households headed by immigrants.
Dialects: BLACK ENGLISH.
Comments: There are many regional dialects. Official language. Bible 1382-1989.

Vanuatu
Population: 1,900 in Vanuatu (1995), 1.1% of the population.
Comments: First language speakers are from the United Kingdom. National language. Bible 1535-1989.

Wake Island
Population: 1,730 on Wake Island (1987).
Comments: National language. 99% USA military. Bible 1535-1989.

Western Samoa
Comments: Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Zambia
Population: 41,434 in Zambia (1969 census).
Comments: Spoken as mother tongue by Europeans mainly. A small minority of Zambian Africans speak it as a mother tongue. Used as a second language. The only language of Parliament. Official language. Bible 1535-1989.

Zimbabwe
Population: 375,490 in Zimbabwe (1969 census).
Comments: Spoken by most Europeans and an increasing number of Africans. Used in all or most education. Official language. Newspapers. Bible 1535-1989.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain