(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. Of those who know a second language, 43% said they can speak that language “very well.” Within this subset of multilinguals who are well-versed in a non-English language, 89% acquired these skills in the childhood home, compared with 7% citing school as their main setting for language acquisition. Fair or not, the fact is that while the U.S. does not have a national requirement for students to learn a foreign language in school, the typical European pupil must study multiple languages in the classroom before becoming a teen. The second language of countries which were ruled under the Soviet Union - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine - remains Russian. It's double trouble for Boris: PM faces warnings from Tory party donors over 'bleak' economy... as poll... Supermarkets stock up on flour as Waitrose boss slams panic buyers for stripping shelves of staples and... Can Tory rebels defeat Boris Johnson in vote on 'draconian' coronavirus laws? The data is sourced from the CIA’s world fact book, and some places aren’t included (Colombia and Myanmar, for instance). Central America is rich in second languages, with Creole spoken primarily in Haiti. Canada's official second language is French. China's second language is Cantonese, while tropical nations Malaysia and Singapore have many English speakers - with many natives also fluent in English.
Studying a second foreign language for at least one year is compulsory in more than 20 European countries.
A popular stereotype of Americans traveling abroad is the tourist who is at a loss when it comes to coping with any language other than English. The maps are part of an infographic created by MoveHub, a website for people looking to move abroad, which swap the names of countries around the world for their second languages. As you might have gathered, English is a very popular second language.
The majority of Africans speak English, Italian or French due to colonialism. Ireland and Scotland are two exceptions that do not have compulsory language requirements, but Irish students learn both English and Gaelic (neither is considered a foreign language); Scottish schools are still obligated to offer at least one foreign-language option to all students ages 10-18. Although some countries mandate that students learn English as their foreign language, the portion of pupils studying it remains high across the board, even in countries without this rule. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Spanish is the second most popular language in Alaska and United States. Some REAL opposition? Irish tourist, 32, is arrested 'for carving his initials into the Colosseum in... Can you REALLY massage away your midlife middle? In most European countries, students begin studying their first foreign language as a compulsory school subject between the ages of 6 and 9, according to a 2012 report from Eurostat, the statistics arm of the European Commission. Europe is home to hundreds of languages, including some of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Government plans to shut pubs and restaurants for two weeks... Zoe Ball 'asks BBC to pay her LESS because she feels uncomfortable with £1million pay rise that took her... Coronavirus patient, 41, becomes first in the UK to receive experimental arthritis drug in trial to treat... American faces two years in PRISON for posting negative 'unfair' reviews on TripAdvisor about an island... DOMINIC LAWSON: Why don't doctors ever have anything good to say about people with Down's? Throw him to the lions! French and German were the next-most popular languages in most countries, with Spanish and Russian also widely taught as foreign languages in certain regions of the continent. Only one citizen in five can speak two languages other than their own, and fewer than one in ten know more than three languages. According to the map of the Asia-Pacific, the second language of Australia is Mandarin Chinese, reflective of a large Chinese population in the multicultural nation. asks CLAUDIA CONNELL. In fact, it’s the most popular second language in 55 countries. Parliament's bars are NOT subject to 10pm curfew and MPs don't have to give their contact details to get a... A THIRD of patients have put off visiting their GP as new poll reveals extent of fear among Britons over... Confessions of a Tinseltown reject: RUPERT EVERETT starred opposite Madonna and Julia Roberts, but then... Boris Johnson earmarks area the size of the Lake District and south Downs for protected status in bid to... Joaquin Phoenix 'welcomed his first child with fiancée Rooney Mara a month ago... and named the boy after... Donald Trump tears into the New York Times for 'made-up, phony' story that he paid no income tax for 11... Trump's demoted campaign manager Brad Parscale was 'under investigation for stealing from the president's... Judge blocks Trump administration's order that would have banned TikTok from being downloaded in the US. The native Quechua is the second most spoken language in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions.