The most recent statistics show that as of 2019 there were 1.27 billion people worldwide who speak English as their first or second language. This makes English the most spoken language on the planet. Despite it being spoken so much across the world, the language isn’t the same everywhere you go.
With English, the differences across the world are less distinct than with other languages, although that’s not to say they aren’t richly diverse. Let’s take a closer look at the major English speakers around the globe:
British English
British English is spoken across the UK with various dialects and written formal differences across the various regions. The language originated from West Germany and came here along with Germanic settlers who lived alongside other people in the UK who spoke Welsh, Cornish and Cumbric. Those languages didn’t have much influence on the English language overall and so it mostly spread and stayed as the language that originated from Germanic languages that came with the settlers at the time.
American English
American English is the English spoken and written in America and in much of Canada. It is the official language of the country and it is currently the most commonly spoken language in the US. Whilst easily understandable by other English speakers it does have distinct differences in pronunciation and spellings of certain words. Common British English words are also used in different contexts in American English.
Australian English
Australian English is spoken across Australia and is the official language of the country, spoken by most of the current population.
It originated from the British English colony settling in Australia in the 1780’s and in just 40 years was seen as a different type of English to British English due to the distinctly different accent.
Canadian English
Canadian English is spoken by around 75% of all Canadians, with it being the mother tongue of around 57% of all residents. It was first labelled as Canadian English in 1857 as it took hold after major migrations to the country, particularly after American citizens fleeing from the American Revolution moved across the border.
Indian English
In the 1830’s English took over from Persian as the main language of government in India. Various British influencers, such as Lord Macaulay, introduced the language to the education system in the country. Whilst Hindi is the most commonly spoken language in India,
English is still used in higher education and in some areas of the Indian government alongside Hindi. Previous negative connotations of its use because of the period of British rule are now largely gone and use of the English language is viewed as a sign of progress and economic development.
If you are considering video subtitling or voice over services for your latest communication or marketing project, appreciating the different types of English spoken across the world is important. Take professional advice on the right type of English voice over or subtitles to communicate in a meaningful way with your audience.
