What are the most widely spoken languages in the world? Or, if you are contemplating learning a second language, which will get you the most new conversation opportunities for your effort?

The following list shows number of people speaking a language either as their first or second language. It is taken from Nicholas Ostler’s ‘Empires of the Word’, a detailed (and long!) history of the main world languages.

1. Mandarin Chinese (1,052m)
2. English (508m)
3. Hindi (487m)
4. Spanish (417m)
5. Russian (277m)
6. Bengali (211m)
7. Portugese (191m)
8. German (128m)
9. French (128m)
10. Japanese (126m)
11. Urdu (104m)
12. Korean (78m)
13. Wu Chinese (77m)
14. Javanese (76m)
15. Telugu (75m)
16. Tamil (74m)
17. Yue Chinese / Cantonese (71m)
18. Marathi (71m)
19. Vietnamese (68m)
20. Turkish (61m)

It would be interesting to know how the popularity of these languages is evolving. These figures are nearly 10 years old so in that time the Chinese speaking population has probably increased by around 40 million, for example. Rate of population increase must be the strongest factor in determining whether a language is currently moving up or down this list.

I suspect this list may under-estimate the power of English by not counting those who speak English very competently and use it on a regular basis, but have learnt it as their third or even fourth language. That may sound improbable if you are a native English speaker, but for some it is a necessity. As one example, This post on A Wide Angle View of India blog explains that in many parts of India children grow up learning three languages, of which one is English.

English is currently the most popular choice as language of international communication, but will there come a point where another language becomes so widely spoken that it overtakes English as second language of choice? It may happen sooner than you think.

Update: from the discussion in the comments it is clear that compiling a list like this involves some difficult decisions (such as whether or not Arabic should be included). As an alternative view, this post from The Linguist Blogger incorporates different sources of information as well as Ostler’s list.

More like this:
Is Chinglish the future of English?: most English conversations do not involve a native speaker
Languages fight for global dominance: more about the prospects for English as language of international communication
Gestures say so much: multiple language speakers are more likely to gesticulate when speaking
International Mother Language Day: the importance of learning in the mother tongue

Lonely Planet is well known for its travel guides to different countries of the world.

The Travel Book is a bit different though. It contains a two page summary for every country in the world! Along with stunning photos there is a mention for the main sights and experiences, tips on where to learn more about the country - books, films etc - and even a couple of words in the local language.

It’s an ambitious project but very nicely done, and a perfect (although obviously a bit superficial) introduction to all those countries you might have heard of but don’t really know anything about…

Lonely Planet’s online shop will ship for free to anywhere in the world, if you spend enough.

A New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden is a very comprehensive book of recipes. From how to make the best hummous, to six different methods of stuffing vegetables, even how to barbeque a fish.

The author grew up in Egypt, and the book includes food from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Israel. The book also includes many stories and anecdotes from the region.

If you enjoy Middle Eastern food you might also like to read our post on Turkish cooking.

Tags: world food, cookery books, Middle East,

A collection of short stories about contemporary China which bring to life a side of China rarely seen from outside. These are stories of ordinary people, such as Ruolan, who faces alone the difficulties of growing into a teenager as her mother is sick and her father is away working for most of the year.

The stories reflect the traces of China’s history as well as the effects of recent rapid developmment and the huge contrast between village and city life which has evolved as a consequence. The mood can be bleak at times, but undoubtedly gives a tantalising insight into Chinese culture.

More information about A Thousand Years of Good Prayers from Amazon .

Take a look at Blogs of the World to read more about life in China.

From the 8th Century, Muslim tradition and culture set trends in eating, music and style that still influence us today. Their experiments, discoveries and inventions with liquids, light and time opened the door to myriad new chemical compounds, measurements of time in precise and minute detail and devices used in space observation and deep sea exploration. Also a book has been published to collect this beautiful collection of information and images.

http://www.1001inventions.com

The experience of living in France and the impressions of the French people seen through the eyes of an English student. She also writes about the strange feeling of not quite belonging in her home country when she goes back afterwards. If you have lived abroad, it probably sounds familiar…

Intellectual (can be heavy reading) reviews of the latest releases on the London book scene.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/