In Which Countries is English the Official Language?

In Which Countries is English the Official Language?

English is one of the most widespread languages of the world and derives its name from Anglia peninsular in the Baltic Sea. The language has developed over 1,400 years and is now the second most learned language in the world. It is the official language of many countries and also one of the official languages in about 60 sovereign states. The countries where English is legally the official language are following.

 

Antigua and Barbuda

Bahamas

Barbados

Belize

Botswana

Burundi

Cameroon

Canada

Cook Islands

Dominica

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Gambia

Ghana

Grenada

Guyana

India

Ireland

Jamaica

Kenya

Kirbati

Lesotho

Liberia

Malawi

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritius

Namibia

Nauru

Nigeria

Niue

Pakistan

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Solomon Islands

South Africa

South Sudan

Sudan

Swaziland

Tanzania

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tuvalu

Uganda

Vanuatu

Zambia

Zimbabwe

 

Countries where English is not legally the official language are following.

 

Australia

New Zealand

United Kingdom

United States

 

Countries with English as a de facto but not a primary language are following.

 

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Brunei

Cyprus

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Malaysia

Qatar

Sri Lanka

United Arab Emirates

 

Non-sovereign countries with English as the official language

 

Akrotiri and Dhekelia

American Samoa

Anguilla

Bermuda

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Curacao

Falkland Islands

Gibraltar

Guam

Hong Kong

Isle of Man

Jersey

Norfolk Island

Northern Mariana Islands

Pitcairn Islands

Puerto Rico

Saint Maarten

Turks and Caicos Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands

 

Countries with English as a de facto language

 

British Indian Ocean Territory

Guernsey

Montserrat

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha

 

Countries with English as a de facto but not a primary language

 

Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Tokelau

 

The major countries having English as official language

 

England

 

As obvious as the name suggests, the official language of England is English which is spoken by more than millions of people around the world. English originated from this country itself is spoken by about 98% of its population. The language suffered a decline and was spoken by only the lower social classes by the Norman Conquest but later in the 15th century, gained back its importance.

 

Australia

 

Even though Australia does not have an official language, English is the de facto language used all over the country. According to 2016 census, English is spoken by about 72.7% population in the house. There are over 250 indigenous Australian languages that were spoken during the first European encounter.

 

New Zealand

 

Spoken by about 96.1% of the population, English has become the pre-dominant language spoken in New Zealand. There is a very thin line between New Zealand and Australian English and pointing out differences between them is quite a task. After Māori was introduced, English and Māori became the official languages of the country.

 

Scotland

 

After the contact between Scots and Standard English of England in 17th century, English emerged as one of the official languages of Scotland. English is spoken by 99% of the population here. But the dialect of the Scottish is highly influenced by Gaelic.

 

Singapore

 

English is one of the four official languages of Singapore and also a very common one. It is used mainly for business purpose, governmental purpose and as the medium of interaction in schools. Even the Constitution of Singapore is written in English and there has to be an interpreter if one wants to address the Courts in any other language. It is the most spoken language here as about 36.9% people use it.

 

South Africa

 

There are about seven languages spoken in South Africa— Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. English is considered to be the language of commerce as well as science. As only 9.6% of the population speaks this language, it is the de facto trade language of this nation.

 

Canada

 

The population of Canada is known to mostly speak English and French as their mother tongue. English is spoken by about 60% of the population as their mother tongue. English, along with French, hold equal importance in the federal courts, parliaments and various federal institutions.

 

 

 

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