|
European Union 24 official languages 0.5 billion inhabitants |
China 1 official language 1.35 billion inhabitants |
|
United States 1＋α official languages 0.32 inhabitants |
Russia 1 or many official language(s) 0.14 inhabitants |
|
European Union 24 official languages 0.5 billion inhabitants |
China 1 official language 1.35 billion inhabitants |
|
United States 1＋α official languages 0.32 inhabitants |
Russia 1 or many official language(s) 0.14 inhabitants |
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities. With a total number of 193 sovereign states recognized internationally and an estimated number of roughly 5,000 to 7,000 languages spoken worldwide, it follows that the vast majority of languages are minority languages in every country in which they are spoken. Some minority languages are simultaneously also official languages, including the Irish language (Gaelic) in the Republic of Ireland. Likewise, some national languages are often considered minority languages, insofar as they are the national language of a stateless nation.