The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-07-06
ENGLISH AT THE HEAD.
Spoken by More People Than Any
Other Language of Civilization.

8p0ken ny more feOpAe AAoA my
Other Language of Civilization.
More people speak English than any
other language now in use in the CIV
ilized world, and the increase in the
use of English is so rapid that it may
ultimately outstrip all the European
languages collectively. At the begin
ming of the present century French
stood at the head of languages in gen.
eral use. Then2O per cent Of the peo-
ple of Europe and America spoke
French. Then followed, in the order
named: Russian, 10 per cent; German,
IS per cent; Spanish, 16 per cent;
English, II per cent; Italian, per
cent. French was the language Of
treaties, of fashion, of international
correspondence, and, to considera Bile
extent, of commerce. At the begin
ming Of the present century twice as
many people in Europe spoke French
as English, and twice as many spoke
German as English. More persons in
Europe spoke Italian than English,
and, in fact, English had a subordi-
nate rank.
Colonization in America and Austria
liza, and particularly the enormous in
crease of population in the United
States, favored the extension of Eng
lish Colonization in South and Cen
trail America favored Spanish and in
Brazil, Portuguese. One reason of the
rapid and general extension of the
English language has been that coloni-
zation from Great Britain has been
very much larger than from other
countries, and the English have made
their influence felt more decisively,
than have the people of other nations
in colonies. Thus, for instance, Hol-
land has today extensive colonies in
various parts of the world. The pres
ent population OF Holland is 1000, 600,
and all of the Dutch colonies, 24,OO0,-
Co., The area of Holland in square:
miles is 10000, and of the Dutch COL
onies, 66OuuO. But the Dutch Ian.
guage has never been extended to any;
great extent by reason of these colo
MES, the inhabitants Of which have
never learned Dutch.
The French, Italian and Russian
languages have not been extended
greatly through colonization. AS a
consequence of the changes through,
colonization and otherwise, 11O,OOO,OOO
people now speak English instead Of
2O,OOO,O00 as at the beginning of the
century. Germany has held it's own
without variance for nearly 100 years..
and is still spoken by IS per cent Of:
those speaking any European Ian,
guage. Russia has fallen off a little,
not in numbers, but in percentage,
and so have all the Latin languages.
The number of persons speaking the.
French language at the beginning Of
the century was 100000, and now,
it is 51,O00,00O. The number of per-,
sons speaking Spanish at the begin:
ming of the century was 26,O0O,OOO;
now it is 100000. The number Of:
those persons speaking Italian has in
creased from 100000 to 30,0OOOOO-
just double.
In Europe to-day German stands at
the head. 1t is the language of g.
100000 people. Russian follows with
French with 45,O00,000,
with 100000, Italian with
81 100000 and Spanish with - ,O0O,0O0.'
In the United States the growth Of;
English has been and continues to be-
most rapid, and the two countries
which are gaining most by the in
crease Of population, the United States;
and Australia, are both English-speak-;
ing countries, and bid fair to keep
at the head.-New York Sun.