Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-06-13
ENGLISH AT THE HEAD.
spoken by More People Than Any
other Language of Civilization.

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 ii 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. Then 20 per cent of h peo-
pie of Europe and America spoke
French. Then followed, in the order
named: Russian, 10 per cent: German,
Is per cent; Spanish, Ii per cent;
English, l. per cent; Italian, 9 per
cent. French was the language Of
treaties, of fashion. of international
correspondence, and, TO n considerable
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-
cation from Great Britain has been
very much larger than from other
countries, and the English have made
their influence felt more decisiyely
than have the people of other nations
in colonies. Thus, for instance, HOl-
land has to-day extensive colonies in
various parts of the world. The pres
ent population or Holland is 100000,
and all of the Dutch colonies, "a, 1000
600. The area of Holland in square
miles is 10000, and of the Dutch col
onies, $50, wv. But the Dutch Ian
guage has never been extended to any
great extent by reason of these bic
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, 100000
people now speak English instead of
10000, 600, as at the beginning of the
century. Germany has held it's own
without variance for nearly 100 years,
and is e+in spoken by IS per cen Of
those speaking any European Ian
guage. Russia has fallen off Il 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 81 100000, and now
1t is 51,OO0,000. The number of per-
sons speaking Spanish at the begin
ming of the century was 26,OOO,0O0;
now it is $4,000 O0. The number Of
those persons speaking Italian has in
creased from 100000 to 30yOOO, 600
just double.
In Europe to-day German stands at
the head. 1t is the language of 6S,-
OvO,O00 people. Russian follows with
COCO coo, French with 100000
English with 3S,0OO,O00, Italian with
100000 and Spanish with 100000.
IN the United States the growth of
English has been and continues to be
most rapid, and the two countries
winch 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
English at the head.-New York Sun.