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World languages are spoken across large geographic areas and used in international trade. The context and geographic distribution of speakers influence a language’s international status. Learning a second language is common, and a language can become a world language for various reasons.
A world language is a language spoken by a relatively large number of people in countries around the world. In general, these languages are used across large geographic areas and in international trade. The geographic distribution of speakers of a given language is at least as important as the overall number of speakers of that language when deciding whether to designate it as a world language. Some languages are spoken by many people in an area of high linguistic density, but are not widely spoken internationally. The languages that are considered world languages change over time as different countries become prominent in international business, politics or other concerns.
Classification of a language as a world language largely depends on where it is spoken, not just how many people speak it. Both the context and the geographical distribution of speakers of a given language can influence its international status. Languages commonly used in international business are generally considered to be world languages. A language can also become a world language if it is associated with a large body of literature or is otherwise used extensively in academic settings. Such a language doesn’t even need to be used by modern speakers to be considered a world language.
At some point in their education, a person is likely to study, if not fully learn, a world language aside from their native language. Many people begin receiving foreign language lessons as early as elementary school and take additional lessons in the same or different languages throughout high school and college. Others choose to learn a language later in life, usually because it has some specific application in their professional lives. Many people whose first language is considered a world language choose not to learn a second language because their first language is already spoken in large parts of the world. Those whose first language is not as widely spoken may learn a second language because while their first may have cultural significance, it has little use outside their home country.
A given language can become a world language for a variety of reasons. It can gain extensive international use, for example, due to colonization or through extensive involvement in international affairs. A language can also lose international popularity as the nations that contain the largest number of speakers of that language lose their wealth, power and influence for various reasons.
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