English language - facts

Facts about English

• Did you know that English is the most widespread language in the world and is more widely spoken and written than any other language?
• Did you know that over 400 million people use the English vocabulary as a mother tongue, only surpassed in numbers, but not in distribition by speakers of the many varieties of Chinese?
• Did you know that over 700 million people, speak English, as a foreign language?
• Did you know that of all the world's languages (over 2,700) English is arguably the richest in vocabulary; and that the Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words, and a further half-million technical and scientific terms remain uncatalogued?
• Did you know that three-quarters of the world's mail, telexes and cables are in English?
• Did you know that the main language used throughout the world on the internet is English?
• Did you know that more than half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English?
• Did you know that English is the medium for 80% of the information stored in the world's computers?
• Did you know that English is the language of navigation, aviation and of Christianity; it is the ecumenical language of the World Council of Churches?
• Did you know that 5 of the largest broadcasting companies in the world (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC and CBC) transmit in English, reaching millions and millions of people all over the world?