Horizon：Countries with the most official national languages
【明報專訊】An official language is a language which is granted a legal status and is widely used in the government. While most countries have one or two official languages at the national level, a few countries have none. Below are the top three countries with the world's most official national languages.
Bolivia--37
Located in South America, Bolivia has the most official national languages in the world according to Guinness World Records 2022. In Bolivia, the official languages are Spanish and all the 36 indigenous languages. Among the 37 official languages, Spanish is the most spoken. The government promotes the teaching of these indigenous languages so that they will not be endangered.
Zimbabwe--16
Zimbabwe is a country located in Southeast Africa. Currently, it has the second highest number of official national languages in the world. With 16 official languages, it once won the Guinness World Record in 2013 for having the most official languages nationally. As stated by the law, it is required that all languages be treated equally.
South Africa--11
With about 35 different indigenous languages, the South African government only recognises 11 of them officially. The most commonly spoken ones are Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans. Although English is the fourth most commonly spoken language in South Africa, it is widely used in the government and the business world. In the near future, there may be 12 official languages as the government is now considering adding South African Sign Language to the list.
■Gear up
1. Which of the following is true?
A. All indigenous languages are granted legal status in South Africa.
B. English is the most spoken language in South Africa.
C. Bolivia has the most official national languages.
2. Every country has its official language. (True/False)
■Glossary
grant (v) 授予
legal (adj) 法律的
indigenous (adj) 本土的
endangered (adj) 瀕臨滅絕的
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[Smarties' Power English 第350期]
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