The 10 most widely spoken languages in the world

For some strange reason, I thrive on trivia. Here is one that I really enjoy.
(Source: Soyouwanna.com)

Yeah, you speak good. But there are more than 6 billion people living on this mudball, and every one of them speaks some form of a language. We interviewed every single person on the planet individually, counted 'em up, and our results can be found below: the ten most widely spoken languages in the world.
Keep in mind that these are all estimates, since it's obviously impossible to be exact. Also keep in mind that we're not merely counting native speakers, but anyone who fluently knows and speaks the language (regardless of whether it's their first language or not). Makes things more interesting, eh?
And to whet your appetite, here are the languages that just barely missed the list (from the most popular to the least): German, Japanese, Urdu, Punjabi, Korean, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Cantonese, Wu, Vietnamese, Javanese, Italian, Turkish, Tagalog, and Thai.


10. French- Number of speakers: 129 million
Often called the most romantic language in the world, French is spoken in tons of countries, including Belgium, Canada, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Haiti. Oh, and France too. We're actually very lucky that French is so popular, because without it, we might have been stuck with Dutch Toast, Dutch Fries, and Dutch kissing (ew!).
To say "hello" in French, say "Bonjour" (bone-JOOR).

9. Portuguese - Number of speakers: 191 million
Think of Portuguese as the little language that could. In the 12th Century, Portugal won its independence from Spain and expanded all over the world with the help of its famous explorers like Vasco da Gama and Prince Henry the Navigator. (Good thing Henry became a navigator . . . could you imagine if a guy named "Prince Henry the Navigator" became a florist?) Because Portugal got in so early on the exploring game, the language established itself all over the world, especially in Brazil (where it's the national language), Macau, Angola, Venezuela, and Mozambique.
To say "hello" in Portuguese, say "Bom dia" (bohn DEE-ah).

8. Bengali - Number of speakers: 211 million
In Bangladesh, a country of 120+ million people, just about everybody speaks Bengali. And because Bangladesh is virtually surrounded by India (where the population is growing so fast, just breathing the air can get you pregnant), the number of Bengali speakers in the world is much higher than most people would expect.
To say "hello" in Bengali, say "Ei Je" (EYE-jay).

7. Arabic - Number of speakers: 246 million
Arabic, one of the world's oldest languages, is spoken in the Middle East, with speakers found in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. Furthermore, because Arabic is the language of the Koran, millions of Moslems in other countries speak Arabic as well. So many people have a working knowledge of Arabic, in fact, that in 1974 it was made the sixth official language of the United Nations.
To say "hello" in Arabic, say "Al salaam a'alaykum" (Ahl sah-LAHM ah ah-LAY-koom).

6. Russian - Number of speakers: 277 million
Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Yakov Smirnoff are among the millions of Russian speakers out there. Sure, we used to think of them as our Commie enemies. Now we think of them as our Commie friends. One of the six languages in the UN, Russian is spoken not only in the Mother Country, but also in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the U.S. (to name just a few places).
To say "hello" in Russian, say "Zdravstvuite" (ZDRAST-vet-yah).

5. Bahasa Melayu - Number of speakers: 359 million
Malay is spoken - surprise - in Malaysia and Indonesia. Actually, we kinda fudged the numbers on this one because there are many dialects of Malay, the most popular of which is Indonesian. But they're all pretty much based on the same root language, which makes it the fifth most-spoken in the world. Indonesia is a fascinating place; a nation made up of over 13,000 islands it is the sixth most populated country in the world. Malaysia borders on two of the larger parts of Indonesia (including the island of Borneo), and is mostly known for its capital city of Kuala Lumpur. To say "hello" in Malay, say "Selamat pagi" (se-LA-maht PA-gee).

4. Spanish - Number of speakers: 392 million
Aside from all of those kids who take it in high school, Spanish is spoken in just about every South American and Central American country, not to mention Spain, Cuba, and the U.S. There is a particular interest in Spanish in the U.S., as many English words are borrowed from the language, including: tornado, bonanza, patio, quesadilla, enchilada, and taco grande supreme.
To say "hello" in Spanish, say "Hola" (OH-la).

3. Hindustani - Number of speakers: 497 million
Hindustani is the primary language of India's crowded population, and it encompasses a huge number of dialects (of which the most commonly spoken is Hindi). While many predict that the population of India will soon surpass that of China, the prominence of English in India prevents Hindustani from surpassing the most popular language in the world. If you're interested in learning a little Hindi, there's a very easy way: rent an Indian movie. The film industry in India is the most prolific in the world, making thousands of action/romance/musicals every year.
To say "hello" in Hindustani, say "Namaste" (Nah-MAH-stay).

2. English - Number of speakers: 508 million
While English doesn't have the most speakers, it is the official language of more countries than any other language. Its speakers hail from all around the world, including the U.S., Australia, England, Zimbabwe, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Canada. We'd tell you more about English, but you probably feel pretty comfortable with the language already. Let's just move on to the most popular language in the world.
To say "hello" in English, say "What's up, freak?" (watz-UP-freek).

1. Mandarin - Number of speakers: 1 billion+
Surprise, surprise, the most widely spoken language on the planet is based in the most populated country on the planet. Beating second-place English by a 2 to 1 ratio, but don't let that lull you into thinking that Mandarin is easy to learn. Speaking Mandarin can be really tough, because each word can be pronounced in four ways (or "tones"), and a beginner will invariably have trouble distinguishing one tone from another. But if over a billion people could do it, so could you. Try saying hello!
To say "hello" in Mandarin, say "Ni hao" (Nee HaOW). ("Hao" is pronounced as one syllable, but the tone requires that you let your voice drop midway, and then raise it again at the end.)

Goosebumps Songs

Seperti orang lain, saya gemar mendengar lagu. Tak kisah apa jua genre, janji sedap di telinga. Tetapi seingat saya hanya ada dua kali sahaja sesebuah lagu yang begitu menyentak hati sehingga meremang bulu roma saya mendengarnya. Terbaru bila saya mendengar lagu “My Way” dari Il Divo. Terpegun. Dendangan original Frank Sinatra sendiri tidak dapat membuatkan saya merasa begitu tersentuh.

Kali pertama saya merasakan perasaan sedemikian ialah ketika saya mendengar kaset Cinta Rasul oleh Hadad Alwi dan sicilik Sulis dari Indonesia (diiringi Sydney Philaharmonic Orchetsra, jika tak silap). Hampir merembes air mata kala itu.

Il Divo - The younger version (and better looking) of the The Three Tenors

Hadad Alwi dan Sulis (Yang duduk tunduk di sisi sana)

Entri blog paling kelakar

Seingat saya, sudah begitu banyak sekali entri blog yang dibaca, dari yang serius hingga yang penuh kelakar, dari yang kritis hingga ke kurang ajar, dan segala genre – politik, hiburan, suka-suka ajer.
Tetapi ada satu yang kekal hingga ke hari ini sebagai entri paling kelakar buat saya. Tergolek-golek saya ketawa…..
(Dari wongahbeng.blogspot.com) – enjoy….

Blog Tampal Lirik Lagu
Wa pelasan lamai bloggers suka tampal lirik lagu. Pada pendapat wa aa, ini maciam punya blogging amatlah keji. Ini kelana wa masuk blog olang mau baca blog, bukan baca lilik lagu.

Sekilanya wa mau lirik lagu, wa sendili boleh pergi google search.Begitu jua, blog2 meleka yang ada lagu boleh nyanyi2 wa talak gemar juga.

Wa masuk blog olang mau baca blog, bukan dengar lagu nyanyi2. Sekilanya wa mau dengar lagu, wa boleh pasang wa punya mp3 lagu lagi syiok.Namun begitu, ini hali, wa pun mau jadik pemblogger yang keji tampal lirik lagu jua. Lagu yang menjadi pilihan wa adalah lagu Air Supply "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All".

Zaman muda wa amat meminati ini lagu, kelana melodinya teramat lah meldu (walaupun wa kulang paham apa maksud ini lagu kelana wa Enggelish talak baguih). Dengar ini lagu boleh bikin jiwa fehlong jua. Wa halap lu olang penah dengar ini lagu.

Tetapi wa akan bikin satu kelainan untuk membezakan ini blog sama blog2 lain yang menampal lilik lagu. Oleh kelana wa talak belapa paham bahasa enggelish aa, wa telah belusaha gigih untuk alih suala ini lagu kepada bahasa malayu supaya lu olang pun boleh senang paham.

Untuk lebih penghayatan ini lagu, sila menyanyikan versi alihsuara malayu mengikut lentak ilama asal. Ok leady?

"MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL" by Air Supply

("BERJIMAK TANPA SEBAB LANGSUNG" dendangan Supply Ayir)

I know just how to whisper - a tau cala berbisik

And I know just how to cry - Wa juga tau cala menangis

I know just where I find the answers - Wa tau mana mau carik jawapan

And I know just how to lie - Dan wa tau cala menipuu

I know just how to fake it - wa tau cala bikin palsu

And I know just how to scheme - wa pun tau cala bikin skem tipu

I know just when to face the truth - wa tau bila pandang kebenalan

And then I know just when to dream - Dan wa tau bila mau pegi mimpi

And I know just where I touch you - Dan wa tau mana mau raba lu

And I know just what to prove - dan wa tau apa perlu bukti

I know when to pull you closer - Wa tau bila mau talik lu dekat

And I know when to let you loose - dan wa tau bila mau lepaskan luu

And I know the night is fading - Dan wa tau malam kian hilang

And I know the time’s gonna fly - Dan wa tau ini jam akan telbang

And I’m never gonna tell you everything I gotta tell you - Dan wa tamau kasik lu tau semua yang wa patut kasik lu tau

But I know I’ve got to give it a try - Tapi wa tau wa perlu cuba jua

And I know the roads to riches - Dan wa tau jalan mau jadik kaya

And I know the ways to pain - dan wa tau cala mau sakit

I know all the rules and then I know how to break’em - Wa tau semua pelatulan dan bagaimana mau langgar pelatulan

And then I always know the name of the game - Dan wa tau nama permainanan itu

But I don’t know how to leave you - Tapi wa tatau apa maciam mau tinggal lu

And I’ll never let you fall - Dan wa takkan kasik lu jatuh

And I don’t know how you do it - Dan wa tatau bagaimana lu bikin

Making love...Out of nothing at all - Berjimak..Tanpa sebab langsung

Making love...Out of nothing at all - Berjimak..Tanpa sebab langsung

Making love...Out of nothing at all - Berjimak..Tanpa sebab langsung

Making love...Out of nothing at all - Berjimak..Tanpa sebab langsung

Making love...Out of nothing at all - Berjimak..Tanpa sebab langsung

Making love...Out of nothing at all - Berjimak..Tanpa sebab langsung

Haihh...wa talak ingat lirik seterusnya laa..soli aa!

Sekian telima kasey. By Wong Ah Beng

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia

Siapa kata Malaysia tak indah? Malaysia memang cantik. Foto-foto berikut jadi bukti.
(Ini adalah antara pemenang-pemenang FotoFest 2005 anjuran Tourism Malaysia)

Kat pekan mana ler ni? Colourful sungguh. Ada lagi orang jual segala baldi, penyapu and besen style ni.

Breathtakingly stunning. A visual feast at its best.

Easily my favourite! What more can you say? Ada langit biru, pokok2 nyior, crystal-clear sea water and simple life. Somewhere in Sabah.

Simply WOW!

Hari Raya Sudah Tiba!!!!

Seminggu yang lalu kami beraya. Buat open house untuk anak-anak dan kawan-kawan mereka. Biasalah Hari Raya, Meriah tetapi Sederhana. Apapun, kira Raya tahun ni punya quota dah fulfill ler. Tak yah buat Raya dah, gi je Raya kat rumah orang.

Bermaaf-maafan di Hari raya





Makan-Makan Di Hari Raya










Bergambar Di Hari Raya Ini dia Juadah Hari Raya

Nota Kaki: Ini adalah pengambaran untuk Cover Hari Raya untuk magazine Tourism Malaysia (dah telah diturn down sebab ada gambar orang pakai tudung. Boleh?)

Para pelakun terdiri daripada Alia, Asma, Arissa, Azam, Dayaana, Wardah dan kakak dia Tipah.