Ciekawostka: China has more English speakers than the United States

Evidence: 84 • authority: 72

The distinction between rhoticity and non-rhoticity is one of the most prominent ways in which varieties of the English language are classified. In rhotic accents, the sound of the historical English rhotic consonant, /r/, is preserved in all phonetic environments. In non-rhotic accents, speakers no longer pronounce /r/ in postvocalic environments: when it is immediately after a vowel and not followed by another vowel. For example, a rhotic English speaker pronounces the words hard and butter as /ˈhɑːrd/ and /ˈbʌtər/, but a non-rhotic speaker "drops" or "deletes" the /r/ sound and pronounces them as /ˈhɑːd/ and /ˈbʌtə/. When an r is at the end of a word but the next word begins with a vowel…

Evidence: 84 • authority: 72

English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family that emerged in early medieval England and has since become a global lingua franca. The language is named after the Angles, one of the Germanic peoples who migrated to Britain after the end of Roman rule. English is the most spoken language in the world, primarily due to the global influence of the British Empire (succeeded by the Commonwealth of Nations) and the rise of the United States. It is the most widely learned second language in the world, with more second‑language speakers than native speakers. However, English is only the third‑most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. English is eithe…

Evidence: 67 • authority: 92

Regional language effects on accent perception and language attitude: The case of mandarin vs. cantonese speakers in mainland China.. The perception of L2 English accents has been extensively studied across disparate language groups, yet it remains unclear how these judgments operate among speakers of closely related varieties, where shared linguistic heritage might heighten sensitivity to phonetic differences. This study investigates how L2 English accent judgments operate among L2 English speakers whose L1s belong to the same broader language family. We recruited 164 English learners in mainland China with Cantonese and Mandarin backgrounds defined here by their first-acquired and dominan…

Evidence: 67 • authority: 72

The relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United States (US) has been complex and at times tense since the establishment of the PRC on 1 October 1949 and the subsequent retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan. After the normalization of relations in the 1970s, the US–China relationship has been marked by persistent disputes including China's economic policies, the political status of Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Despite these tensions, the two nations have significant economic ties and are deeply interconnected, while also engaging in strategic competition on the global stage. As of 2025, the US and China are the wo…

Evidence: 67 • authority: 72

American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the U.S., as well as the common language used in government, education, and commerce in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in all U.S. territories except Puerto Rico. Since the late 20th century, American English has become the most influential form of English worldwide. Varieties of American English include many patterns of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and particularly spelling that are unified nationwide but distinct from other forms of English around the world. Any American or…

Evidence: 58 • authority: 80

China to Have the World’s Biggest Number of English Speakers

Evidence: 51 • authority: 88

Female Saudi Students’ Attitudes Towards Speaking English with Native Speakers vs Non-Native Speakers of English. Second-language learners of English try to master and improve their English-speaking skills. This study investigated female Saudi university students’ attitudes towards the following: a) speaking English in general; and b) speaking English with native speakers vs. non-native speakers. It can be vital to understand students’ attitudes to help them improve their ability to communicate effectively and express their thoughts clearly and easily. Data was collected from 112 female Saudi students at Taif University, using a closed-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Th…

Evidence: 51 • authority: 80

A Comparative Study on the Generic Structure of Undergraduate Thesis Abstracts Between Native Speakers and Non-native Speakers in English Linguistics

Evidence: 51 • authority: 88

“American vs. English” : US American and British English Speakers’ Attitudes toward Phonological and Lexical Features in Accent Tag Videos. The study examined two YouTube Accent Tag videos to reveal how pairs of British and American speakers reacted to each other’s and their own varieties as they pronounced words from a list and answered several questions by offering their lexical choices. Accent Tag videos represent a novel way for lay people to be involved in science by offering their language varieties and opinions, accumulating data in unprecedented numbers in the history of dialectology and also creating a rich source for various types of linguistic inquiry. The results showed a marked…

Evidence: 51 • authority: 88

Female Saudi Students’ Attitudes Towards Speaking English with Native Speakers vs Non-Native Speakers of English. Second-language learners of English try to master and improve their English-speaking skills. This study investigated female Saudi university students’ attitudes towards the following: a) speaking English in general; and b) speaking English with native speakers vs. non-native speakers. It can be vital to understand students’ attitudes to help them improve their ability to communicate effectively and express their thoughts clearly and easily. Data was collected from 112 female Saudi students at Taif University, using a closed-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Th…

Evidence: — • authority: 35