what countries use english as national language?
Canada Australia South Africa Zambia United Kingdom Zimbabwe Uganda New Zealand Turks and Caicos Islands Tanzania
neutral
 English language learning and teaching is an important economic activity , and includes language schooling , tourism spending , and publishing . There is no legislation mandating an official language for England , but English is the only language used for official business . Despite the country 's relatively small size , there are many distinct regional accents , and individuals with particularly strong accents may not be easily understood everywhere in the country . 

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 English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca . English is either the official language or an official language in almost 60 sovereign states . It is the most commonly spoken language in the United Kingdom , the United States , Canada , Australia , Ireland , and New Zealand , and is widely spoken in some areas of the Caribbean , Africa , and South Asia . It is the third most common native language in the world , after Mandarin and Spanish . It is the most widely learned second language and an official language of the United Nations , of the European Union , and of many other world and regional international organisations . 

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 Many regional international organisations such as the European Free Trade Association , Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) , and Asia @-@ Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) set English as their organisation 's sole working language even though most members are not countries with a majority of native English speakers . While the European Union ( EU ) allows member states to designate any of the national languages as an official language of the Union , in practice English is the main working language of EU organisations . 

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 English ( American English ) is the de facto national language . Although there is no official language at the federal level , some laws — such as U.S. naturalization requirements — standardize English . In 2010 , about 230 million , or 80 % of the population aged five years and older , spoke only English at home . Spanish , spoken by 12 % of the population at home , is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language . Some Americans advocate making English the country 's official language , as it is in 28 states . 

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 Decades , and in some cases centuries , of British rule and emigration have left their mark on the independent nations that arose from the British Empire . The empire established the use of English in regions around the world . Today it is the primary language of up to 400 million people and is spoken by about one and a half billion as a first , second or foreign language . 
