Philippines: Third Largest English Speaking Country in The World
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7,100 Island Paradise in the Pacific.
Not everyone knows that the Philippines in the far east pacific is the third largest English speaking country in the world, after the USA and Great Britain. With more than 110million Filipinos trained from grade school to graduate studies, to speak, understand and write English, who can beat that?

The Philippines was colonized by Spain for 333 years. Folks, that’s a long long time, correct? And that’s why anyone who speaks Spanish or Portuguese gets confused why the dialect of Filipinos they can seem to understand but cannot have the hang of it–
So, where’s the English? In 1898, Spain lost to the American colonizers and stayed to be under the United States of America for nearly 50 years. That’s like covering one or two generations right?
While the Spaniards controlled the locals with ‘divide & rule’ dictum, the Americans wooed the locals with corned beef, chocolates, bubble gums, jeans and opportunities. That fits well to the peace loving Filipinos. That’s why it was so easy for American teachers to incorporate themselves to the smart locals.
The American governors were bent to make the Philippines their small paradise in the pacific hence those American soldiers who doesn’t want to go back home, stayed on and opened various business establishments. Country clubs were developed, business chambers were created and the style of governance was patterned after that of the United States.
The school’s language of instruction was in English which the locals found easy enough to follow vs the Spanish language in more than three centuries. Even Japan, in the few years they had the Philippines and want take it from the Americans during the world war II tried to in still to the locals the study of Nippon-go, but failed.

Now, the Philippines is a better, cheaper training ground for learning English to neighbouring countries in Asia & Europe who wants to learn the Queen’s language before travelling to either U.S.A. or London. Unlike the former British colonies of India, Singapore, Hongkong, etc who speak the English language with funny accents, the Filipinos can even do it with correct grammar, clear & unaccented.
Currently, outsourcing businesses are all over the country serving Fortune’s 500 companies. It is the most cost efficient alternative for multinationals. Filipino workers is the country’s best ambassadors of goodwill – they are all over the globe.
http://www.online-home-jobs.com/5717.html











china and india both have about two hundred million more english speakers than the philippines…so its impossible for them (the philippines) to be third.
ra
china and india?!~ you must be kidding. they have more population but definitely they do not speak english
yea~ archangel is correct. Are you against the survey or just can’t accept it?
hahahahaha rick .. i thought you are an indian or chinesz…
if we will the 3 countries 1st..phil…2nd..india..3rd..china..
this was according to my observation.. and it’s proven!!!
guys, the rating could be based on the writing skills, reading & speaking abilities plus comprehension… lots of other nationalities can maybe speak carabao english but cannot translate it to writing…:)
lets say china and india have a larger number of english speaker but if we look at as a whole, those numbers is too far from the total number of their population lets say china and india both have 20 population and 1o of those are english speakers in comparison to the philippines w/c only have 10 population but it has 8 eanglish speakers…. so, the analogy is so clear…… it is the philippines who is asia’s largest english speaking country. in fact! t.v. ads, most of the local celebrities and politicians and some t.v. programs in the philippines speaks english…….hhehehe!!!!!
is this source legitimate? who made the reseach study or where did you get this reference? We have to make certain that this is correct in order to use this for future studies.
I\’ve been to china and not everyone can speak or understand english! It\’s not logical to count how much million can speak it. Get the percentage of the entire population and compare it.
Check this wiki link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population
With a population of approx. 94M (at least at the time of writing of this article) how can they have more than 110M English speakers?
As a linguist, I disagree with most of the author\’s arguments. First, how can you assume that all these Filipinos speak an acceptable command of English? Go outside Manila and try to speak to the locals with an American or British accent! Well, in Manila itself, their accent is heavily marked not to mention a grammar that deviates from the standard form. Second, it is the author\’s sociopolitical judgement to say that for instance, Indian English is a funny accent. Accept it or not, Indian English is a variety of English even more linguistically developed than the Philippine variety. So claiming that a certain variety of English sounds funny is inappropriate. Can you imagine how some Filipinos sound like to others if they speak English? Magdahan-dahan lang po sana tayo sa pagsusulat!
Nagmamahal, Ate Charo (wapak!)
and last but not the least, how did you come up with 110 Million Filipinos? Please do not write such figures without even citing your source. Marami kasing tao na mas bobo sa iyo na hindi man lang nagre-research bago magsalita, let alone bago magsulat!
Wapak! Ate Charo
Philippines is the 3rd…India is the 2nd in terms of the number of population that speaks English.
philippines..~!!chinese????idiot….!!
guys relax…!we should respect their commento,.,,ohh.ayan spanish na..the reason why hongkong.philippines,india,pakistan,singapore.etc…are the english speaking countries in asia ..is that before they have experienced communicating to the difff. nationalities whose the mother tongue is english…like in latin america..also known as south america…im just 5 years old..even i am the youngest among of us.i know how to respect the right of others..!!common…guys..if they do not believe on that statement…wag n natin silang pakialamanan…we have the freedom of expression….go philippines….do not worry…eventhough you are facing diff. problems right now….you’ll be on the lisT of THE RICHEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD…FILIPINOS..BE HARDWORKING!!gracias,,!!
Sawasdee try to be polite! oh my god. you said you’re a linguist, try to act as a professional.
–Sawasdee you sound bitter and disrespectful. Is that because Philippines is third place and you just can’t accept it? Hmm.Don’t mock the way the Filipinos speak english, at least we speak english with our own accent and we don’t fake british accents like some nationalities I know. How can you say that our command of english is unacceptable? Is bobbing your head while speaking acceptable?
You don’t have to put down the Philippines to make India look good..
Rick I’m from the Philippines where you got information yan do not know most of the Filipino’s wise to English words wherever you go even in public school or private school and almost three to five languages can take the words of the dialects of the Philippines
and the national laguage the Philippines is English, you must accept what the reality
When we heard the words of the Indian to English and we think that the word was incorrect grammar
Honestly i’m not lieng im just telling the truth
Why is the author bashing the Spaniards? Just in case you did not know Filpino is predominantly a blend of Spanish/Mexican and Asian culture…I’m Filipino, and could care less about chocolates, bubble gums, jeans, and all the Americans brought in the Philippines. With out the Spaniards there would be no Filpino culture…Im ot praising the Spaniards I’m just expressing the truth. Any how, you must be dreaming to think that Filipinos is an English Speaking country when we all know most of the Philippine population is not even fluent in English.
I affirmatively agree that the Philippines is the 3rd world’s largest English speakers after USA & UK, 1st place & largest in Asia considering Filipino language is the mother tongue..regardless of population who speak English, it is unjust to say that India is ahead to Philippines in terms of English speakers..being a Human Resources Executive in one company in Saudi Arabia, I found out that most Indian is a bit slow to speak & comprehend English well as per my observation during my phone & face-to-face interviews to the Indian job applicants..another fact I’ve noticed is the written English, most of the Indian CVs/Resumes & certificates are incorrectly composed, wrong grammar, punctuation & misspelled oftentimes unlike Filipino applicant’s CVs were mostly written perfectly and they speak English fluently w/ 100% comprehension…thus, to correct the records & statistics, Philippines is undeniable to be the 3rd best English speaker in the world.
Philippines!
60% can speak and write English
and 50% of 60% can speak and write fluently
40% “Fuck English!” they said
But Filipinos are great imitators. Has these vast of call center firms in the country. In any accent, name it, THEY HAVE IT.
Philippines!
60% can speak and write English
and 50% of 60% can speak and write fluently
40% \”Fuck English!\” they said
But Filipinos are great imitators. Has these vast of call center firms in the country. In any accent, name it, THEY HAVE IT.
Philippines!
60% can speak and write English
and 50% of 60% can speak and write fluently
40% Fuck English! they said
But Filipinos are great imitators. Has these vast of call center firms in the country. In any accent, name it, THEY HAVE IT.
Philippines!
60% can speak and write English
and 50% of 60% can speak and write fluently
40% -Fuck English! they said
But Filipinos are great imitators. Has these vast of call center firms in the country. In any accent, name it, THEY HAVE IT.
Philippines!
60% can speak and write English
and 50% of 60% can speak and write fluently
40% just native dialects
But Filipinos are great imitators. Has these vast of call center firms in the country. In any accent, name it, THEY HAVE IT.
The population of India is approx 1B and 10% of it can speak English. When it comes to the number of people who can speak English, India is greater than the Philippines. Although as for the percentage visavis to the the population, the Phils is bigger than India wherein it says 60% of the population (80M) speaks English. The world has to accept that Indian English is a variety of English thus Indians possess a distinguishing accent similar to the distinguishing accent of US, UK, and AU.
guys just accept the truth that Philippines is the asia’s largest english speaking country okay????? go go go Philippines….. I LOVE PHILIPPINES….
ps 1: the 110M figures of Filipinos includes those that migrated in other places but still consider the Philippines their home country..
ps 2: the spanish language is considered the most romantic in the whole world… and who says the indio is bashing the espanol? lets blame that to rizal..
ps 3: and yes, the pinoys are great imitators. why do you think the Usa; Brits; Aus firms wants to extend their offices here?
The PHILIPPINES is NOT an English speaking country! Period. As third would be, Canada, Australia, Or even South Africa, but pinoy English? Really? I laughed at this post. And btw, India’s level of English & education is way above this “philippines’” Seriously, I can speak for all native speakers here and say that pinoy English is a mutilation of grammar & pronunciation.
This article is largely infulenced by Wikipedia article of the same topic. Guys, believe what you want to believe but this is what appeared to be the case as per surveys and studies where Wikipedia based its report.
Check-out the site for confirmation or reference.
1st grader child in the philippines is able to speak & write english and filipinos have neutral accent compared to other english countries.
1st grader child in the philippines is able to speak & write english and filipinos have neutral accent compared to other english countries.
If you have been to China, and want to eat in a restaurant and speaks to the attendant in english they will just stare at you in confusion, to eat you have to point the foods that you like in the pictures they have. In the Philippines talk to a jeepney driver and english and youll have a conversation going in english.
are most of you guys here really thinking? let us not be offensive nor defensive but let us open our minds and be fair.this article is quite true as for my observation. I am working as a teacher here in one of the countries here in Asia and i have first hand experience with native English speakers from America and UK. And 95% of them agrees that Filipinos are the greatest English Speakers in Asia. Take this into consideration… why do Filipinos are very able to merge into people who speaks native English? In the international school where i work, all Filipino teachers can have a very good conversation with native English speakers while 80% of other nationalities like Chinese Thai cannot? Why can Filipinos teach in America even without being able to study in the US? like some of the other nationalities who needs to study in a country who speaks English as their first language.For Indians well they have good command and comprehension in English but still they are not that competitive globally and they do have a funny accent. This survey i think is also based in the general performance of the country globally
So I am still proud because in the Philippines we don’t need to have Native English Speakers as teachers to be able to compete globally unlike some countries.In fact some countries in Asia hire Filipinos to teach English
Go Philippines! Go Filipinos!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population
There are so many Koreans studying English in Philippines. And English in Philippines is similar to American accent. and if you search on Google, it\’s always Philippines!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population
Honestly speaking, I dont see how this article can be trusted. There’s no proper citations of where and how e facts and figures used in this article were derived. If its based on Wikipedia, its a known fact everywhere it is not a reliable source. Anyone can write and edit e contents of it, and it is not accepted in most schools as a reference for their school reports/thesis (I studied in Singapore and Australia and am now doing my Masters in UK).
Besides, for an article to be trusted, it has to be unbiased in its content. The fact that this line exist, ‘Unlike the former British colonies…. who speak the English language with funny accents’ suggest that the author is already slanted in his/her thinking.
I will not comment on whether the Filipinos truly are great English speakers cos I might be biased too (in Singapore, domestic workers would have to pass an English test before being allowed yo work. I had 2 Filipino domestic workers who could not pass their English proficiency paper so we had to hire someone else. But unlike the author, I am not jumping into conclusion and declaring all Filipinos as being poor in English, just based in my experience alone). However, I do think it is highly unfair to judge accents that we’re unfamiliar with and label it as ‘funny’. How one speaks English differs everywhere, not just between-countries but also within countries (case in point: New Yorkers accent differs from someone in Texas).
@Luis Silva
If there is only a like button..
no it’s not,it’s the third largest english speaking country in “asia”!
yes, anyone can edit wiki but it doesn’t mean that there are no resource persons or admins monitoring the information being entered, it’s still subject for review and it’ll not be posted right away. if you don’t trust wikipedia, then can you at least suggest a site that is more reliable and credible? you can make India and China number 1 if you like, if that will make you happy.
Hahaha, it’s so funny to see people fighting over nonsense things like I’m number one your number two and shit shit shit. I don’t care who is first and who is last as long as you understand english. For the record, I enjoy little quarrels like this and people saying things like “my shit is better than yours”. Keep it up guys you are all providing entertainment for people who just don’t give a fuck who’s number 1 unless there is a reward involve. Go Miami heat.
To sam,
Your disgracefull..
philippines an english speaking country, how come english programs need to be translated / dubbed into pilipino
the china and india knows how to speak English but they just cant pronouns it well not like the other country in Asia like Philippines
the china knows how speak English but they just cant pronouns it well, while the fillipinos who are in the 4th rank in speaking English can. India just have a funny accent but they are good in speaking English actually they are the 2nd rank in speaking English
@Ra: its because that Filipinos ( including me which is a filipino as well) prefer to listen to their own language than listening to other languages on TV and by the way, filipinos only translate animes ( which is japanese), some other foreign films and stuff ( not including american or english programmes ’cause filipinos or i would rather say ‘WE’ dont watch them on filipino channels because………..i dont know)
yah?
@Ra they tend to add subtitles/dubbing so that the content will not be copyrighted by others, it’s a way to mark that the film/series belongs to the Production who bought the rights to the film/series.
Anyways, I would have thought that Australia, Canada, etc. would be above Philippines. I grew up in Indonesia, and didn’t speak a lot of Tagalog back then, but speaking English with my relatives was no problem at all. Cousins of mine who were 5 or 6 tried their best to speak in their broken English, it was cute.
I do find the Filipinos’ accents to be quite odd and overly made-up at times. I believe that it’s still not too late to convince younger Filipinos to get the right accent (even adults can, but I think they’d be a bit more stubborn on the matter). I have a friend who was around 18 years of age, and his 15-year old sister, they came to Indonesia with accents very much like any other Filipino. But because of them attending an International School, their accents drastically changed within a few months. Their parents kept their Filipino accents (even though they work as English teachers at their school).
Although Filipinos, (mostly) have exceptional grammar, and great understanding of English, I think the only thing they’re really lacking in is the pronunciation/accent (although it’s not really a big deal either, it’s just a bit different).
Sigh, if Philippines was a high-developed country, I believe it’d be an unstoppable country. Keep on keeping on, Philippines!
Everything is bullshit,its not what u Philippine people thinks.
Just be honest to urself and then say.Entire world agree that india and chine is growing in every sector and English language is a kind of sector where everything is related.
Filipinos are great English speakers way better than India. They speak clear & unaccented. Filipinos may copy how Americans speak their language but they use to state their own. English programs are dubbed into Filipino language because it is their 1st language & they tend to much more care with it. Besides it’s a part of their own culture. Of course, not all Filipinos can understand English because were not USA & UK their main language is English.
IM CURRENTLY DOING MY RESEARCH ABOUT Largest English Speaking Country in The World_— & IM SO CONFUSED IM NOT REALLY SURE ABOUT THIS.. I MEAN I CANT BELIEVE:(
LMFO I’ve just enjoyed reading with these argues whose the 1st and last.. Be reasonable guys! And since I’m here I will state my opinion based on my research and experience!:P
No.1 largest english speaking country would be the United Kingdom.. British do speak english fluently! And when it says FLUENTLY – the grammar is correct! I just hate American English they mostly used the slang words!which they’ve only invented it with their stinky mouth! And definitely you wouldn’t get their point unless you’re not lazy to browse the slang web dict. Or you were born and raised somewhere in US.
For Asian lets see.. preferrably India, although they have a very thick indian accent that most americans hate and cursed! LMFO, but apparently based on my research the Philippines are also fluent in English they speak word by word as how does the words sounds. They’re very clever and smarty.. Grammatically speaking to sum you up Phils and India!
okay! fine! Guys we should stop this none sense we should just mind our own lives. who care if where no 1 or not. ohhh… by the way we have 120 to 175 diff. languages, depending on the method of classification. not include English, Spanish and Chinese (for mixed Chinese/Filipino Blood)…
As a matter of fact,its not us Pilipino must be blamed of about this study…its not just a supersticious!its base on study!and we can prove that all over the world.Try to talk to a fresh graduate from the other country and a fresh graduate also from Philippines?or let me tell you this guys,im only a high school graduate from a poor province of Philippines…and i can proudly say even i you ask me to talk to anybody from China with a high degree course,i can and try to observe how can a poor high school graduate face the challenge hahaha!(izza fr Philippines)cheer up Pilipino’s
hi is joei i love philippens its so hot i can speak i love you all
if you come to philippens so my family is in philippens so im too im 8 years old my dad is 37 and my mom is 41 and my brother 5 and me 8 i wish i stay in philippens
I leave in Oklahoma for 16 years. I do a lot of calling. honestly, the best English speaker is Filipino. It does not matter if only one out of ten Filipinos who speaks English. The most important is, Filipinos are very sweet people and tries to speak as clear as possible. Also Filipino are fast learner. I am proud to be one of them.
hello everyone. My name is Hoang, you can call me is Stu. I interested in News Falavor but i don’t much known about it. You can help me. Thank. h.vanhoang1994@gmail.com
My heritage is Chinese Filipino Hindu, grow up in LA. American uses street language most of the time and proper english language are use at school and its changing all the time. People who commented that Canada should be on the list..is never been in Canada before…Canada is diversified between French and English, some of the State speaks French and some speaks English. Furthermore, Hindu are the new minority in US and most of them doesn’t speaks English. It doesnt really matters who speaks better or which country speaks fluently, nobody really cares…this article are open for people who are racist and ignorant…
I am a filipino, so many foreign languages here now in the philippines Even me, I can’t speak english well but I can easily write the english sentences and understand. It’s okay the wrong grammar I’ve speak as long as they understand the message… Well, Anyway, I do believe Philippines is the most largest speak english in the world as of now. from Metro Manila, North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Because aside filipino’s national language is Tagalog, English is the main language in the Country Today….
“Honestly speaking, I dont see how this article can be trusted. There’s no proper citations of where and how e facts and figures used in this article were derived. If its based on Wikipedia, its a known fact everywhere it is not a reliable source. Anyone can write and edit e contents of it, and it is not accepted in most schools as a reference for their school reports/thesis (I studied in Singapore and Australia and am now doing my Masters in UK).”–Unbiased
definitely agreed with your statement.
I’m a university student here in the Philippines,and i must say
that the fluency in English of most Filipinos must have been because Filipino students were being taught using the language since the early years of their education.
PHILIPPINES of course, not that I am a Filipino, but because my country is a learning haven for many foreign countries (European/Asian) who want to learn/study English (we are using Neutral/American Accent by the way). And also the reason why Mega Manila, Calabarzon Region,Visayas are flooded with Call Center Companies or BPO.
Being here in Saudi Arabia (7 months only). I have decided to study Arabic in any means because my English capability will sooner be affected in such a way that I need to speak in a very elementary way. That is dealing with other nationalities whom are Asians too. The only race I can suggest that even somehow I am glad to have a conversation with are Educated young generation of Saudis and some Indians, preferably Bombay.
Here’s the wikipedia link to the English Speakers of the world- Philippines ranks only as number 5, but interestingly, it exceeds the UK!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population
That being said, I am sure it is easier for a tourist to navigate than Thailand where Sanskrit is the script used.
To those who thinks that the Philippines did not have a culture before the Spaniards came along, please start being educated. Go to the Ayala Museum in Makati and see their gold collection. Filipinos back then knew how to turn gold into thread a weave them. Gold used to be considered as the ore of the Gods and people in high ranks in the society wore them to show their status in the society. The people stopped making such intricacies because the Spaniards abused the Filipinos, making them generate gold for export purposes. Since Gold was respected, the Filipinos would rather stop wearing them than see such material be abused and used as mere ornaments.
The Metropolitan Museum in Manila showcases a variety of pottery made by our ancestors. These clay pots show how Filipinos perceived beauty in imperfection and loved intricate designs. How each pot was given particular attention and was considered as an art form rather than a need of function.
Most importantly, we were not a patriarchal society. Women had power and they didn’t even require to wear a top to hie their breasts. I can only assume this was due to the fact that that they did not sexualize women and saw them as a person to be respected. There was this clear understanding of social roles, but no one degraded the other for doing different things. Filipinos were not barbarians, it has only been perceived as that because what was seen in our country was far different from what the Western colonizers were used to seeing.
If this was not a culture, then I don’t know what it is.
Though I do agree that we will not be the country we are today without the Spaniards, the Americans and the Japanese, but I think the culture we had prior to these colonizers was beautiful and should not be forgotten. Our past culture lets us understand mroe our current events. Why the government system we have now does not work, why our educational system is not as efficient as it were and why we are not as disciplined as we should be; look into the past and interconnect them. You’ll then begin to understand why things are happening as they are now.
Back to the topic at hand, the Philippines do have exceptional English speakers, but I do see the point of people claiming that we are not the third largest. We do know English, but do we learn it? We can converse because we know the basics of it, but to be called third largest compared to Australia and Canada, is it really proper to claim such as they are far more capable of speaking it more fluently? Clearly these two countries are more proficient than we are.
Though the topic at hand doesn’t really consider proficiency, doesn’t it? It merely states the “third largest English speaking country in the world” not the “third largest English proficient country in the world”. It simply tallies the number of people that can speak (probably not even) the basics of English. It doesn’t even matter if comprehension is deep enough, if you can speak it then you are counted.
If that is the case, then it is probably fair to say that the Philippines is third due to the number of population (about 100mil in the Philippines, Canada and Australia have far less population in their country) and the fact that all schools here instruct in English (which eventually forces people to understand even little of English, enough to get them by if a foreigner asks for direction).
Words have a funny way of confusing people, doesn’t it? This only proves my point that most people are knowledgeable of the basics of English (which is kind of enough to be considered as an “English Speaker” in this survey since, like stated, it doesn’t measure proficiency). You don’t need to be proficient or fluent to be able to be considered as an English Speaker. You merely have to speak it and at least be equipped with the basics.
To those who thinks that the Philippines did not have a culture before the Spaniards came along, please start being educated. Go to the Ayala Museum in Makati and see their gold collection. Filipinos back then knew how to turn gold into thread a weave them. Gold used to be considered as the ore of the Gods and people in high ranks in the society wore them to show their status in the society. The people stopped making such intricacies because the Spaniards abused the Filipinos, making them generate gold for export purposes. Since Gold was respected, the Filipinos would rather stop wearing them than see such material be abused and used as mere ornaments.
The Metropolitan Museum in Manila showcases a variety of pottery made by our ancestors. These clay pots show how Filipinos perceived beauty in imperfection and loved intricate designs. How each pot was given particular attention and was considered as an art form rather than a need of function.
Most importantly, we were not a patriarchal society. Women had power and they didn\’t even require to wear a top to hie their breasts. I can only assume this was due to the fact that that they did not sexualize women and saw them as a person to be respected. There was this clear understanding of social roles, but no one degraded the other for doing different things. Filipinos were not barbarians, it has only been perceived as that because what was seen in our country was far different from what the Western colonizers were used to seeing.
If this was not a culture, then I don\’t know what it is.
Though I do agree that we will not be the country we are today without the Spaniards, the Americans and the Japanese, but I think the culture we had prior to these colonizers was beautiful and should not be forgotten. Our past culture lets us understand mroe our current events. Why the government system we have now does not work, why our educational system is not as efficient as it were and why we are not as disciplined as we should be; look into the past and interconnect them. You\’ll then begin to understand why things are happening as they are now.
Back to the topic at hand, the Philippines do have exceptional English speakers, but I do see the point of people claiming that we are not the third largest. We do know English, but do we learn it? We can converse because we know the basics of it, but to be called third largest compared to Australia and Canada, is it really proper to claim such as they are far more capable of speaking it more fluently? Clearly these two countries are more proficient than we are.
Though the topic at hand doesn\’t really consider proficiency, doesn\’t it? It merely states the \”third largest English speaking country in the world\” not the \”third largest English proficient country in the world\”. It simply tallies the number of people that can speak (probably not even) the basics of English. It doesn\’t even matter if comprehension is deep enough, if you can speak it then you are counted.
If that is the case, then it is probably fair to say that the Philippines is third due to the number of population (about 100mil in the Philippines, Canada and Australia have far less population in their country) and the fact that all schools here instruct in English (which eventually forces people to understand even little of English, enough to get them by if a foreigner asks for direction).
Words have a funny way of confusing people, doesn\’t it? This only proves my point that most people are knowledgeable of the basics of English (which is kind of enough to be considered as an \”English Speaker\” in this survey since, like stated, it doesn\’t measure proficiency). You don\’t need to be proficient or fluent to be able to be considered as an English Speaker. You merely have to speak it and at least be equipped with the basics.
I think that you guys shouldn’t rumble all the different categories together… Cause you could go on forever with this because first the other person talks about percentages then the other of accent then the third ohow many people speak English. Honestly the way you guys are arguing with is going to take a life time if you keep going ._.|||
hahahahahahah this arguments make you bastard. there some pinoy na they are not proud what they are.They are pretending of being whos correct duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……those boastful person like haters and nothing can do to their livess hayyy nako buang man tingali ning lain diri a. i feel they are abnormal they are arguing in wala polos na bagay…….
hahahahahahah this arguments make you bastard. there some pinoy na they are not proud what they are.They are pretending of being whos correct duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……those boastful person like haters and nothing can do to their livess hayyy nako buang man tingali ning lain diri a. i feel they are abnormal they are arguing in wala polos na bagay…….
The truth of the matter is that China has more people who speak English than any other country in the world.This is because of China’s population.The second thing is that Philippinos are represented as haveing good american accent and good grammar.This is just not true.I have taught English in Korea 7 years and at a university in Shanghai,China 2 years.I am now retired in the Philippines about 6 months and I have only met a very few who are even remotely close to speaking good English.Their grammar is terrible.My philippina gf has to translate for me to understand most Philippinos.The reason for this is that Philippinos were taught by Philippino teachers as well as their Philippino teachers.Way up the line somewhere there were some American teachers.I have talked with Philippinos who work at call centers here and corrected many of the mistakes they made.For example:I asked one call center employee what her name was and she said Ellen.I asked her how it is spelled and she said Elaine.I told her that she pronounced it Ellen and not Elane and she just said-”oh”.I encountered several mistakes made in their grammar usage by 3 different call center employees.They offered me a job there as a trainer.Philippines may or may not be the 3rd largest English speaking country in the world but it is definitely not correct grammar or accent for the most part.”This is a fact and I am not trying to be rude!
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ph–world-s-best-country-in-business-english.html
The Philippines is 3rd also because they use English everywhere like for example signage, they use English a lot LIKE A LOTTTTT!!! than their language which is Filipino. Wherever I looked at! It’s all English there’s always English! And I can’t find that in some other country in Asia and when I talked to some Filipinos I feel like I’m talking to an English person..LMAO! some are not that kind of good..but they’re way better than others!
They sure are 3rd ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY! in the WORLD! cool nxt to US and Great Britain!..they deserved it!.
it seems the author did NOT proofread his article, he violates the subject-verb agreement and shift in tense
”The American governors were bent to make the Philippines their small paradise in the pacific hence those American soldiers who doesn’t want to go back home, stayed on and opened various business establishments”
though, i agree with him, yall hav 2 understand that we consider the percentage not the number of people who speak, lets say for instance. china’s population approximately 1 billion , 200 million of them speak english , calculate the percentage, we get 20% , while the philipines has 100 million people with 40 million english speakers which mean with 40% of the population speak english
@luis sliva
Shut up please
Hahahaha XD damn this is a laugh riot!
Please people just shut the hell up.
It’s already been said and done that Philippines is ranked 3rd!
can’t accept it? then go tell your shit to someone who can do something about it.
LMFAO!
Why are Indian people disagreeing? haha. For me, Philippines should be the third because it’s like our second language. We study it since first grade. And I moved here in the US to study and when I met people they always said that Filipinos are really fluent in English and are really smart. Even my teachers say that. Now, I’m in the honors class and my classmates even wonder how because I just came in the 8th grade etc., and Indian people? really? NOT to be offensive but many Indian/Chinese people are in ESL’s (English special learners) and you say that India should be third? You guys are out of your minds. I’m proud to be a Filipino! GOOO FILIPINOS!
Indian people..HAHAHAHHA! I could just say A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT THEM!
LMFAO!
Why are Indian people disagreeing? haha. For me, Philippines should be the third because it\’s like our second language. We study it since first grade. And I moved here in the US to study and when I met people they always said that Filipinos are really fluent in English and are really smart. Even my teachers say that. Now, I\’m in the honors class and my classmates even wonder how because I just came in the 8th grade etc., and Indian people? really? NOT to be offensive but many Indian/Chinese people are in ESL\’s (English special learners) and you say that India should be third? You guys are out of your minds. I\’m proud to be a Filipino! GOOO FILIPINOS!
Indian people smell bad!
IMINDIAN, I don’t think you should say that, even though I’m Filipino and I agree with this article, I can’t see why you should be rude to other People even though if that person is an Indian and is being rude to other countries, you should learn how to respect. Anyway, people we shouldn’t argue on these things! I don’t have a problem about you people giving your opinions but please show some respects to other countries! Anyway I really love the Philippines. I really don’t think there is something wrong imitating British, American accent, I mean I do that, well just for fun, I even imitate my favorite anime characters speaking English! Anyway based on my experiences, Philippines is GOOD at speaking in English, THAT’S ALL!
Piet van Oostrum
Posted October 20, 2011 at 6:58 am
With a population of approx. 94M (at least at the time of writing of this article) how can they have more than 110M English speakers?
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answer: by the time this article was written, Philippines had an approximately 95 million of population counted inside the philippines EZ …while the remaining population of about 30 Million filipinos is working abroad as an OFW. of course, they are not counted because most of them stayed in other countries as migrant where opportunities are better (et. USA, UK, etc) .. and if you’re asking if those 30m people speak english fluently? hell yes..