Why “English-speaking” is being discussed
The most recent Hacker News stories and comments contributing to this topic's mentions.
The phrase was first recorded as used in the London press in the late 1700s. It’s well understood across the English-speaking world. The fact that you might not have heard it be…
by jen20 · Oct 31, 2026
The problem here is that the "primary, common, local" name used in a country sometimes conflicts with what specific government institutions in those countries may "officially" u…
by Gormo · Oct 29, 2026
I have a soft spot for such folklore. Strictly speaking, much doesn't hold up to scrutiny but I see no wrong with wild conjecture for the fun of it. For starters, some catastrop…
by gherkinnn · Oct 28, 2026
IIRC "you" was also the formal second person pronoun (like usted in Spanish or vous in French). I think it's all just normal evolution of language. I actually think it's kinda n…
by abustamam · Oct 27, 2026
I appreciate what the project is trying to do, but why go on radical hyperbole such as "That, Ma says, is the essence of AI colonialism — the extraction of difficult, low-paid l…
by __rito__ · Oct 26, 2026
Sounds like your project is for southern American English presumably including African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), and for regional accents in the African continent spec…
by someperson · Oct 25, 2026
Interest
Proportion of Hacker News items mentioning "english-speaking" over time.
Mentions
Total number of Hacker News items mentioning "english-speaking" over time.
The English-speaking world consists of the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language by number of speakers, the third largest language by number of native speakers and the most widespread language geographically. The countries in which English is the native language of most people are sometimes termed the Anglosphere. Speakers of English are called Anglophones. Read more on Wikipedia