Sprachraum

Geographical region where a common first language is spoken In linguistics, a sprachraum (/ˈsprɑːkraʊm/; German: [ˈʃpʁaːxˌʁaʊm], "language area", plural sprachräume, German: [ˈʃpʁaχˌʁɔʏmə]) is a geographical region where a common first language (mother tongue), with dialect varieties, or group of languages is spoken. Characteristics Many sprachräume are separated by national borders, whilst others are separated by oceans or ethnolinguistic boundaries. The five major Western sprachräume (by number of speakers) are those of English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German. The English Sprachraum (Anglosphere) spans the globe from the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to the many former British and American colonies in which English has official language status alongside local languages, such as India, South Africa, and the Philippines. The Spanish Sprachraum, known as the Hispanosphere, originated in the Iberian Peninsula but today most Spanish speakers are in Hispanic America. Of all countries with a majority of Spanish speakers, only Spain and Equatorial Guinea are outside the Americas. The United States, especially th