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Examples English For example, English is a pluricentric language, with marked differences in pronunciation and spelling between the UK and the U.S. , and a variety of accents of those and other English-speaking countries. It is usually considered a symmetric case of a pluricentric language, because no variety clearly dominates culturally. Statistically, however, American English speakers comprise more than 70% of native English speakers, with British English in second place at 16% and other varieties having less than 5% each. In recent decades, due to globalization, it is becoming increasingly decentralized, with daily use and state-wide study of the language in schools growing at a rapid rate in most regions of the world. British English was formerly dominant in the education systems of most regions where English was taught as a foreign language (L2). In former colonies, British English remains strong. Standard British English is also the primary form taught in the EU and the rest of Europe. In many regions of the world, the use of American English is beginning to accelerate, sometimes outstripping British English in terms of popularity among L2 student and business users. Other varieties of English, including Australian , New Zealand , Newfoundland , South African and Canadian , are almost unknown as distinct varieties in terms of the teaching of English as an L2 abroad. German By contrast, Standard German is often considered an asymmetric case of a pluricentric language, because the standard used in Germany is often considered dominant, mostly because of the sheer number of its speakers and their frequent unawareness of the Austrian and Swiss varieties. While there is a uniform stage pronunciation (the '' Siebs Dictionary'') which is used in Theatre s all across German-speaking countries, this is not true for the standards applied at public occasions in Austria and Switzerland, which differ in Pronunciation , Vocabulary , and sometimes even Grammar . This also sometimes applies to News Broadcast s even in Bavaria , a German region with a strong separate cultural identity. The varieties of Standard German used in those regions are to some degree influenced by the respective Dialect s (but by no means identical with them), by specific cultural traditions (e.g. in culinary vocabulary, which differs markedly across the German-speaking area of Europe ), and by different terminology employed in Law and Administration . A list of Austrian terms for certain food items has even been incorporated into EU Law , even though it is clearly incomplete. Portuguese Portuguese varies mainly between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese . Both dialects have undergone significant and divergent developments in phonology and in the grammar of their pronominal systems. (Brazilian Portuguese is more conservative in its phonology but much less conservative in its grammar than European Portuguese.) The result is that communication between the dialects can be difficult, especially for a Brazilian trying to understand European Portuguese speech. The spelling of the written language remains virtually identical for both dialects, and is essentially unchanged since the 16th century. Formal written Brazilian Portuguese remains grammatically close to the European norm, at the cost of diverging significantly from the spoken language. Spanish Castillian Spanish is spoken in the central and southern parts of Spain while Latin American Spanish is spoken in North, Central and South America. The two dialects are perfectly intelligible except for minor vocabulary differences caused by the specific environment or demographic composition of the area where the language is spoken. Chinese Chinese, at least in terms of Writing System , has been pluricentric since the mid- 20th Century , when Simplified Characters were introduced in Mainland China . Simplified characters are official in Mainland China and Singapore , while Traditional Character s—the system originally used in Chinese cultures before the advent of simplified characters—are most prevalent elsewhere, including Taiwan , Hong Kong , and Macau . Minnan-Taiwanese Minnan is spoken in Mainland China in Fujian province and environs, with prestige dialect Amoy (Xiamen), as well as many overseas Chinese communities, including Singapore. The other center is Taiwan , where the language is called Taiwanese . French The two main standards of the French language are Parisian (Standard) French and Canadian French. The latter typically represents a French marked by much greater use of archaic vocabulary no longer current in metropolitan France. ''Québecois'' French also makes a conscious effort not to borrow foreign vocabulary, making it prone to continued divergence from European French. Though in Montreal it is common to hear " Franglais ". Many English words, colloquialisms, and sayings are used abundantly. There is also a variety of French, Acadian , which is distinct from Quebec French spoken mainly in the Maritime provinces, especially New Brunswick which is marked by differences in pronunciation, intonation as well as vocabulary. Minor standards can also be found in . English is also commonly used as a way to communicate in these coutries with 3 or 4 official languages (advertising, website names, ...). Hindi-Urdu It can be argued that Hindi and Urdu are one language, spoken in India and Pakistan, though they are divided by two different writing systems. Others
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