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The English language could hit a million words later this year, according to language-watcher Paul Payack, who credits the growth to the spread of English worldwide through Internet and e-mail, as well as a lack of an official language gatekeeper to stop the spread of creations such as “locavore,” a person who only eats food produced locally. Global Language Monitor’s Payack began Web-based word-watching in 1999.
995,000
Estimated number of words in the English language
275,000
Number of words in the Spanish language
100,000
Number of words in the French language
