Languages-in-Eurovision-2007-2022 UPDATED

If you like Eurovision and nationwide languages, you might be amongst pals right here. More particularly, in the event you take pleasure in beginner analytics, ineffective trivia and low-quality graphs: that is undoubtedly the place for you.

I’m an enormous Eurovision fanatic and a little bit of a language nerd, so every year, I’m fairly excited to see which international locations will likely be singing of their native language and which international locations will likely be singing in English (booooo!).

This article is only a little bit of enjoyable to take a look at the traits of the competition lately: which languages are making a comeback, which international locations are sticking to their nationwide language and the way does the ratio of English songs examine to these in different languages.

If that appears like your cup of tea, then be happy to dive straight in!

For my in-depth evaluation of the rise of English at Eurovision,
click on right here: National languages and the rise of English at Eurovision

*Please notice: on this publish, I’ll sometimes use the phrase ‘international language’ to indicate non-English languages. This is only as a result of re-using the phrase ‘songs carried out at-least partly in a language apart from English’ is simply boring and awkward. I’m conscious that French just isn’t a international language in France, clearly.


OK, let’s run by the Search engine marketing-friendly questions first! For the juicy evaluation, you may need to skip forward to the great things…

How many entries in Eurovision 2022 function a international language?

This yr there are 17 international locations coming into a track that’s sung a minimum of partially in a language apart from English. That is a modest enhance on final yr, when there have been non-English 12 entries. Below is a recap of all this yr’s songs.

Which international locations are singing in their very own language this yr?

The international locations bringing some linguistic range to the competitors this yr are: Albania, Cyprus, France (singing in Breton), Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania (singing partially in Spanish), San Marino, Serbia (singing in Serbian and Latin), Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine.

EDIT: During the semi-finals, Montenegro and Croatian sang components of their entries in Italian and Croatian respectively, which was a stunning shock for everybody and meant I needed to – fortunately – replace this whole article.

Which languages will we hear on stage in Turin?

Over the course of the semi-finals and the Grand Final, we are going to heard songs sung in Albanian, Breton, Croatian, Dutch, Greek, Icelandic, three in Italian, Latin, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Serbian, Slovene, one other two in Spanish and Ukrainian. And clearly, English. In reality, 32 songs out of 40 function a minimum of some lyrics in English.

Interestingly sufficient, the language we gained’t be listening to this yr – for the very first time in Eurovision historical past – is French. More on that under.


Ok now we’re on to the great things – together with graphs which I very clearly made utilizing Microsoft Excel…

How does Eurovision 2022 examine to earlier years?

Languages at Eurovision since 2007 (Updated)

As we will see from the extremely skilled graph above, each the quantity and proportion of non-English songs has elevated from final yr, reaching a 10-year excessive. Yay!

But curiously, regardless of two of the highest 3 songs final yr that includes French, the French language has disappeared from the competition all collectively this yr! In an odd flip of occasions, no nation will likely be singing even a phrase of French this yr, regardless of the language having arguably its strongest yr since 1989 – the yr of the final French-language winner. Instead, the French entry will likely be sung in Breton, a Celtic language.

We also can see that the amount and proportion of non-English songs is the very best it has been for 10 years. However, that is nonetheless nicely under the height we noticed in 2008. But… onwards and upwards, perhaps?

Which languages are returning this yr?

Languages-in-Eurovision-2022-pie-chart-Updated

The languages of Eurovision songs 2022

Three languages from the 2022 contest have been lacking from the Eurovision stage for fairly a while (Dutch, Lithuanian and Breton), while this yr’s contest will function a track partially carried out in Latin for the very first time, due to Serbia’s Konstratka.

Dutch is definitely a comparatively profitable language on the subject of Eurovision; three Dutch-language entries have gone on to win the competition (in 1957, 1959 and 1969 respectively), second solely to French with 15 winners and English with 34 winners. However, S10’s entry this yr will solely be the second Dutch-language entry for the reason that nationwide language rule was dropped in 1999. Her track De Diepte is a lovely entry, by the best way, and undoubtedly considered one of my favourites this yr.

Another language returning to the Eurovision stage this yr after an extended hiatus is Lithuanian. Monika Liu’s Sentimentai would be the first entry to function Lithuanian since 2001 – and solely the third ever. I’ve an enormous smooth spot for Lithuania at Eurovision and I’m actually hoping that Monika’s sultry, Twenties-inspired ballad will make it to the highest 10. She can also be a fairly big star in her native Lithuania.

Monika Liu

Monika Liu: Lithuania’s entrant for 2022

Finally, we are going to hear Breton on the Eurovision stage for under the second time in historical past (after France’s 1996 entry.) This yr, Alvan and Ahez will likely be charming European audiences with a Celtic legend a couple of girl dancing with the satan – or one thing. The band has huge boots to fill, after France’s Barbara Pravi was the runner up in 2021 together with her lovely ballad, Voila.

I’m additionally very glad to see that Portugal have returned to their roots with an entry in Portuguese. The Iberian nation broke linguists’ hearts throughout the continent final yr, once they entered a track completely in English – for the primary time ever.

Also worthy of a point out is Moldova, whose entrants Zdob și Zdub will likely be singing (principally) in Romanian – a primary for Moldova since 2013. However, neighbours Romania despatched a Romanian-language entry extra lately: in 2015. Romania themselves will likely be singing in English and Spanish, naturally.

Could a non-English entry win the competition in 2022?

It’s very attainable. As of 1 May 2022 (the day I lastly sat down to write down this), the 5 international locations with the perfect odds of successful have been Ukraine, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Spain – that is in line with Eurovisionworld.com in its amalgamation of betting portals. Of these 5, Ukraine, Italy and Spain are all coming into songs sung a minimum of partially of their native language.

Eurovision 2022 odds

Betting odds for the winner of the 2022 contest, as of 1 May 2022

Of course, the chances solely actually inform a part of the story; it’s important to wonder if the Ukrainian entry will actually sway the Jury vote or whether or not Spain’s Chanel can break Spain’s six-year streak of ending exterior the highest 20. And – after all – the UK is simply not going to win.

In my humble opinion, that leaves Italy and Sweden because the more than likely winners of this bunch. But, I’ve been (very) flawed (many instances) earlier than…

Can we hope for extra languages at Eurovision 2023 and past?

This is a query on virtually each Eurofans’ lips when the beginning of the subsequent Eurovision season rolls round. Eurovision 2021 was a very sturdy yr for non-English entries; not one of the prime 3 songs final yr featured English – the primary time this had occurred in 26 years!

However, this has not led to a huuuuge surge in songs that includes nationwide language; the rise from 12 in 2021 to 17 in 2022 will nothing to smell at, however it hasn’t fairly been the tsunami it may have been. Will one other English winner undo this “progress”? It’s unattainable to say.

One level price mentioning about this yr’s contest is that as a result of unhealthy luck, the non-English entries have been disproportionately drawn into the primary half of first semi-final. That implies that while 8 foreign-languages entries will likely be competing towards one another in SF1, solely three will likely be at logger-heads in SF2. If a big proportion of non-English entries fail to qualify from SF1, will that imply fewer international languages in 2023…?

Eurovision 2022: SF1 running order

The working order for the primary semi-final

Promising traits: are nationwide languages making a comeback at Eurovision?

But if we glance a bit extra carefully at international locations individually, we do see some promising traits.

For instance, Ukraine has entered songs completely in Ukrainian for the previous three years and contemplating the massive wave of patriotism sweeping the nation within the face of Putin’s invasion, I wouldn’t anticipate this sample to finish any time quickly.

Kalush Orchestra

Kalush Orchestra: Ukraine’s entrants for 2022

Similarly, Serbia’s entries have been completely in Serbian yearly since 2018, whereas Albania’s entries have featured Albanian in 4 of the final 5 contests. Additionally, by including a verse in Croatian on the final second to her entry, Mia Dimsic has ensured that we’ve heard Croatian in a Eurovision entry yearly since 2019.

Additionally, if the Netherlands’ entry performs as strongly as I think it’d (one other prime 3 end, perhaps…?), I wouldn’t be too stunned to see the Dutch broadcaster in search of out different Dutch-language artists to carry to the competition. Similarly in Lithuania, ought to Monika do nicely, we’d nicely see extra artists coming into the Lithuanian nationwide choice singing of their native Baltic tongue.

S10

Would a robust end for S10 imply extra entries in Dutch sooner or later?

One daring prediction I want to make is that subsequent yr Malta will likely be represented by AIDAN with a Maltese-language entry. The singer got here second in Malta’s far-too-long and drawn-out choice track this yr, however his track topped the Maltese chart for weeks and proved so fashionable with Eurofans that he toured Northern Europe and Spain with different Eurovision entrants – regardless of not being chosen because the Maltese entrant. The track was additionally an absolute banger, so please take pleasure in it under.

But as everyone knows, if Eurovision is one factor, it’s brilliantly unpredictable, so I assume we are going to by no means know what the subsequent few contests may carry. (But personally, I’d love a Welsh-language entry sooner or later, BBC…)

What are your predictions for the long run? Comment under!

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