In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, English is the dominant language. All of these countries are former British colonies. In other countries, English is widely used, particularly among people who have no other language in common, even though it is not the dominant language ofthe country. For example, English is widely used in Hong Kong, Singapore. Nigeria, the Philippincs, and Malaysia. In such countries, it is often used as a means of communication between people who have different native languages.