Everything you ever wanted to know about languages
Everything you ever wanted to know about languages
The word is what most distinguishes us from other animals . We use language every day, an untold number of times. But are we sure that we know him thoroughly? We use the car every day without necessarily understanding its mechanisms. The same goes for languages: we use them automatically and intuitively. But what are the mechanisms that make it work?
Man is the animal that speaks: the word is, in fact, what makes us most human, what distinguishes us as a species from other animals. Language and languages are our inseparable travel companions, we use them every day, an incalculable number of times. But are we sure we know them thoroughly?
Curiosities that you surely do not know about languages
How many languages are there in the world?
According to Ethnologue, the world’s largest language inventory, there are a total of 6,912 languages worldwide ; and it is estimated that this calculation is missing from 300 to 400 languages included in the areas of the Pacific and Asia.
However, 3,500 of these languages have a very small number of speakers , around 516 are about to disappear, and 160 have fewer than 10 speakers.
In which country do they speak the most languages?
Roll the bells… the award goes to… Papua New Guinea! Indeed .. It is in this small independent state of Oceania (better known as Papuasia, although the name is no longer used) where the largest number of languages is found. Imagine that the population is made up of just over 6 million people, and in total it is estimated that 820 languages are spoken!
The reason seems to be due to the topography of the country. Due to its rugged valleys and wild forests in the area, many tribes have remained isolated. This has allowed them to maintain their own language despite European colonization.
What language has the most speakers?
Mandarin Chinese , with more than 1 billion speakers, remains the most widely spoken language in the world. However, Mandarin Chinese is the official language in only three countries: China, Taiwan, and Singapore; This language, in fact, is the result of a set of dialects spoken in North, Central and Southwest China. However, its international influence has not reached that of the English language , which currently is the official language in more than 30 countries.
What are the least spoken languages in the world?
This particular title is shared equally between three languages: Taushiro, Tanema, and Kaixana . Have you never heard of him? Well … normal!
Unbelievably, these languages only have one speaking tribes… yes… you got it right… only one !!!
However, they are languages that are in danger of extinction , both because they are in disuse and because the tribe that speaks them is disappearing.
What is the hardest language to learn?
Yes, the most difficult language in the world is Basque, Euskera. At least this was determined by a 2009 study by the British Foreign Office. This language does not belong to the Indo-European family and cannot be related to any known language family. It is very widespread in the Navarra area, in the Community of the Basque Country and also in the French Pyrenean region, on the border with Spain. The difficulty of Euskera lies in its structure and in the many changes that the basic vocabulary undergoes with the large number of prefixes, suffixes and unique infixes, that is, they have their own meaning.
A challenge for lovers of learning new languages.
And the easiest language?
Pirahã, which is spoken by the Amazon tribe of the same name , is considered to be the easiest language in the world for everyone to learn. However, its usefulness leaves a little to be desired, since it is spoken by only 150 people, distributed in eight different towns;
This language has only ten phonemes: there is no grammar, no past tense or lexicon to indicate numbers and colors. It is curious, no?
What is the language with the most words?
English of course . With more than 250,000 words, is this why Shakespeare’s language is the nightmare of every student?
What language has the least?
Sranan Tongo (contemptuously referred to as “Takki Takki”) is a Creole language that is only 340 words long. It is spoken in Suriname, a Republic of South America, a former colony of the Netherlands. This language is the result of the fusion of: Dutch, English, Portuguese and the languages of Central and West Africa. A true mix!
What are the oldest languages still spoken?
This title is shared by two languages: Chinese and Greek . Both date from around 1500 BC. C.
What is the longest word in the world?
Acetylseryltyrosylserylisoleucylthreon …… It is impossible to write it in full!
Why? Because it has 189,819 letters!
This is an English term for a giant protein, often abbreviated as “Titin.”
A fun entry, right? What is also true is the importance of certifying your level of languages, if you wonder how we leave you the number 1 online platform here .
