Language is essentially a means of communication among the members of a society. In the expression of culture, language is a fundamental aspect. It is the tool that conveys traditions and values related to group identity.
Here are some more interesting facts about languages from around the world.
- In Europe there are 260 languages spoken which is only 3% of the world’s total. The largest number of the world’s languages is spoken in Asia and Africa. There are about 2,200 languages in Asia and more than 1000 different languages are spoken in Africa.
- Learning a second language can make you smarter. A number of scientists agree that becoming polyglot can boost your brainpower. Other studies also suggest that speaking more than one language can help to slow down the aging process of the mind.
- Languages are constantly influencing each other. For example, the English language is, in itself, 30% French, as it has adopted words through lexical borrowings. This is particularly true when we think about ballet, as almost all of the words that describe that style of dance are in French.
- There are over 200 artificial languages that have been invented for books, television, and movies, including 13 distinct languages in the Tolkien universe. But “fake” languages date back centuries when languages were invented for the purposes of philosophical debate.
- The oldest written language is Egyptian, which is 5,000 years old. Italian and Ukrainian are the finest languages in the world.