Intriguing facts about language that you may not know
Ever since its emergence, language has formed an integral part of human life. According to evolutionary scientists, it first began as a series of grunts and gestures. Over the course of several centuries, it has refined itself to how we use it to communicate today. From its emergence in the primitive times, it has undergone a host of changes- with some languages dying while new dialects for others being developed. Read on to know some fascinating facts about languages.
The origin of language dates back to 100,000 BC
There is still a debate about when exactly language came into being. However, most linguistic historians agree that it came into emergence when homo sapiens began developing vocal cords and modern skull shapes sometime during 100,000. With these prerequisites, along with other like the skull size, voice box, etc., language gradually evolved over time.
As of today, there are around 2,700 languages spoken around the world
There are as many as 2,700 languages spoken world over, with close to 7,000 individual dialects. Chinese, Spanish, English and Hindi are some of the most spoken languages in the world. On the other hand, Sanskrit, Sumerian, Hebrew and Basque are believed to be some of the oldest languages in existence. However, as of now, around 213 languages have gone completely extinct while close to 2,400 are considered to be in danger of extinction.
The most translated book in the world is the Holy Bible
The Holy Bible is available to read in as many as 2,545 different languages. The second in line is surprisingly one of the most well-loved children’s books, Pinocchio. However, British mystery-writer, Agatha Christie holds the title of being the most translated author in the world.
Basque is considered to be the most mysterious language
Almost every single language has been influenced by at least one other language, all thanks to diversity and immigration. However, one particular language is so unique and unrelated to any other language that it leaves even language historians and linguists astonished. This language is known as Basque, and it is spoken by around 700,000 people in the Basque Country which is located in the mountains between Spain and France. Linguists believe that the individuality of this language is a consequence of the community’s isolation from the rest of the world.
Mandarin is considered to be the toughest language to learn
Mandarin is one of the most unique languages in the world as it does not consist of alphabets. Instead, it is made up of symbols which represent different letters. This is, in fact, the very reason it is considered to be the toughest language to learn. It has around 8,000 symbols, but you only need to know around 3,000 of them to be able to read and understand a newspaper printed in Mandarin.