Everyone has a favorite language, accent and country, but few people know the details about their favorite linguistic communication. It helps to learn more about the languages when you’re ready to hire a translation service provider. Check out six interesting facts about languages below.
Facts About Languages That Might Surprise You
1. Thousands of Dialects and Languages Exist in the World
Approximately 7,000 languages exist in the world. There are languages and dialects, which are specific variations of languages that pertain to certain nations or ethnic groups. In one country, you may have an official language but dozens of different dialects. So in any one country, there could be dozens of different words to name the same item. Some countries have hundreds of different languages that are spoken by hundreds of different ethnic groups.
2. English is One of the Most Spoken Language in the World
The five most widely spoken languages in the world are English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish and French. Over a billion people speak English and another billion speak Mandarin Chinese. Over 500 million people speak Hindi, Spanish and French all over the world.
3. Spanish Is Common in the U.S.
Spanish is the second most used language in the United States due to its significant Hispanic population and its close location to Spanish-speaking Central and Latin American countries. More than 40 million speak the language with many of them being bilingual and also speaking English.
4. New Guinea Has the Most Dialects
The country Papua New Guinea has five official languages, including English, and more than 850 indigenous languages, the highest number of languages in any country. However, most of the ethnic languages are spoken by less than 1,000 speakers.
5. The English Language Has the Most Number of Words
The English language has more than 200,000 words followed by the Russian, Spanish and Chinese languages. More than 47,000 words are no longer in use.
6. Chinese Has Five Major Calligraphy Styles
In writing, the Chinese language consists of unique characters that represent syllables. The characters are written in certain calligraphy styles. The five most widely used styles are called Li, Hsin, Zuan, Tsao and Kai. The collective history of the styles are even more complex because the characters have undergone many different changes.
Anyone who has been interested in receiving translating services should learn more about the different languages that exist. There is a long, interesting history and culture that is attached to every language in existence. It helps to know a few interesting facts as you look for professional legal and business conference interpretation services that include remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) professionals and equipment rentals.