Foreign Languages

Most people never think about or even consider the language that they speak unless they are being tutored or have joined a foreign languages school to learn a new and different one from their native tongue. Language as a whole is generally ignored by the majority and is never given a second thought by its native speakers; it comes natural to them as does breathing and is an automatic behaviour. They do not consider the wonders of verbal communication and its development through years of integration and separation. We must ask what is language, why do we use it and how has it evolved.

Humans have a universal characteristic and ability that is unique and distinguishes them from all other species on this planet. This ability is the complex use and adaptation of communication that we call language. Over thousands of years this has developed and evolved into the complex array of languages that cover the modern world.

Language is a term used to describe the aspect of systematic communication by the use of vocal sounds and a system of signs and symbols in arranged and meaningful patterns. These patterns are used to convey, express and communicate our thoughts, ideas and feelings with others that are equipped and able to understand them and respond in kind. Our basic need for companionship and communication with our own species drives the adaptation and evolution of our different language structures that have developed over thousands of years.

We do not and will never know where or when language was first used or whether there was actually once source that all languages originated from. This is an often debated subject but no proof of any theory exits and is therefore one of the ancient mysteries that will probably never be solved. The first attempts to classify scientifically the languages of the world were in the eighteenth century. The comparison of different languages showed that some shared certain characteristics and this led to an assumption that they were related and had developed from a common source. These groups expanded to encompass many different languages and cultural relationships and were classified into families or groups including certain dialects. Not all languages have a known structural or historical link to any of the other languages and cannot be inserted into the family structure, these are known as language isolates. There are two main types of language classification, the genealogical that is based on the assumption that there was a common ancestor and typological which uses a comparison of formal similarities such as grammar, phonology etc between languages to associate them. There are still some that are being debated and do not quite fit into the families that they are assigned such as English, it is not classed as an isolate but does have certain isolate traits.

There are thousands of languages and dialects in use all around the world and there are also thousands of extinct languages that have left no written or historical structural accounts. Some of these languages will never be heard spoken again or understood, even in relatively modern times languages still die out with little record of their structures or sounds. Many isolates are under threat such as many of the aboriginal languages of Australia, the last spoken word of the isolate Tasmanian was as recent as the eighteen seventies and is now an extinct language. The colonisation of countries and the progress in business and trade have all made their mark on the languages of many countries. Languages have blended together, died out and some have even been outlawed in favour of others.

An estimation of language users is :

Chinese (Mandarin) 1,075,000,000
English 514,000,000
Hindustani 496,000,000
Spanish 425,000,000
Russian 277,000,000
Arabic 254,000,000
Bengali 215,000,000
Portuguese 194,000,000
Malay-Indonesian 176,000,000
French 129,000,000

A new or second language can be difficult to master but evolving teaching methods are helping making this mush easier. Some tutors believe that the best way to learn a new language is to learn the syntax and grammar properly whilst others believe that we learn languages better simply by the copying method of listening and learning

Evolution and our inquisitive nature drive us to explore new horizons and therefore new places and people. As technology has progressed it has made the world smaller and new destinations are within the reach of us all. As other countries and cultures become more easily accessible the need to understand our foreign cousins in their native tongues press the need to learn a second or sometimes third language whether it is for use in business on vacation or even for relocation. There are available many different ways and formats to learn a new language and no matter which way you prefer there is always a course, tutor or language school available to fill your language learning needs.