AMAZING LANGUAGE
FACTS
|
AMAZING LANGUAGE
FACTS |
There are 330 words containing the root "mono"
There are more
than 2,700 languages in the world. In addition, there are more than 7,000
dialects.
A dialect is a regional variety of a language that has a different
pronunciation, vocabulary, or meaning.
The most
difficult language to learn is Basque, which is spoken in northwestern
Spain
and southwestern France.
It is not related to any other language in the world. It has an extremely
complicated word structure and vocabulary.
All pilots on international flights identify themselves in English.
Somalia is the only African country in which the entire population speaks the same language, Somali.
The language in which a government conducts business is the official language of that country.
More than 1,000 different languages are spoken on the continent of Africa.
The Berbers of North Africa have no written form of their language.
Many languages
in Africa include a “click” sound that is pronounced at the same time as other
sounds.
You must learn these languages in childhood to do it properly.
| Language | Approx. # |
|---|---|
| 1. Chinese (Mandarin) | 1,075,000,000 |
| 2. English | 514,000,000 |
| 3. Hindustani | 496,000,000 |
| 4. Spanish | 425,000,000 |
| 5. Russian | 275,000,000 |
| 6. Arabic | 256,000,000 |
| 7. Bengali | 215,000,000 |
| 8. Portuguese | 194,000,000 |
| 9. Malay-Indonesian | 176,000,000 |
| 10. French | 129,000,000 |
Greetings Around
the World: Some people shake hands,
some kiss and hug. Others just say hello.
These exchanges are common in the U.S., but how do people in
other countries greet each other?
In most of Europe, a handshake will do. Here are
a few of the
ways to say hello in Asia:
| Country | Gesture |
|---|---|
| China | a nod or bow |
| Hong Kong | clasp hands together at throat level and nod |
| India | palms together as though praying and bend or nod, called namaste |
| Indonesia | say selamat, which means peace |
| Japan | bow from the waist, palms on thighs, heels together |
| Korea | a slight bow and handshake (right hand in one or both hands) |
| Philippines | a limp handshake |
| Thailand | place palms together, elbows down, and bow head slightly, wai |
An anagram is a word, phrase or sentence formed by rearranging another word or group of words. Here are a few examples...
| listen | silent |
| senator | treason |
| teachers | cheaters |
| the eyes | they see |
| the Morse Code | here come dots |
| Mary Hebert | Beth may err |
The figure below shows the timeline of the history
of the English language.
For more info, click here:
timeline
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769288.html