The Diversity of European Languages
Although there are
about 225
indigenous
languages in Europe
– they are still only
3% of the world’s
total.
Bilingualism brings with it
many benefits: it makes
the learning of additional
languages easier,
enhances the thinking
process and fosters
contacts with other people
and their cultures.
Many languages have 50,000
words or more, but individual
speakers normally know and
use only a fraction of the
total vocabulary: in everyday
conversation people use the
same few hundred words.
‘
If you talk to a man in a
language he understands,
that goes to his head. If
you talk to him in his own
language,that goes to his
heart.
’
‒Nelson Mandela
‘
One language sets you
in a corridor for life. Two
languages open every
door along the way.’
Frank Smith
(Psycholinguist)
‘Those who know
nothing of foreign
languages know
nothing of their own.
’
‒Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe (German
writer/ philosopher)
The Romance
languages include
Italian, French,
Spanish, Portuguese
and Romanian,
among others.
There are 6 Celtic languages used
today: the Irish language, Scottish
Gaelic, Welsh, the Breton
language (used in Brittany, in the
north of France), Cornish (used in
Cornwall) and Manx (used on the
Isle of Man)
The Slavic languages include
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian,
Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian,
Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian,
Bulgarian and others.
The Germanic family of
languages includes Danish,
Norwegian, Swedish,
Icelandic, German, Dutch,
English and Yiddish, among
others.
Nearly half of all
internet users (2
billion as of 2010)
speak either
English (0.5 billion)
or Chinese (0.4
billion).
Approximately 55 million
people in Europe speak a
minority language. Regional
or minority languages are
spoken in all European
countries, except for
Iceland.
Russia (148 million
inhabitants) has by far
the highest number of
languages spoken on its
territory: from 130 to 200
For more fun and interesting facts about
languages, visit the Council of Europe website
here
.
Europe is home to a rich tapestry of languages, with over 225 indigenous languages spoken, making up only 3% of the world's total. Bilingualism is celebrated for its benefits, facilitating communication, enhancing cognitive abilities, and fostering cultural connections. Despite many languages having extensive vocabularies, speakers typically use a limited set of words in daily conversations. Quotes from Nelson Mandela and Frank Smith underscore the importance of language in understanding and connection. Various language families, including Romance, Celtic, and Slavic, contribute to the linguistic mosaic of Europe.
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Presentation Transcript
Although there are about 225 indigenous languages in Europe they are still only 3% of the world s total.
Bilingualism brings with it many benefits: it makes the learning of additional languages easier, enhances the thinking process and fosters contacts with other people and their cultures.
Many languages have 50,000 words or more, but individual speakers normally know and use only a fraction of the total vocabulary: in everyday conversation people use the same few hundred words.
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language,that goes to his heart. Nelson Mandela
One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way. Frank Smith (Psycholinguist)
Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German writer/ philosopher)
The Romance languages include Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian, among others.
There are 6 Celtic languages used today: the Irish language, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, the Breton language (used in Brittany, in the north of France), Cornish (used in Cornwall) and Manx (used on the Isle of Man)
The Slavic languages include Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and others.
The Germanic family of languages includes Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, German, Dutch, English and Yiddish, among others.
Nearly half of all internet users (2 billion as of 2010) speak either English (0.5 billion) or Chinese (0.4 billion).
Approximately 55 million people in Europe speak a minority language. Regional or minority languages are spoken in all European countries, except for Iceland.
Russia (148 million inhabitants) has by far the highest number of languages spoken on its territory: from 130 to 200
For more fun and interesting facts about languages, visit the Council of Europe website here.
