Eight Amazing Facts About World Languages

It is possible to point out hundreds of fabulous facts about world’s languages, proving that learning can be fun! Here are just some of them:

1. Linguists estimate the number of languages in the world to be 7, 000 language.
2. 25% of the world’s population has at least some knowledge of English.
3. Papua New Guinea has 830 regional dialects.
4. Arabic has a universal script, understood by 1/7 of the world’s population.
5. Many English words like sugar, cotton, alcohol, lemon, and algebra are actually borrowings from Arabic.
6. Half of children’s education program in Luxembourg is dedicated to learning languages. French, English and German are taught simultaneously.
7. Currently, there are over 200 extinct languages in the world.
8. Up to 2 million people can speak Esperanto – an artificial language, invented in the 19^th century. It never grew to be an international language, which was the initial plan.