The language is historically known as the language or language expressed by the citizens of a population or nation, since ancient times it has been considered a private property of each place and, in this way, it becomes something particular to each community. Language is designated as the oral or mimic communication method by which the inhabitants of a given society will communicate and understand each other. If somehow this did not exist, it would be almost impossible for citizens to exchange ideas, feelings and even some emotions.
What are languages
Table of Contents
Speech is the most common way of expressing language and as we have said before, this is not based only on verbal expression, as it can also be transmitted through writing and sign language, the latter being the most used by people with an inability to communicate, as in the case of deaf-mutes.
The particular way in which individuals express themselves can also be considered a definition of language. So, the concept of language can also be based on alphabets, considering that Latin remains in what we know today as the alphabet. Each language can be expressed or vocalized in different ways depending on its geographical location. A clear example of this is the Latin American countries, since most of them speak Spanish and yet each individual gives a different touch to their speech, which makes each individual's nationality different.
The origin of languages
An analysis of the languages spoken around the world shows that they all originate from a common language that was born in Africa. In advance, genetic studies have proven that the primitive being came from that continent approximately 50,000 years ago and a new study discovered that the first language also emerged from there, later modern languages evolved from that first and only language, such as consequence of the migration of different populations.
How many languages are there in the world
Dialects are usually the alterations of languages that are spoken within a region, but that have different pronunciations in each territory. For example, Italian is the language of Italy, but within the nation you can find some dialects such as Marcheggiano, Neapolitan or Sicilian. On the other hand, indigenous languages belong to ancestral languages developed in tribes or communities found in countries of America, Asia, Africa or Oceania. A clear example of this is the Mapuche in Argentina or the Quechua language in Peru.
Likewise, it may happen that by appropriation and by groups of migrants, certain words may be deformed or adapted. For example, the term "chat" is derived from the verb chat in English and denotes chatting or conversing. There is also "googling" and it comes from Google, meaning "explore" or "inquire." The combination of these languages is commonly referred to as Spanglish and is distinguished as the cross between English and Spanish.
What are the most widely spoken languages
It is well known that the number of languages in the world is unlimited, but among the most universal are English, Spanish, French and Italian. Other languages emerging globally are Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and German. Today, in addition to teaching the region's own language, institutes and universities implement education with a second language. Even in any part of the world there may be a language center so that people can improve their learning.
What functions does the language fulfill
One of the main functions of human language is to transmit, however, it is executed in different ways, depending on the type of message we want to convey. In relation to this, within the field of linguistics and grammar, Roman Jakobson distinguishes various uses in speech and classifies them according to the work carried out in the act of communication. Among those that stand out:
- The appealing function occurs when the sender wants to transmit a message with which he expects an answer, this may be a question or a command.
- The referential function is of the informative type and happens when the transmitter projects messages related to their environment or to elements outside the communicative act.
- The symptomatic function focuses on transmitting feelings, desires and emotions. The poetic function is used for aesthetic purposes and is typical of literary texts.
- The phatic function serves to start or end a topic of conversation.
- The metalinguistic function, we use it to explain our own language.
In the world of languages, various vital aspects of a nation converge, such as its diplomacy, its ancestral legacy, its way of making the universe manifest, its present needs, and even its social and economic preferences. So, a good concept of language would be the faultless reflection of the society to which it belongs. It is important to know that the definition of language was deduced thanks to the languages that have been crossed throughout history, since these were derived from a primitive language and their combinations established speech in general, managing to guarantee communication in societies.
What is a language translator
Translators usually specialize in two languages, their mother tongue and a foreign one, however, there are professionals capable of mastering more. For this job it is extremely important to have total agility in the languages in which you are specializing.
A curious fact is that thanks to technology there is also an online language translator, which for each term searched, demonstrates the equivalence in the source language along with various examples to understand its meaning and forms of use.
Language types
Language is a system of signals that is used for society to communicate and exchange messages orally or in writing, in order to carry out its functions, it was identified by having its own characteristics of articulation, intonation and inscription. In addition, according to its history, its geographical location and the relationship that people have with each of the languages, it can be classified as follows:
Mother tongues
It is our primitive language and we develop it from our first years of life, it becomes a natural tool of reasoning and communication. Sometimes, it may happen that the mother tongue is not that of the parents, one of the reasons that can explain this event is that they may have emigrated to another territory with a totally different language.
Dead languages
They lack speakers because nobody recognizes them and they have not been deciphered either. They were never updated and remain as a historical fact or a linguistic museum fragment. This language is not a mother tongue and it was not transmitted, some examples are Latin, ancient Hebrew and Sanskrit.
Native languages
They belong to a specific geographical or human space and have not undergone any process of fusion, transculturation or syncretism, it is considered the purest language. An example of this is the guaraní, which is found in Bolivia, Paraguay and almost all of Brazil and Argentina.
Living languages
It is constantly spoken and updated over time, it has native speakers. They are called alive because they can suffer alterations and some original names vary or are substantially modified.
Official languages
It is the one designated by a country or a nation to be the representative language of society, it is used in institutional and bureaucratic communications. The official languages are those that are internationally recognized as their own.
Study languages
Learning languages, of course, is not an easy task, as it involves the study of phonological, morphological, prosodic, semantic and syntactic rules, for this reason it is recommended to put it into practice during childhood, because the brain will be in full development and allow good pronunciation and efficient training. It is also important to know that in order to understand a language or consult a particular word, bilingual glossaries can be used, where examples and meanings of said term can be found.
Studying other languages with music is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining, free and effective methods that exists in the world. This helps when it comes to perfecting intonation, memorizing new words, adapting your ears to that language and getting familiar with the rhythm of each language. That is why it is recommended to add rock in your language and thus you will stop singing incomprehensible phrases that are alien to what is actually said.
For excellent learning results, the following songs can be added to the music player: Hotel California by The Eagles, We will rock you by Queen, Don't cry by Guns N 'Roses, Every breath you take by The Police, Hey Jude by The Beatles, With or without you by U2, Imagine by John Lennon, Losing my religion by REM, Tnt by ACDC, etc.
The undergraduate degree in languages and foreign languages is the one that best suits these needs, as it helps to improve the command of different languages and also increases the professional profile. The degree in languages and foreign languages is a faculty that trains professionals capable of communicating in different languages, this career imparts knowledge in phonological, grammatical and linguistic aspects.
Many individuals want to learn what a language is in order to achieve a certain goal, be it finding a good job, traveling, or simply being able to boast that they can speak other languages. Likewise, there are people who, in addition to the aforementioned, have one more reason, they are passionate about languages. Fortunately, globalization has increased the need to study, learn and teach different types of languages.
Each language has a different difficulty and intonation, as does almost everything in life. Some individuals are more attracted to a specific language, while there are others who are inclined to another language in particular, but learning what is a language would undoubtedly add many positive aspects to us.
As everyone knows, speaking other languages can become a very important tool both at work and in everyday life, if your resume reflects that you speak another language, there is a great possibility that you will be hired, whatever your profession, in any academic field this is still relevant.
Many people want to study the English language because it has become one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. There are two well-known dialects in this language and they are British and American, the first of which is taught at the University of Oxford. Beyond that, both are supported by the expansion provided by the English-speaking media. The reasons for studying the English language are varied and can be related to employment, education, vacations, personal improvement and to learning other cultures.
Learning different languages is no longer a waste of time as many individuals tend to think, as it has now become an investment since it is capable of enhancing life in a social and cultural way. Today, Belgium is one of the countries with the most translators, as it is a European country whose neighbors are the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany, and it also has three official languages: German, French and Dutch. Undoubtedly, the language of Belgium has been influenced by the aforementioned border countries.
A curious fact is that the language of Brazil is Portuguese and still more than 150 languages are spoken, among which the Tupinambá language stands out. This was incorporated by the colonists and missionaries, being indoctrinated to the natives in the missions. To this day, many terms of Tupi origin continue to form part of the Brazilian word; In the same way that the Tupi influenced the Portuguese spoken in this country, the relationship between the peoples caused their language to be constantly modified.
Beyond mutual influences, languages have common origins among themselves, integrating linguistic families that are part of more comprehensive distributions: Linguistic trunks. If languages are not isolated, their speakers will not be either. In this way, there are various indigenous peoples and individuals who dominate more than one language and it is not unusual for several languages to be spoken within the same territory, this phenomenon is known as multilingualism.
Croatia is a country that is located on the continent of Europe and belongs to the European Union, the language of Croatia is Croatian and this is written with Latin characters and is pronounced phonetically. Due to the transit of various peoples through this country, their language evolved and they incorporated numerous endings from other languages, in which Italian and German stand out. In this country they also have other languages such as Hungarian, Italian, Serbian, Czech and Slovak, among others.
Study languages free online
Today, technology has made available to us a multitude of knowledge in almost every language. One of the best aids for reading and understanding are online translators and the best of all is that they are also free, for example, the Google translator. However, starting a conversation with native speakers of other countries can also help us improve the articulation of words, the tune and even the idioms of the language.
Language tools are a model of functional and practical mechanisms. At present, thanks to the evolution of the internet, you can access an extensive directory of virtual resources that will allow you to continue progressing in a determined way in your learning. One of the advantages of this is that it is not restricted by the location factor, so you can enjoy it from a trip to the comfort of your home.
