South Africa has 11 official languages, the most of any country. Whatever yours is, celebrate it today 21 February on International Mother Language Day!
Today promotes awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity as well as multilingualism and was first announced by UNESCO in 1999. Here are some facts about languages you probably didn’t know:
1. In linguistics “mother language” refers to the ancestral of a language family.
2. Language is the most powerful instrument in preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage.
3. There are approximately 7 000 languages world wide.
4. 12.44 per cent of the world’s population speaks Mandarin as their first language.
5. Only a quarter of the worlds population speaks at least some English, that’s why it’s important to learn another language.
6. There are 2 400 languages in the world that are classified as endangered.
7. There are 12 imaginary languages in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien.
8. The Bible is available in 2 454 languages.
9. The oldest written language is estimated to be written in 45 000 BC
10. Esperanto is an artificial language, but is spoken by between 500 000 and two million people and two feature films have been made in the language.
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