There are around 6,500 languages worldwide, and about 20,000 dialects, and over 300 sign languages. But how much do we need to know to understand those around us? Follow the story of a young girl to explore the magic and limits of learning new languages.
The full story
If we assume that our brain picks up one new word per day, and that there are 1,000 languages and each one has 10,000 words, then it would take us 10 million years of learning to be able to talk to each and every person in the world. But how many languages and words are there really? And how many would we need to learn to understand everything? The story of a curious girl, Maya, will help us find out!
story of maya
Maya was sitting in the schoolyard, looking at yesterday’s paper, when a teacher walked by. The old man asked the young girl, what business she had reading the newspaper? To which Maya replied: I’m trying to understand them world. To understand them world? How about learning some English first? Her teacher countered.
from frustration to fluency
At first, Maya was just upset, but then her frustration turned into motivation and she promised herself that she’d master English better than anyone, especially that stupid teacher.
Like most kids aged six, Maya understood about 5,000 words, used around 2,500, and held basic conversations. Her brain had picked up more than one word a day since she was born and would continue to do so until late adulthood.
From the day she began her quest, it took her another 12 years of casual conversion and deliberate practice to learn the more nuanced aspects of the language like sarcasm and irony. During that time her receptive vocabulary grew to 20,000 words and she expressed herself with about 10,000.
On her 18th birthday, she decided to visit the newly retired teacher — to give him a demo of her linguistic skills. When the man opened the door, she told him that she had mastered the English language. But he just smiled, said nothing, and then disappeared into the darkness of his house.
vocabulary challenge
Soon after he returned with the 20 volumes of the Oxford English dictionary, asking Maya to read them all — adding that only then would she be able to master English. Maya accepted the challenge and started the same night.
linguistic revelation
For the next two decades, she was excited to read up on ideas and meanings behind the 170,000 words that are in current use and studied approximately 430,000 old-fashioned terms. Maya learned a lot of English, a lot about the world in general, and a lot about languages in particular.
She discovered the top 5 spoken languages, which are English, spoken by about 1.5 billion people, followed by Mandarin, 1.3 billion, Spanish, 500 million, Arabic, 400 million, and French 300 million.
linguistic exploration
Maya found out that many languages are about to die, but that there are still around 6,500 that exist worldwide — and that there are close to 20,000 dialects in India alone. She discovered Esperanto, a newly constructed international language that’s spoken by about a million people all around the world.
beyond words discovery
She learned that there are all sorts of gestures and facial expressions we use to communicate preferences and feelings. And that there are a staggering 300 types of distinct sign languages, plus hundreds of programming languages and pictographic, and symbolic languages.
linguistic complexity
After learning all of that, Maya went back to see the teacher. Not to boast her proficiency, but to thank him — and to tell him that understanding the world and everyone in it takes not only English but truly comprehending thousands of languages, and millions of words— an impossible task.
But it wasn’t an old man that opened the door, but a young four-year-old, who with a friendly smile, simply asked: “Welcome! How can help you?” And Maya, despite all her knowledge, had no idea what to reply.
what do you think?
What do you know about languages? Did you master one, or maybe two? And if so, which ones? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
Sources
- How many words are in the English language? – Englishlive.ef.com
- Esperanto – Wikipedia.org
- Pti. (2018, July 1). More than 19,500 mother tongues spoken in India: Census. The Indian Express.
- List of gestures – Wikipedia.org
- Duncan, E. (2023, November 10). The 12 most spoken languages in the world. Busuu Blog.
Dig deeper!
- Learn about the different types of sign languages.
- Use duolingo.com to learn a new language.
- Watch the Sprouts video on language development.
Classroom Activity: Exploring Languages and Communication
Objective:
To engage students in active learning about languages and communication, encouraging them to reflect on their own language acquisition and the diversity of languages in the world.
Duration:
60 minutes
Materials:
- Video projector/screen
- Internet access to play the Sprouts video
- Whiteboard/markers
- Paper/pens
- World map (optional)
- Post-it notes
Introduction (10 minutes):
- Icebreaker (5 minutes): Start with a quick icebreaker where students share how many languages they know and which ones they speak.
- Video Viewing (5 minutes): Show the Sprouts video.
Discussion (10 minutes):
- Reflective Questions: After watching the video, ask students the following questions to stimulate discussion:
- What did you find most surprising or interesting in the video?
- How many words do you think you know in your first language?
- Have you ever tried to learn a new language? What was the experience like?
Group Activity (25 minutes):
- Form Groups (5 minutes): Divide students into small groups of 3-4.
- Language Exploration (15 minutes): Assign each group a task to research one of the following topics and present their findings:
- The top 5 spoken languages in the world
- Endangered languages and efforts to preserve them
- The history and purpose of Esperanto
- Different types of sign languages and their importance
- The role of programming languages in communication
- Presentations (5 minutes): Have each group present their findings to the class.
Interactive Activity (10 minutes):
- Language Wall (5 minutes): Give each student a post-it note and ask them to write a greeting or a common phrase in a language they know or are interested in. They will then place their notes on a world map or a designated wall area.
- Gallery Walk (5 minutes): Allow students to walk around and read the different phrases, encouraging them to ask questions and learn new greetings.
Conclusion (5 minutes):
- Reflection (5 minutes): Bring the class back together and ask them to reflect on the activity. Prompt them with questions like:
- What new information did you learn today?
- How do you think learning about languages can help us understand different cultures?
- Why is it important to preserve languages?
Homework Assignment (optional):
Ask students to write a short paragraph about a language they would like to learn and why. They should also include one interesting fact they discovered during the activity.
Collaborators
- Script: Ludovico Saint Amour di Chanaz and Jonas Koblin
- Artist: Pascal Gaggelli
- Voice: Matt Abbott
- Coloring: Nalin
- Editing: Peera Lertsukittipongsa
- Production: Selina Bador
- Sound Design: Miguel Ojeda
