Wikijunior:Languages/Print version
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[edit] Contents
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Catalan
- English
- Estonian
- French
- German
- Hindi
- Japanese
- Korean
- Latin
- Mandarin Chinese
- Marathi
- Nahuatl
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Croatian
- Portuguese
- Quenya
- Russian
- Sanskrit
- Serbian
- Spanish
- Swahili
- Tamil
- Thai
- Turkish
[edit] Introduction
[edit] Just what is a language?
A language is an organised, ordered way of speaking and listening. Reading and writing are a way of representing language in a permanent format, but many languages have no written form. Language is one form of communication. It can be spoken, visual or signed. We can say that language is a code of symbols used to communicate.
[edit] What is not a language?
There are some things that work like language. For example, when you see a red traffic light, it is just the same as if somebody said to you "You should not cross the street now". The traffic signs work in the same way: drivers know when they have to turn left or right or to go slower. So they are a kind of communication system. Can we speak about "Traffic signs language"? Not really. Traffic signs work very well for some signals, but you can not say "I've eaten pizza today" by using traffic signs. The number of thoughts that you can express with them is limited. This is not the case for real languages. Using English, or Russian, or Japanese, you can express a wide variety of different thoughts. You can also express brand new thoughts, create brand new sentences and still be understood by your listeners.
[edit] Who came up with the languages?
People didn't just decide one day to start speaking. Languages developed over time. In fact, the English spoken only six hundred years ago would be almost unrecognizable to us today!
language development - the steady growth and change of a language; languages took over a thousand years to get to what we speak today
Anthropologists have many different theories about how human language developed. Some animals have a wide range of calls which they make instinctively when they see food, potential threats, rivals or mates. It is possible that human language began as a refinement of these instinctive calls. It is also possible that early humans made sounds that imitated things that they heard in the natural world around them.
anthropology - the study of humans
Studies of the fossils of early humans suggest that the shape of the vocal tract - the part of the throat where sounds are made - may have changed about 70,000 years ago in such a way as to enable early humans to make a much wider range of sounds. By the same time, humans had developed brains which were as large as modern humans. These developments would have allowed humans to think complex thoughts and communicate them. Archeologists note that signs of early human culture such as cave paintings and burial rituals appeared very quickly, suggesting that complex language and culture emerged together over a short period of time. There is no way of knowing exactly what early human language was like as it emerged long before written records.
[edit] What is grammar? Why is it important?
Grammar is a set of rules on how you should use words so that everybody will understand what you really mean. If words are bricks, then grammar is a manual that explains how to make a house with them. In the example above you see the two ways that grammar can work, that is, by putting the words in a certain sequence or by changing the words.
When you think about a language, you'll probably think about its words in the first place. It is logical: you hear words, you can "feel" them, while you don't feel grammar directly. But grammar is at least as important as the words are. You cannot have a language with words only but no grammar. Not convinced yet? Try the following example:
You have the following words: I, dad, my, love. Having only these words but no grammar, you can make a lot of combinations of them, like "I my dad love" or "My love I dad", but nobody will understand what you really mean. If you want everybody to understand exactly what you mean, you have to make the next sentence: "I love my dad". Thus the words have to stand in exact sequence.
Another example from English might be "Susan helped Tony." We can easily see how word order is important if we rearrange it to say "Tony helped Susan." This expresses a quite different idea, but uses the same words. So word order is important in English grammar.
This is not true of every language, though. Russian, for example, has a free word order. Changing the order of the words does not change the meaning of the sentence. How is this possible? Russian relies on markers to show which word is the subject and which is the object.
[edit] Why not just use one language?
It may seem obvious to just create one language for everybody to use. Luckily, several linguists felt the same way. They made up what we call constructed languages. But, languages are a big part of a people's culture and identity and most of them have long interesting histories. People aren't willing to give them up. It is also very hard to become fluent in a language. It may seem natural to you to speak English, but it is actually very hard for many adults to learn.
linguist - someone who studies languages
constructed language - a language made up scientifically
fluency - being able to speak a language without any trouble
Many linguists believe that there was originally only one language. However, when people are isolated from each other for thousands of years, the language that they speak evolves. Over time, slight changes in how people spoke built up until different tribes could no longer understand each other.
[edit] My friends and I would like to have a secret language
A lot of "secret languages" are actually not real languages, just your usual language with a couple of changes that make it harder to understand. For example, Pig Latin is not a real language and it is not even related to Latin, it's just English with the last letter moved and the added ending -ay. Verlan, the language common among French youths, just inverts the syllables of a word (e. g. the English word "teacher" would become "chertea" by its rules). Since there is just one underlying concept in these "languages", they are quite easy to learn and it will only take a little practise until you can have fluent conversations in them. However, because of that, it's quite easy for adults or non-group-members to understand what you're saying, once they figured out the concept.
A method that will protect your secrets better is to use a secret alphabet. Write things down as you would usually, but don't use Latin letters (the letters used by English for example). Use a different alphabet, either one that you invented (be careful not to make letters too similar to Latin letters then, so that they can't easily be guessed) or an existing one - there's a big collection at http://www.omniglot.com/writing/alphabets.htm . Note: learning a new alphabet will probably take you a little more time than learning to speak in Pig Latin for example, but it can still be done in a few hours if you have a good course. Try this course for the Korean alphabet for example. More than 99% of Americans or Europeans can only read the Latin alphabet, so your secrets will be quite safe even if you use an existing alphabet. However, be aware that it is possible to decipher an English text written in a secret alphabet, given enough study. For some people it's a fun enigma, just like crosswords. The key may be to make the text look like it isn't English at all, so that people don't even try to decipher it - that's why I liked to use Korean.
Secret alphabets have one big disadvantage: they can only be used when you're writing down the message. What about the times when you want to quickly communicate something to your friends during break or when playing outside, or when you want to call somebody names without him being aware of it? In those cases you will still need a secret language that you can speak in. Have you had the idea of learning a foreign language like e. g. Spanish for that purpose? I'm afraid that this is not a very good option because it will take you years until you can speak that language well enough to communicate with your friends. And Latin, French, Chinese or the like aren't better suited either. The only really easy language that you might succeed learning quickly enough is Esperanto - but it will still require more effort than learning e. g. Pig Latin or a new alphabet. If you like, you can read a story about finding a secret language at this site.
[edit] Constructed languages
Constructed languages are special languages. They aren't developed "naturally", but are created by people. People had various reasons to create new languages. Some thought an international language would help people from different countries to understand each other better and to have less conflicts. Esperanto is the best known example of this kind of language, and is the only constructed language to achieve a large number of speakers. Some estimates for the number of speakers of Esperanto are as high as 2 million.
Some constructed languages are a part of imaginary world, like Klingon, which was created specially for the science fiction series Star Trek. Fictional languages for different races in the Lord of the Rings trilogy have also been developed. There are even languages that were created without any purpose beyond being just for fun. Toki Pona is such a language.
[edit] Unique languages
Some languages do not have any tenses. This means that there is only one way to say a verb. Imagine saying I go to school yesterday. In these languages, words like yesterday and tomorrow are used to say when you did something. Other languages even use pictures!
tense - a form of a verb that describes a time for an action; for example, "I went," "I am going", and "I will go" are in past, present, and future tense. They are different tenses because they describe when I did the action of going.
verb - a word that describes an action
[edit] Arabic
[edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
Arabic is a Semitic language written from right to left. Arabic consists of 28 letters: 25 consonants and 3 "long vowels".
There are also what are called "short vowels" (harakat) which are used to show correct pronunciation, for example, the word deen=religion and dayn= are normally written exactly the same way (3 letters D Y N) but to make the pronunciation clear deen can be written with a haraka/accent of a little dash under the D like so /. In dayn it can written as a little dash (horizantal) above the [D].
The Arabic script is used in many other languages such as Urdu and Farsi. In some of these languages there are added letters (or added dots/slightly different shapes) as in Farsi to compensate for sounds that are not found in the Arabic alphabet.
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
Arabic is spoken across the Middle East, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula, as well as in North Africa, and in portions of Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa. Since Muslims believe the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, can only truly be read in Arabic, it is fairly common for people in other predominantly Islamic countries to understand religious words in Arabic.
[edit] What is the history of this language?
In the third century B.C.E., Nabateans, a tribe of people in Asia, settled near the northern part of the Arabic Peninsula. They spoke a language very similar to Arabic, however they still wrote in an early language called Aramaic.
Modern Arabic first truly formed when Arabic and Amharic combined in the mid fourth century C.E. It stood out among other new Semitic Languages for its ability to not be overtaken by other, already existent, languages.
Around the sixth century C.E., Arabic "took over" another language found in the Arabic peninsula, Sabaic, because the chief religious text, the Qur'an, was written and spoken only in Arabic. Although Sabaic exists today as a spoken language, only a small number of people use it.
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
The most famous and influential Arabic books of all time was the founder of Islam, Mohammad with the Holy Qur'an. He was the messenger of God with the Qur'an, Islam's holy book.
"One Thousand and One Nights" is a collection of Arabic stories written and adapted over time by many authors. In English this collection is called "Arabian Nights" and includes the stories "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp," "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor."
Khalil Gibran was an Arabic writer, poet and artist that wrote famous poems and books in Arabic and English while living in the United States between 1906-1933.
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
- Ahlan means “Hello” أﻫﻼ
- Ezayak means "How are you?" but can be used to say "Hello"
- Ma'a salama is used to say “Good-bye”, but has a literal meaning of "Peace be with you." مع السلامة
- Ismee means “My name” اسمي
- Min fadlak means “Please” من فضلك
- Shukran means “Thank you” شكراً
- Manzil means “house” منزل Synonym: Addar الدّار
- Uhibuki means “I love you” أحبكِ when speaking to a girl or woman.
- Uhibuka means “I love you” أحبكَ when speaking to a boy or man.
- Walad means “boy” ولد
- Bint means “girl” بنت
- Qitar means "train" قطار
- Ana mina aldjazair means "I am from Algeria." أنا من الجزائر
- Hal tatakalam aarabi? means "do you speak Arabic ?" هل تتكلّم عربي ؟
To introduce yourself you would say: “Ahlan, ana ismi” (“Hello, my name is”), then your name. ...أهلا ، أنا اسمي
If you are saying hello to your friend you would say: "Ahlan ya" then your friend's name.
To ask someone their name you would say: "Ma ismik?" for a girl ما اسمكِ ؟
- or "Ma ismak?" for a boy ما اسمكَ ؟
To apologize you say:
- "Asifah" for a girl when she says to other girl or to a boy.أسفه
- "Asif" for a boy if he is telling to a boy or to a girl.أسف
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
Here are some interesting Arabic expressions that you can learn
| Arabic | Literal Translation | What it means |
|---|---|---|
|
احفظ قرشك الأبيض ليومك الأسود |
"Save your white penny for your black day." |
Save your money for when you really need it. |
|
أعط الخبز لخبازه ولو أكل نصفه |
"Give the bread dough to the baker even if he eats half of it." |
Give the job to a person who knows how to perform it best even if it will cost you more. |
|
"Bend a fish while it is (still) fresh/wet." |
Children should be given guidance early in life (before it is too late). |
|
|
سمن على عسل |
"Cooking fat on honey." |
To be doing very well. |
|
الصديق وقت الضيق |
"The friend in tight times." |
A friend is the one that lends a hand during times of need. |
|
القرد فى عين أمه غزال |
"To his mother's eye a monkey looks like a deer" |
A mother always thinks that their child is beautiful. |
[edit] References
[edit] Bangla
[edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
The Bengali language, locally known as Bangla, uses Bengali script, an Indic script somewhat similar to Devanagari script used to write Hindi.
[edit] How many people speak this language
Bengali is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world with over 200 million speakers. It is the primary language of Bangladesh. 100 million citizens in Bangladesh speak in Bengali. Bengali is also spoken in India and Nepal by minority groups.
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
Bengali is spoken in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, Tripura (states of India), Asham and also some portion of jharkand. West Bengal and Bangladesh together formed the ancient region of Bengal. There is also a large and growing Bengali speaking population in England.
[edit] What is the history of this language?
Bengali evolved from the merging of some derivatives of Sanskrit with local dialects. It also was enriched with the infusion of words from Arabic, Persian, Burmese, and European languages. The oldest specimen of Bengali literature is Charyapada from the 7th century.
Bengali also holds the distinction of being a language for which the speakers had to struggle a lot. In 1952, Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. The Pakistani rulers, mostly from the erstwhile Western wing of Pakistan (which forms the current state), were Urdu and Punjabi speaking, and wanted to declare Urdu as the national language. This was against the wishes of the Bengali population, who were the majority in Pakistan. On 21 February, 1952, a bloody crackdown by Police on unarmed students and activists resulted in a massacre. The movement later resulted in Bangla being recognized as one of the national languages of Pakistan. The event is commemorated as Language Movement Day in Bangladesh, and in 1999, UNESCO recognized it as the International Mother Language Day.
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
Rabindranath Tagore is the most famous Bengali poet. He received the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature for his book of poems, Gitanjali. Two of his songs are the national anthems of Bangladesh and India.
Kazi Nazrul Islam, another famous poet was known as the rebel poet mainly because of his most famous poem called "Bidrohi" or "The Rebel", and also because of his strong sympathy and support for revolutionary activities leading to India's independence from British Rule.
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
- aami - I - আমি
- tumi - You - তুমি
- aapni - You (with respect) - আপনি
- aamra - We - আমরা
- bhalobasha - Love - ভালোবাসা
- khela - Game - খেলা
- din - Day - দিন
- raat - Night - রাত
- bari - house - বাড়ি
- kukur - Dog - কুকুর
- biral - Cat - বেরাল
- boi - Book - বই
- dhonnobad - Thank you - ধন্যবাদ
- naa - No - না
- hai - Yes - হ্যাঁ
- prithibi - Earth - পৃথিবী
- chaad - Moon - চাঁদ
- garam - Heat - গরম
- thanda - Cold - ঠাণ্ডা
- hi/ai(ei) - hello;
- manush - human - মানুষ;
- bhasha - language - ভাষা;
- pani/jol - water - পানি/জল;
- batash - air - বাতাস;
- akash - sky - আকাশ;
- maati - soil - মাটি;
- ack - one - এক;
- dui - two - দুই;
- teen - three - তিন;
- chaar - four - চার;
- paach - five - পাঁচ;
- chh-au-ye - six - ছয়;
- shaat - seven - সাত;
- aat - eight - আট;
- n-au-ye - nine - নয়:
- daush - ten - দশ;
- Aamar naam Rishi - My name is Rishi - আমার নাম ঋষি
- Tomar Naam Ki? - What is your name? - তোমার নাম কি?
- Shuprobhat - Good Morning - সুপ্রভাত;
- Bidaa-ye - Good bye - বিদায়;
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
A nonsense children's rhyme in Bengali called 'Haattimatimtim'.
- Haattimatimtim,
- Tara maathe pare dim.
- Tader khara duto shing,
- Tara Haattimatimtim.
- Translation
- (Haattimatimtim,
- They lay eggs in the field.
- They have two straight horns,
- They are the Haattimatimtim.)
- In Bengali script
- হাট্টিমাটিমটিম
- তারা মাঠে পাড়ে ডিম
- তাদের খাড়া দুটো শিং
- তারা হাটিমাটিমটিম
Another nonsense children's rhyme in Bengali called 'Aaikom Baaikom'.
- Aaikom baikom taratari,
- Jodu master shoshur bari.
- Rel kom jhomajhhom ,
- Pa pichhle aalur dom.
- Translation
- (Aaikom baikom Quickly,
- Jodu master in-law's house.
- Rail kom Choo-Choo,
- Slip & fall down mashed potato.)
- In Bengali Script
- আইকম বাইকম তাড়াতাড়ি
- যদু মাস্টার শ্বশুরবাড়ি
- রেল কাম ঝমাঝম
- পা পিছলে আলুর দম
[edit] Catalan
[edit] What writing system does this language use?
Catalan uses the Roman alphabet, which was originally used in Latin. Today, it is used in almost all European languages.
The letters U and J were added to the Roman alphabet in the Middle Ages, but no K or W, which are used only in foreign words. Y is used only in the combination NY.
Catalan also uses Ç (which is considered a variant of C), grave accents (À, È and Ò), acute accents (É, Í, Ó and Ú) and dieresis (Ï and Ü).
There also exists the combination L·L, using an interpunct between letters.
[edit] How many people speak this language?
It is difficult to say how many people speak Catalan because immigration in the last half of the 20th century has doubled the population of the area in which it is spoken. But the estimates are that about 6.5 million people speak it as their native language and roughly another 6.5 million people speak it as a second language, for a total of about 13 million speakers.
Catalan is considered to have more speakers than any other minority language in Europe.
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
The Catalan language is spoken in parts of Spain (Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and La Franja), France (Northern Catalonia), Italy (the little city of Alguer) and the small country of Andorra in the Pyrenees, where it is the only official language.
[edit] What is the history of this language?
Catalan is a member of the Romance branch of Indo-European languages, descended largely from Latin. The first documents written in what can be recognized as Catalan rather than vernacular Latin date from about 1000 years ago.
The language was born in Andorra and in the frontier of Spain and France and expanded to the other territories in the Middle Ages.
Except in Andorra, speaking Catalan language has been forbidden three times in history during more than two centuries. Now it can be studied freely in the schools, except in France, where today it is not forbidden but French is the only official language.
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
Relatively few Catalan authors are well-known among non-Catalan-speaking people. Here are some examples: Ramon Llull was the first in Western Europe to write about science and philosophy in a modern language. Other important writers of the past were Joanot Martorell (Tirant lo Blanc), Ausiàs March and Jacint Verdaguer (poets).
Important authors of the last century include Quim Monzó, Mercè Rodoreda and Manuel de Pedrolo, who have been translated into many languages.
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
| Respostes | Responses |
|---|---|
| Sí. | Yes. |
| No. | No. |
| Potser. | Maybe. |
| Salutacions | Greetings |
| Hola. | Hello. |
| Bon dia. | Good morning. |
| Bona tarda. | Good afternoon. |
| Bona nit. | Good night. |
| Com anem? | What's up? |
| Comiats | Good-byes |
| Adéu. | Good-bye. |
| Fins després. | See you later. |
| Fins demà. | See you tomorrow. |
| A reveure. | See you soon. |
| Frases útils | Useful phrases |
| Quant és? | How much does it cost? |
| Vull llet. | I want milk. |
| M'agrades. | I like you. |
| T'estimo. | I love you. |
| Em dic Pau. | My name is Pau. |
| Ho sento. | Excuse me./Sorry. |
| Salut! | Cheers! |
[edit] Are there words in English of Catalan origin?
Yes, but very few, and sometimes it can be difficult to know if they come from Catalan or from another Romance language.
Examples: allioli, aubergine, apricot, barracks, groggy, mayonnaise, mizzen, spinach, tilde...
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
[edit] References
- Catalan language. (2006, August 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10:00, August 18, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catalan_language&oldid=69939026
- Catalan grammar. (2006, August 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10:01, August 18, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catalan_grammar&oldid=67613505
- Catalan phonology and orthography. (2006, August 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10:03, August 18, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catalan_phonology_and_orthography&oldid=69247158
[edit] English
[edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
English uses the Roman alphabet, which was originally used to write Latin. Today, this alphabet is used in almost all European languages. English uses 26 letters and is written left to right.
[edit] How many people speak this language?
For about 380 million people English is a native language, because they learned it when they were young children. However, possibly a billion people have learned the language as adults. Overall, only Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more people as a native language.
English is widely considered the lingua franca of the diplomatic, business and scientific worlds. If you could pick two people speaking English to each other right now, somewhere in the world, it is likely that neither would be native speakers of English, nor of each other's languages. As they might not understand each other's language well, they would be using English to communicate.
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
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[edit] What is the history of this language?
1500 years ago, the English language as we know it today did not exist. Tribes of warriors living in what is now Northern Germany spoke a language called Anglo-Saxon. This language is related to German. While many words in this language are similar to words in modern English, it is not possible to understand the language without intensive study.
After the Romans left Britain in 400 AD, these German warriors crossed the North Sea to pillage the cities that the Romans had abandoned. Finding the country to their liking, they stayed and settled down as farmers. Around 600 AD, the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity. As a result, they adopted many Latin words into their language because Latin was the language used by the Church. Words like ‘bishop’, ‘mass’ and ‘angel’ all entered the language at this time.
Between 800 AD and 1000 AD, England was invaded by the Vikings several times. The Vikings were tradesmen and warriors who came to England on long-ships. They spoke Norse, a language which is closely related to Danish and Norwegian. As the Vikings settled in the north and east of England, they soon began living peacefully with the English rather than fighting with them. Thus the English learnt many Norse words. Many everyday words in English, such as ‘cake’, ‘sister’, ‘skin’, ‘horse’ and ‘knife’ were actually borrowed from the Vikings.
In 1066, England was invaded by William the Conqueror, who came from Normandy and spoke Norman French. William became the King of England but could not speak English. Soon, government and trade in England were being conducted in Norman French. Words such as ‘merchant’, ‘money’ and ‘price’ — which were all borrowed from Norman French — show how much the invaders controlled business; words such as ‘castle’, ‘law’, ‘royal’, ‘prince’, and ‘government’ show how much authority the French speakers had.
In the 15th Century, the printing press was invented. At the same time, people across Europe became more and more interested in the discoveries of ancient philosophers and scientists, and learned Latin and Greek in order to be able to read what these people had written. Soon people were showing off their education by mixing Latin and Greek into their English speech, so that Latin words like ‘manuscript’ and ‘circumference’ were being used, as were Greek words like ‘encyclopedia’ and ‘philosophical’.
Around 1600, William Shakespeare was writing his plays. This was a time when many new words entered the language. Shakespeare alone was the first person to write ‘obscene’, ‘accommodation’, and ‘leap-frog’. He also invented many other words.
In the 1600s and 1700s, England developed an overseas empire. The English language spread to America and Canada in the 17th century when English settlers traveled there to set up farms, and to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries when English prisoners were sent there. In the 19th century, the language also arrived in New Zealand and began to be used in British colonies and territories in the West Indies, Africa, India and the Far East – including Hong Kong. As well as spreading overseas, the English language found itself being enriched by its contacts with other cultures at this time, borrowing many words from other languages such as ‘wigwam’, ‘racoon’, and ‘skunk’ from American Indians, ‘curry’, ‘bungalow’, and ‘pyjamas’, ‘juggernaut’, ‘bandicoot’ from India, and even ‘rickshaw’ and the expression ‘long time no see’ from Cantonese.
With the global dominance of American culture in the 20th century, the influence of English continued to expand and the English vocabulary continued to grow. Words like ‘movie’, ‘hamburger’ and ‘TV dinner’ all reflect the global influence of American popular culture. More recently, the appearance of words like ‘blog’ and ‘cyberspace’, ‘text’ used as a verb, and ‘mobile’ used as a noun shows how technology is influencing the development of the language at the beginning of the 21st century.
The oldest form of English is called Old English, or Anglo-Saxon. Old English sounds and looks very different from the English spoken today and for the most part is not understandable by speakers of Modern English.
Here is an example of Old English from "Beowulf":
Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum
Old English later became Middle English which is much more like Modern English.
Here's an example of the Middle English spoken during the 1300s, from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales:
Bifil that in that seson, on a day,
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay
Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,
At nyght was come into that hostelrye
Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye
Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle
In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
- That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.
In the 1500s, William Shakespeare played a large part in the creation of modern English. Both Shakespeare and Chaucer wrote in the English vernacular. Before them, most important works were written in Latin, or sometimes French. Latin was considered a professional language that scholars used. Chaucer and Shakespeare were some of the first to write important stories in English.
vernacular - the native language of a country
[edit] Some famous authors or poets who speak this language
William Shakespeare, who wrote in verse, is the author of dozens of plays and over a hundred sonnets. Many popular English prose authors, such as Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, and Charles Dickens, the author of A Tale of Two Cities, come from the Romantic and Victorian eras, which were during the 1800s.
verse - writing in poetic form; not writing in sentences.
prose - writing in sentence form; the opposite of verse.
One of the most popular writers of English fiction for children was Enid Blyton. She is noted for series of books based on recurring characters. Her most widely known character is thought to be Noddy. Her books have enjoyed popular success in many parts of the world, and have exceeded sales of 400 million. In 2006, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world. There have been more than 3300 translations of her works.
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
Twinkle, twinkle little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky,
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are.
[edit] References
- "Beowulf" www.humanities.mcmaster.ca
- "Vernacular." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Mar 2006, 17:30 UTC. 2 Apr 2006, 12:49 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vernacular&oldid=43916157>.
- "English language." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Apr 2006, 10:53 UTC. 2 Apr 2006, 12:50 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=English_language&oldid=46580990>.
- "English literature." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30 Mar 2006, 16:53 UTC. 2 Apr 2006, 12:50 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=English_literature&oldid=46184672>.
[edit] Estonian
[edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
Estonian uses the letters in the English alphabet, but includes several letters with diacritics. Here is a list of all the Estonian letters.
- A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, Š, Z, Ž, T, U, V, W, Õ, Ä, Ö, Ü, X, Y
Letters in bold are only used in words that are not actually Estonian; rather, they are from another language.
diacritic - a mark added to a letter to change how it's pronounced
[edit] How many people speak this language?
Estonian is spoken by about 1.1 million people, making it the 243rd highest language in number of speakers.
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
Estonian is an official language in:
It is a minority language in:
[edit] What is the history of this language?
It is believed that the Baltic-Finnic languages evolved from a proto-Finnic language, from which Sami was separated around 1500-1000 BC. It has been suggested that this proto-Finnic had three dialects: northern, southern and eastern. The Baltic-Finnic languages separated around the 1st century, but continued influencing each other. You might see southwestern Finnish dialects have many genuine Estonian influences.
Around the 15th century, northern Estonia was under great cultural influence of Germany. Some German monks wanted to bring God closer to the native people, so they invented the Estonian literal language. It was based on the German alphabet and one character "Õ/õ" was added. As time passed, many words that were borrowed from German, coaleased. This was the beginning of enlightenment.
When the Estonians declared themselves a nation, at the beginning of the 20th century, the country bloomed. For the first time they could express themselves freely. This was the golden age of Estonia, and the language was evolved greatly.
The Second World War ended the golden age. Forces from the east marched in, took power, and Estonian was forbidden from being spoken or taught. At that time many changes were made. For example, the structure of sentences was changed - the verb was put at the beginning of the sentence. Interestingly, this is not the way that it is in German.
When Estonian people got back to power, the Soviet Union was disunified. They were a democratic nation for a second time, the cultural shield was broken. New information came in. A lot of slang words and phrases were adopted from English and English-speaking countries.
[edit] Interesting fact
Finnish and Estonian are closely related languages. It's been said that northern Estonians can understand what is being said by Finnish people, even if they haven't learned Finnish.
Strangely, it doesn't seem to work the other way around. The Finnish have to put a lot more effort into learning Estonian, than Estonians have to put into for Finnish.
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
| Vastused | Responses |
|---|---|
| Jah | Yes |
| Ei | No |
| Võibolla | Maybe |
| Tervitused | Greetings |
| Tere | Hello |
| Minu nimi on ____ | My name is ____ |
| Tere hommikust | Good morning |
| Tere päevast | Good afternoon |
| Head ööd | Good night |
| Mis lahti? | What's up? |
| Mis toimub? | What's going on? |
| Mitte palju. | Not much. |
| Hüvastijätud | Good-byes |
| Head aega. | Good-bye. |
| Hüvasti. | Bye. |
| Näeme homme. | See you tomorrow. |
| Hoiame ühendust. | Keep in touch. |
| Peatse jällenägemiseni. | See you soon. |
| Kasulikud fraasid | Useful phrases |
| Kas te võiksite juhatada mind tualettruumi? (polite) Kus on tualettruum? |
Could you tell me where the bathroom is? Where is the bathroom?. |
| Kui palju see maksab? | How much does it cost?. |
| Ma tahan piima. | I want milk. |
| Sa meeldid mulle. | I like you. |
| Ma armastan sind. | I love you. |
| Mu koer sõi mu kodutöö. | My dog ate my homework. |
| Muuhulgas... | Among other things... |
| Lahe | Cool |
| Öö | Night |
| Jää | Ice |
| Kutt | Dude |
| Naine | Woman |
| Mees | Man |
| Hea | Good |
| Halb | Bad |
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
At Christmas time, you might like to sing Christmas carols about your tree. The Estonians do, too. This song is originaly called "O Tannenbaum", but it's called "Oh kuusepuu" in Estonian. It has also been translated into English. The song was first written by Ernst Anschütz in 1824.
Here is the original German song, O Tannenbaum's first verse:
| "Oh kuusepuu" | "O Christmas Tree" |
|---|---|
| Oh kuusepuu, oh kuusepuu | O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree! |
| Kui haljad on su oksad! | How are thy leaves so verdant! |
| Ei mitte üksi suisel a’al. | Not only in the summertime, |
| Vaid talvel ka siin külmal maal | But even in winter is thy prime. |
| Oh kuusepuu, oh kuusepuu | O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, |
| Kui haljad on su oksad! | How are thy leaves so verdant! |
and so on...
[edit] French
[edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
French uses the Latin alphabet just as English does, with the addition of several accent marks that are not used in English: the acute accent or accent aigu (é), the grave accent or accent grave (è), and the circumflex accent or accent circonflexe (ê). There is also a diacritical mark called a cedilla, which is placed under the letter c (ç) to give it a soft pronunciation (like an "s" sound) in certain situations where it would otherwise be pronounced hard (like a "k").
[edit] How many people speak this language?
There are 87 million people who can speak French natively. But there 182 million French speakers total, which means that 95 million people decided to learn the language as adults! This is because there is a lot of interesting literature in French. French is also a language often used in diplomacy.
native speaker - someone who learned to speak a language as a child
literature - books, like the one you are reading now
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
As you probably already figured out, French was first spoken in France. Three of France's neighbors -- Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg -- also use French as one of their official languages. And because of colonization, French is spoken in Canada (the majority in Québec), Louisiana, and Africa.
colonization - going to and conquering other countries in order to live there; because England colonized America, most people in America now speak English.
[edit] What is the history of this language?
French was created from the Latin language, just like Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian. It was first used by the Franks, a people who lived in what we now call France. In the 1600s, French people came to Canada and settled in the area we now call Québec. Some French people (who were expelled from Canada) also settled in Louisiana, which was named in honor of King Louis XIV of France. Louisiana is now a state of the United States. In the 1800s, France conquered large parts of northern, western and central Africa, mostly in the Sahara desert. As France took over ruling these territories and their populations, they established French as the language of instruction in schools, and as the official language of the government. Over time, French became the second native language of many African people, although local languages are still used most often in the home. Although France no longer rules these former colonies, they still use French in daily life.
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
- Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885) Les Miserables
- Alexandre Dumas (1802 - 1870) Les Trois Mousquetaires (The Three Musketeers)
- Jules Verne (1828 - 1905) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Francois Marie Arouet/Voltaire(1694 - 1778)
- Gaston Leroux The Phantom of the Opera
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
| Les salutations | Greetings |
|---|---|
| Salut | Hi/Bye |
| Bonjour | Hello |
| Bonsoir | Good evening |
| Bonne nuit | Good night |
| Quoi de neuf ? | What's up? |
| Pas grand chose. | Not much. |
| Les adieux | Good-byes |
| Au revoir. | Good-bye. |
| À demain. | See you tomorrow. |
| À tout à l'heure. | See you! |
| À bientôt. | See you soon. |
| Phrases de base | Basic phrases |
| Parlez-vous anglais ? | Do you speak English? |
| Où sont les toilettes ? | Where is the bathroom? |
| Plus lentement, s'il vous plaît. | (Speak) slower please. |
| J'aime . . . | I like . . . |
| Je n'aime pas . . . | I don't like . . . |
| Je m'appelle. . . | My name is. . . |
| Comment t'appelles-tu ? | What is your name? |
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
[edit] Petit Papa Noël
| Petit Papa Noël | Little Santa Claus |
| Quand tu descendras du ciel | When you come down from the sky |
| Avec des jouets par milliers | With toys in the thousands |
| N'oublie pas mes petits souliers | Don't forget my little shoes |
| Mais avant de partir | But before leaving |
| Il faudra bien te couvrir | It will be necessary to cover you |
| Dehors tu vas avoir si froid | Outside you will be so cold |
| C'est un peu à cause de moi | It's a little because of me |
[edit] Dame Tartine
| Il était une Dame Tartine | There once was a Dame Tartine (tartine is a kind of sandwich) |
| Dans un beau palais de beurre frais. | Who lived in a beautiful palace of fresh butter. |
| La muraille était de praline, | The walls were made of praline, |
| Le parquet était de croquets, | The floors were of croquettes, |
| La chambre à coucher | The bedroom |
| De crème de lait, | Of fresh cream, |
| Le lit de biscuit, | The bed, a biscuit, |
| Les rideaux d'anis. | And curtains of aniseed. |
[edit] Frère Jacques
| Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques | Brother John, Brother John. |
| Dormez-vous, Dormez-vous? | Are you sleeping, are you sleeping? |
| Sonnez les matines, Sonnez les matines. | Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing. |
| Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong. | Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong. |
This song can be sung as a 'round', which is when one person or group starts the song, and when they arrive at the end of the first verse, the second person or group begins.
[edit] References
- "French language." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 31 Mar 2006, 16:33 UTC. 2 Apr 2006, 06:51 [1].
- French Wikibook
[edit] German
[edit] What writing system(s) does German use?
German uses the Latin alphabet just like English, French, and Spanish, with one extra (non-latin) letter, the eszett, which is pronounced "ss". It also has umlauts, which are not pronounced in English. When people don't have a German keyboard, or the software required to use extra symbols on your own keyboard, they can write the umlauts adding the letter "e" after the basic vowel. These umlauts would then look like this Ae, ae, Oe, oe, Ue, ue. The pronunciation remains the same.
eszett - A letter which only found in the German alphabet, it looks like this: ß
umlauts - Dots, which can be placed above three of the vowels in German, and which change the sound of them. They look like this: Ää, Öö, Üü
[edit] How many people speak German?
There are roughly 110 million people that speak German as a first language; however, there are around 120 million people who speak it as a secondary language.
native speaker - someone who learned to speak a language as a child
secondary language - any language that a person learns to speak after the first language that they learned at home.
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
German is primarily spoken in the following countries:
German is spoken as a secondary language in the following countries:
In small communities all over the world, German and variants (Pennsylfaanisch Deitsch) are spoken as the primary or secondary language. German is also the most widely spoken language in Europe, and the tenth most spoken language in the world.
[edit] What is the history of this language?
West Germanic was an ancient language that evolved into many different languages including German, English, Frisian and Dutch. German evolved from West Germanic between 400AD and 1200AD when people in southern and middle regions of Germany started pronouncing several consonants differently. This language is now called Standard German ("Hochdeutsch", literally "High German").
West Germanic dialects were still spoken in the northern and western regions of Germany and evolved into what is now called Low German ("Plattdeutsch"). For many years the people of these regions of Germany struggled to understand one another. It wasn't until the 1800's that a common language was developed, called Standard German, that allowed the people of the highlands and the lowlands to be able to speak to one another.
dialect - one form of a language; sometimes different regions of a country develop slightly different forms of a language, called dialects
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
Some famous authors and poets in this language include the Grimm brothers, Schiller & Goethe.
The Brothers Grimm (Jacob; 1785 - 1863, Wilhelm; 1786 - 1859) were Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German professors who were best known for publishing collections of authentic folk tales and fairy tales. Their fairy tales are very famous, mostly because Disney made animated movies based on three of them: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Many of the other fairy tales are very famous, and untouched by Disney. These include Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, and Rapunzel.
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (November 10, 1759 – May 9, 1805) was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and dramatist. His childhood and youth were spent in relative poverty, although he attended both village and Latin schools. He eventually studied medicine. At school, he wrote his first play, The Robbers, about a group of naïve revolutionaries and their tragic failure. In 1780, he obtained a post as regimental doctor in Stuttgart. Following the performance of Die Räuber (The Robbers) in Mannheim, in 1781 he was arrested and forbidden to publish any further works. He fled Stuttgart in 1783, coming via Leipzig and Dresden to Weimar in 1787. In 1789, he was appointed professor of History and Philosophy in Jena, where he wrote only historical works. He returned to Weimar in 1799, where Goethe convinced him to return to playwriting. He and Goethe founded the Weimar Theater which became the leading theater in Germany, leading to a dramatic renaissance. He remained in Weimar, Saxe-Weimar until his death at 45 from tuberculosis.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749–22 March 1832) was a German polymath: he was a painter, novelist, dramatist, poet, humanist, scientist, philosopher, and for ten years chief minister of state at Weimar. Goethe was one of the paramount figures of German literature and the movement of German classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This movement coincides with Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, Sensibility ("Empfindsamkeit"), and Romanticism, in all of which he participated to varying degrees. As the author of Faust and Theory of Colours, Goethe's influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works were a primary source of inspiration in music, drama, poetry, and even philosophy.
German is also the language of classical music, as it was the language of Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach just to name a few. Read on for more detail on these artists...
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. His enormous output includes works that are widely acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. Many of his works are part of the standard concert repertory and are widely recognized as masterpieces of the classical style.
Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together almost all of the strands of the Baroque style and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Although he introduced no new musical forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust and dazzling contrapuntal technique, a seemingly effortless control of harmonic and motivic organization from the smallest to the largest scales, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.
Ludwig van Beethoven (December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of classical music, who lived predominantly in Vienna, Austria. Beethoven is widely regarded as one of history's supreme composers, and he produced notable works even after losing his hearing. He was one of the greatest figures in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in music. His reputation has inspired — and in many cases intimidated — composers, musicians, and audiences who were to come after him.
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
| Greetings | (Die) Begrüßungen |
|---|---|
| Hi/Hello | Hi/Hallo |
| Hey | Grüß dich! |
| Morning! | Morgen! |
| Good morning | Guten Morgen |
| Good day | Guten Tag |
| Good evening | Guten Abend |
| Good night | Gute Nacht |
| Good-byes | Abschied |
| Later! | Tschüß! |
| Later! | Tschau! |
| Goodbye! | Auf Wiedersehen! |
| See you soon! | Bis bald! |
| Basic Phrases | Grundlegende Phrasen |
| Do you speak English/German/Dutch? | Sprechen Sie Englisch/Deutsch/Holländisch? |
| Where is the bathroom? | Wo ist die Toilette, bitte? |
| Excuse me | Entschuldigung |
| How are you? | Wie geht's? |
| I am good/bad/horrible/okay. | Mir geht es gut/schlecht/schrecklich/okay. |
| What's Happening? | Was ist passiert? |
| What's Up? | Was ist los? |
| I like ... | Ich mag ... |
| I don't like ... | Ich mag ... nicht. |
| I love you. | Ich liebe Dich. |
| My name is ... | Ich heiße.../Mein Name ist... |
| I am... | Ich bin... |
| I am a... | Ich bin ein... |
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
At Christmas time, you might like to sing Christmas carols about your tree. The Germans do, too. They have a song called "O Tannenbaum" which has also been translated into English. The song was first written by Ernst Anschütz in 1824.
Here is the original German song, O Tannenbaum:
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie grün sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Dein Kleid will mich' was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Das soll dein Kleid mich lehren.
It is known as "O Christmas Tree" in English and is a very famous song. Here is the English version of the song:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!
For every year the Christmas tree,
Brings to us all both joy and glee.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
Each bough doth hold its tiny light,
That makes each toy to sparkle bright.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
[edit] Hebrew
[edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
Hebrew uses a right-to-left abjad system. The Hebrew alphabet consists of twenty-two letters and five final letters, and is derived from the Aramaic alphabet, which in its turn came from the Phoenician alphabet, the source of most writing systems known today. In Hebrew (and other Semitic) writing, most vowels are optionally written as diacritics.
diacritic - a mark added to a letter to change the way it is pronounced.
[edit] How many people speak this language?
Approximately 10 million people speak Hebrew. (About 7 million of them live in Israel.)
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
Modern Hebrew is spoken by many people all over the world and is the main language of Israel where it is the official language. Other countries with significant Hebrew speaking populations include Argentina, Belgium, The Netherlands, Brazil, Chile, Canada, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, Panama, United States and Uruguay.
[edit] What is the history of this language?
Hebrew is a very old language. It was the language used to write most of the Jewish Bible, and was spoken in the Middle East. Hebrew stopped being a spoken everyday language when it was replaced by Aramaic, but continued to be used in the reading of the Jewish Bible texts and prayers. By the modern period, Hebrew had ceased to be the mother tongue of the Jewish people because many Jews had left Israel and had adopted the languages of their new countries. In Germany, Yiddish, a language based on German but mixed with many Hebrew, Russian and Polish words, arose and became popular. Hebrew remained exclusively the language for religious purposes until it was revived by Eliezer ben-Yehuda at the beginning of the 20th century. Ben-Yehuda began to compile a dictionary which still bears his name today. His children grew up tutored by their father and became the first native speakers of the Hebrew language in the modern period.
Modern Hebrew, like ancient Hebrew, is written without vowels. Written Hebrew vowel symbols were invented by a group of Hebrew scholars named the Massoretes, who lived around Tiberias at the Sea of Galilee during the 10th century CE. The square script, familiar in modern Hebrew, also grew from this 10th century CE period. Hebrew script has evolved through the centuries, from the paleo script to the Qumran distinctive script to cursive script and finally to the modern square script.
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
The most famous text in the world, the Bible, was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Many religious believers believe that the Bible was inspired directly by God, so they would say that God is a very famous author in Hebrew. Another famous author in Hebrew is the Nobel Prize laureate S. Y. Agnon (pronounced Shay Agnon).
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
| Greetings | ברכות |
|---|---|
| Hi/Hello | היי/שלום (Hi/Shalom) |
| Good morning | בוקר טוב (Boker Tov) |
| Good day | יום טוב (Yom Tov) |
| Good evening | ערב טוב (Erev Tov) |
| Good night | לילה טוב (Laila Tov) |
| Good-byes | להתראות |
| Goodbye! | להתראות (Lehitraot, Sometimes shortened to "להית' - "Lehit") |
| See you soon! | ניתראה בקרוב (Nitrahe Bekarov) |
| Congratulations | מזל טוב (Mazal Tov) |
| Basic Phrases | ביטויים בסיסיים |
| Do you speak English/German/Hebrew? | האם אתה מדבר אנגלית/גרמנית/עברית? (Hahim Ata Medaber Anglit/Germanit/Ivrit?) |
| Where is the bathroom? | איפה השירותים? (Eifo Hasherutim?) |
| Excuse me | סליחה (Slikha) |
| How are you? | מה שלומך? (Ma Shlomkha?) |
| Everything is fine. | הכול בסדר (Hakol Beseder) |
| What's Happening? | מה קורה? (Ma Kore?) |
| What's Up? | מה נשמע/מה המצב? (Ma Nishma/Ma Hamatzav?) |
| I like ... | אני אוהב... (Ani Ohev...) |
| I don't like ... | אני לא אוהב... (Ani Lo Ohev...) |
| My name is ... | שמי הוא.../קוראים לי... (Shmi Hu/Korim Li) |
| I am... | אני... (Ani...) |
| Simple Words | מילים פשוטות |
| Yes | כן (Ken) |
| No | לא (Lo) |
| Mother | אמא (Ima) |
| Father | אבא (Aba) |
| Dog | כלב (Kelev) |
| Cat | חתול (Khatul) |
| Car | מכונית (Mekhonit) |
| Hot | חם (Kham) |
| Cold | קר (Kar) |
- the sound of 'kh' is like a 'h' coming from the back of your throat
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
[edit] Little Yonatan
| Hebrew Characters | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
|
יונתן הקטן |
Yonatan hakatan |
Little Jonathan |
[edit] A song for the Rain
| Hebrew Characters | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
|
גשם, גשם משמיים |
Geshem, geshem mishamaim |
Rain drops, Rain drops from the sky |
* Tif-Tif-Taf - the sound of Rain drops in Hebrew
[edit] Hindi
[edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
Hindi does not use Latin characters like the English you are reading, but instead uses a script called devanagari. Devanagari is a type of writing system, called an abugida, where the base character is a syllable that includes a consonant and a vowel. The first consonant in devanagari is क, which stands for the sound "ka". The character can be changed to use different vowels. For example का कि की कु कू के कै को कौ are the k character with each of the main vowels in Hindi. There is also a different form of the vowels when they appear at the beginning of a word or as the second of a pair of vowels. The basic vowels are अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ and औ.
[edit] How many people speak this language?
There are varying estimates for how many people speak Hindi. It is estimated to be between the second and fourth most commonly spoken language in the world. The number of native speakers varies depending on whether or not very closely related dialects are counted. Estimates range from 340 million to 500 million speakers, and as many as 800 million people can understand the language. Hindi is also closely related to the language Urdu, and in everyday conversations, speakers of both languages can usually understand each other. There are 60 to 100 million speakers of Urdu.