Did you know over half of the world’s population is bilingual? It makes sense because, throughout the whole world, there are over 7,000 known languages. This isn’t even including made-up languages used for fictional stories, which comes to over 200 fake languages.
We actually see a lot of different languages being blended and used together in certain industries and groups. For example, while the language primarily spoken in many industries is English, many of the words will still originate from another language altogether. This is the case for the ballet world and culinary arts where they use French words heavily, and over 20,000 new French words are created every year.
Even on a national level, language is varied and fluid. Most people would assume the national language of the United States is English, however, there is no official language in America! There are a multitude of languages commonly heard all over America, but they also have the second-highest number of Spanish speakers after Mexico, and 1.5 million Americans speak French.
Although the most common form, language isn’t even always verbal. Sign language consists of symbols with the hands, and facial expressions are incorporated heavily. In Botswana, there is actually a language made up of five primary clicking sounds!