"What Country Has the Most Languages Spoken?" Review

In a world with thousands of different languages, each country can have hundreds of languages spoken. What is fascinating about this is the fact that even though languages can have similarities, each one is separate and distinct from the other. In the video I watched titled "What Country Has the Most Languages Spoken?", Paul describes the countries in the world with the greatest linguistic diversity. The information appears to come from good sources that he lists in the description of the video, and it really is eye-opening.

Papua New Guinea tops the list of countries with great linguistic variation. 88% of the population lives in rural areas and there are about 820 different languages spoken across the country. Many of the people from different language groups never even come into contact with each other because the terrain is so rugged. Imagine spending your entire life in the confinements of a small village completely oblivious to the fact that there are hundreds of languages spoken all around you. In countries with great linguistic variation like this I speculate that each separate language group is closely knit because they can't really communicate with a whole lot of other people. There are many different language "families" (categories that the languages can be placed in based on slight similarity), however there are some languages spoken in Papua New Guinea that have absolutely no connection to any other language.

The other aspect of the video that I actually found quite neat was about lingua francas. These are basically languages that are used to communicate between different native speakers. For example, even though India is a country with 427 different languages, two lingua francas used to communicate between all those languages are English and Hindi. These people can all come from different language backgrounds, however they can communicate using a common language. I had never heard of the term "lingua franca" before I saw the video and it's something I think I'd like to learn more about because it is a really cool concept the fact that these people who are so different can find a way to communicate.

I know you're probably thinking what does the picture on the left have to do with anything mentioned in this post. First, I thought it was funny and it actually made me laugh a little (okay maybe just some more air than normal quickly come out of my nose) but it also does kind of tie in with the idea of learning a new language and the whole "lingua franca" concept.    
Pig Latin isn't a real language but there are thousands of languages out there with so many diverse speakers (hundreds even in the United States) and I think everyone should at least try learning a new language. Maybe learning a lingua franca language can open up a whole new world for you to explore and connect you to hundreds of different cultural backgrounds of the people who speak it.

"What Makes a Word 'Real'?" Review

When it comes down to it, who really decides what a word means and how it is used? Is it the people editing the dictionaries, or is it society as a whole? English professor Anne Curzan explores this topic in a TED Talk titled "What makes a word 'real'?". After presenting some examples and even admitting herself that dictionary editors are just ordinary people, she concludes that a word is real because people make it real. If a group of people are using a word and they all have the same meaning for it and understand each other, it is real. It doesn't have to be in the dictionary, it just has to be used by people.

When I was in elementary school, I thought that the dictionary was the absolute truth when it came down to proper English language. I always heard from my teachers, "If you don't know what a word means, look it up in the dictionary.". Dictionaries can definitely be helpful, especially for young students, however it should not define your limits for word usage. They are just prescriptive grammar, and are guidelines for what some people consider proper language. In casual settings, most people rely on descriptive grammar and don't keep tabs on whether or not how they are speaking is completely 'proper' and tend to follow how other people are speaking. If other people can understand what you are saying and can communicate back to you, that's all that matters. That's what language is all about anyway, communicating meaning to others. 

If someone begins using the word "bumphead" (a compound word created from 'bump' and 'head') to describe the condition that comes about from accidentally bumping your head on something, and other people catch on, and soon a whole community is using it, they have just created a word. Creativity is what makes a language more vibrant, and humans have the capacity for endless creativity. Some words over the years stop being used, and more new words are created from the ashes. We don't say 'apricity' anymore when describing the sun's warmth on a cold winter day, however we do say 'selfie' when referring to taking a picture of oneself. Overall, watching the video sort of gave me this sense of power because when it comes down to it, we all are in charge of giving words meaning, not just the lexicographers.