Places to Visit if You Love Learning Languages
Some people travel to see more of the world. Others travel to find places to relax. Some like to experience new activities while others want to catch up with far away relatives. You, on the other hand, love languages. There are over seven thousand languages in the world and only one hundred and ninety-five countries, which means there is a lot of communication happening in very small spaces. Whether you’re interested in learning more about a language you already speak, discovering the origins of a mysterious historical language or want to decipher the differences between dialects, here are some great places to visit if you just love languages.
One: China
China is a great example of how the history of a country can influence the languages of the present. There are over eight different linguistic groups in China, not to mention hundreds of variations and spoken dialects. This stems from the centuries of war and divided power that split the large population in various ways over the years. For many English speakers, China is an amazing place to soak up the beauty of communication as it differs so much from the structures understood by users of the alphabet. The written logographic characters can be extremely difficult to learn for native English speakers, but since China is such a huge world influence, it is definitely worth a try.
Two: Russia
In Russia, there is only one official language – Russian. Regional differences are considered, but there are many Russian languages in danger of fading out of use. Visit Russia to find out more about the extinction of old dialects and how language evolves over time. It is amazing that such a large country can possess only one official language. Wealthier people in Russia are expected to be able to speak more than one language. Famous literary figures such as Chekhov and Tolstoy have come from Russia, so uncovering more about their lives will surely spark interest within any budding linguist.
Three: Spain
While Spain may not be the only country in the world to speak Spanish, it is still a valuable place to visit for anyone in love with languages. There are many opportunities to practice the language; for instance, you can catch a taxi from Barcelona airport and try your hand at speaking Spanish; the professionals can help you, and even if you aren’t as fluent as you thought, they’ll still be able to converse with you properly. Remember though, that in Spain, they speak Spanish and Catalan, two very distinct languages. Spanish has spread all over the world and is one of the most useful languages to learn if you want to travel all over the globe – it is the second most spoken language in the world.
Four: Egypt
If historical language is more to your interest, you can do no wrong in visiting Egypt. Aside from the most widely spoken Egyptian Arabic of today, the country holds the key to the most fascinating translation device in history. Currently residing in the British Museum in London – with much controversy – the Rosetta Stone once held the secret to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, Demotic script and ancient Greek. While seeing the stone itself in London is an awe-inspiring experience, visiting the country of its origin is far more profound.
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