If you are studying languages or one of your projects is related to mastering a second language, you will certainly be interested in reading this article. Sometimes we discover information about world languages learning that we did not expect. For this reason, here we point out 5 surprising facts about learning a foreign language.
What does it mean to learn a language?
Language learning is the process by which an individual acquires the relevant skills to become proficient in a second language. From an academic point of view, it is a branch of applied linguistics that deals with foreign language learning.
There are some wrong ideas about language learning, such as, for example, that age can be a drawback when studying a second language or that the human brain has the capacity to master only an extremely limited number of foreign languages.
Surprising facts about language learning
Based on the experience of Kaleido Languages, we offer you some surprising facts about languages in the world and language learning. So sit back, relax and enjoy these curiosities and tips on language learning.
Language immersion is effective when learning a language
It sounds strange, but people who are unfamiliar with a foreign language have made more progress in the first few days of living abroad than those who have devoted hours to studying the foreign language in question.
It is also true that immersion can be lethal for someone unfamiliar with the language, although it can actually become a stimulus for meaningful learning. In addition, it is worth noting that the age of the learner does not matter much.
Young adults have a great potential for learning languages
Young adults in their 20s learn foreign languages faster than any other age group. This is because young adults possess the grammatical skills and knowledge necessary to learn a new language more quickly.
Another aspect that works in their favour is their own motivation, linked to their aspirations for personal and professional growth. However, the difference in learning speed does not differ much from other age groups.
Deep knowledge of a second language is important for learning another language
The greatest differences in language learning speed are perceived at the individual level. However, the data we have obtained show that students from countries with educational systems in which two or more languages are taught perform faster than students who learn only one language.
There are more than 7,000 languages in the world
According to the Ethnologue, a specialistic magazine for the study of lesser-known languages in the world, there are more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world. Of them, more than 2,000 correspond to the Asian continent and a similar number of languages are found in Africa. The American continent is home to more than a thousand languages and Australia is just above it, while only 287 languages are spoken in Europe.
Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world
The official language of the Asian powerhouse, China, is the one with the greatest global expansion. It is present in more than 30 countries around the world. The variety with the greatest impact is Mandarin, which has more than 890 million native speakers in 14 countries.
Next, the second language with the largest presence in the world is Spanish. This language has 427 million speakers in more than 30 countries around the world, and in third place is English, which has almost 340 million speakers in more than 100 countries. Although English does not have the largest number of speakers, it is the most popular language in the world.
In short, these are the most surprising facts about language learning in general. Remember that learning a second language opens up many possibilities both personally and professionally. Therefore, thousands of people are interested in learning and speaking one or more foreign languages well every day.
