Here are some more information for European Languages:

Why languages are a reason of celebration in Europe

Each year, on 26th of September, Europe celebrates the Day of Languages. This tradition emerged in 2001, which was proclaimed the European Year of Languages.

The field of foreign languages is part of the EU authorities’ preoccupations, taken into account the rich inheritance that the old continent holds from linguistic point of view. Although it is a relatively small territory, compared to other continents, Europe counts many different language-speaking communities and this fact often arises as a challenge for the efforts of creating an unique cultural and economic European space. Within the European Union, there are 23 official languages, after the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, but at continental level, there are about 230 indigenous languages. All the languages spoken in Europe hold histories and cultures behind, being a part of the European peoples’ paths.

In this context, “united in diversity†is an aim difficult to approach and to achieve.

On the other hand, Europeans besides being a diverse community of native speakers are also open to learning foreign languages. Especially in the territories where a non-international language is official, the level of knowing at least one foreign language is high. A distinct world from the languages point of view, Europe fully deserves a celebration of its linguistic dimension. But let’s take a look at some interesting facts about the European linguistic landscape, that many of you may not be aware of:

• Most European languages belong to the Indo-European family, deriving from Sanskrit.
• The most spoken mother tongues in Europe are: Russian, German, English, French and Italian, in this order.
• The non-European languages most widely used in the European territory are Arabic, Chinese and Hindi.
• Russia is the European territory where the highest number of languages is being spoken.
• Basque is the last remaining pre-Indo-European language in Europe.
• The languages spoken in Europe represent 3% of the amount of languages spoken globally.
• 56% of the European citizens claim to speak at least one language besides their native one, while 44% admit not speaking a foreign language.

As a foreigner traveling in Europe, if you speak English, rarely you will encounter problems because this is the second language for most of the Europeans. However, the multilinguism arises as a complex issue in Europe, relating to the need of preserving traditions, history and culture. David Crystal, an authority in linguistics, was saying that “everytime we lose a language, we lose one vision of the worldâ€.

Every time we think that the languages we know are enough because we are handling daily situations just fine, we let languages die and miss the opportunity envisioning the world differently. Learning a language, different from your native one, gives you the chance of comparing, making connections and seeing how people belonging to other cultures related to the surrounding world and various life experiences. Multilinguism is, in the end, a matter of self-identity because it helps you place yourself in a context and understand better who you are, where you come from, where are you heading. That’s why, never settle to knowing one language, no matter how well you think you might be doing like this.

Is there a certain language you would like to speak, but don’t have enough finances to attend a class? Learning a foreign language has never been easier. Come to Fluent Future and learn a language for free, meeting native speakers of the language you are seeking to learn, or pay rated teachers for individual lessons.

About the Author

Irina Ivan is a web content author with expertise in writing articles on business, society and self-development related topics. Irina's background includes over 6 years of professional experience in Media, PR, Communication, Marketing and Customer Relationship Management fields.

Would it be ok for someone of a European background wanting to learn Asian languages at college?

In addition to a French and Spanish degree. I find learning European languages easy because of my nationality and the fact that my mum took a degree in Spanish (and became a young French/Spanish teacher here in England for a few months before I was born). However I've become interested in beginning courses in Chinese and Japanese at college to broaden my knowledge of languages to those outside my background. Would this be a good option?

Absolutely. Your ethnic background has nothing to do with which languages you will be good at. People of Chinese descent are not automatically better at picking up Chinese than Europeans. But, since your native language is a European language, it will be harder that learning languages related to your native language, but if you realize this and put in extra effort, you can still do it. Plus, it will give you lots of opportunities in your career, help you understand the other languages you speak better, and the natives will respect you more if you visit.

Nana Mouskouri offers pension to debt-riven Greece
Greek diva Nana Mouskouri has offered to donate the pension she gets as a former member of the European parliament as part of a drive to help the country tackle a huge debt crisis, the finance ministry said on Tuesday.

Thanks for visiting!