Benefits of Being Bilingual

It is estimated that there are over 6,500 living languages around the world. The exact figure is difficult to determine because language and dialect are not so easy to distinguish from one another. Since there are literally thousands of languages in the world, it is natural to assume that there would be many advantages for someone who can speak than more than one language.

Most commonly spoken languages

The top three languages spoken around the world are Mandarin, Spanish and English. These are three of the six official languages used by the United Nations (the other are Arabic, French and Russian). There are over 1.2 billion Mandarin speakers all over the world, half a billion Castilian Spanish speakers and about 1.5 billion English speakers around the world.

Other most commonly spoken languages around the world are Bengali, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian and Japanese. Arabic is one of the world’s most commonly spoken languages and is spoken by 175 million people around the globe, with ten variants within spoken Arabic.

What is the Official Language of the United States of America?

If English is your answer, sorry, you are wrong. If your answer is American English, you are still wrong! English is not the official language of the United States of America. In fact, the US has no official language, at least on the federal level. One would think that English, which is undoubtedly the lingua franca of business and global politics today, is by default the most powerful nation's official language. But it is not. There has never been one, and will probably never will be, at least in the near foreseeable future.

Why is this so? One theory is because it goes against the spirit on which the US was founded on. America is a country of immigrants of different races, religions, political beliefs, customs, traditions, and of course, languages. The Constitution of the US protects the freedoms of its citizens on many levels including their individuality and diversity. And language forms a big part of every citizen.

If Columbus discovered America, why isn't Spanish the official language?

The first Europeans who set foot on the Americas (North and South American continents) were not the Spaniards or the Portuguese. Vikings already found themselves in Canada even before the Spanish explorers sent their vast ships to find more lands and riches to conquer. But it was the voyages of the Spanish backed Christopher Columbus and his crew that were credited with the discovery of the Americas.

Mother's Day: Mothers Speak the Language of Love Around the World

Mothers play a multitude of roles in their children's lives. Aside from the care and love they provide, they can also function as breadwinners, personal doctors, nurses, counselors, chefs, tailors, housekeepers, financial advisers, drivers, coaches, security guards, hairdressers, fashion consultants, life coaches, and social secretaries.

One important role of mothers is that they are the primary teachers of their children. One of the first things that children learn from mothers is language. In fact, the primary language of a person is called his "mother tongue" or "mother language." It is the language that a child learns usually from his mother. Because the young child is often closer to his mother, he naturally picks up the language his mother speaks. Traditionally, mothers are the first caretakers of their children; they teach the young how to speak, read and write. The first songs they hear are the lullabies sung by their mothers.

Change Your Life – Learn a New Language

One of the best things you can do is to learn a new language. It's a challenge that can be fun, rewarding and best of all, life changing. For most adults, learning a new language is quite difficult. In fact, research has shown that as a person ages, his ability to learn a new language becomes more difficult. But don't listen to research! There are other factors that contribute to the ease or difficulty in learning a new language aside from one's age. In this age of globalization, it is easier to reach out to peoples of different cultures, races and creeds. One way to connect with them is by learning their mother tongues.

There is a Czech proverb that describes what it is like to learn a new language. It goes like this - Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem. This translates to this:

“You live a new life for every new language you speak.
If you know only one language, you live only once.”

Viva la Mexico! Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration held every fifth of May. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the celebration of Mexican Independence Day. This day – Grito de Dolores, is celebrated by Mexicans on September 16^th of every year.

Dancers at the annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in Washington, D.C.

Instead, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of some Mexican troops against the French army. Today, however, it has become a celebration of Mexican pride and heritage.

More American than Mexican

Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate Mexican pride and the unique  Mexican-American culture. It marks the Mexican army’s victory against French military troops in The 1862 Battle of Puebla