Language quiz

Question #1: How many indigenous languages are there estimated to be in Europe?

It is estimated that there are between 200 and 300 indigenous languages in Europe, probably between 220 and 230.

Question #2: How many living languages do you estimate there are in the world?

The number of living languages is estimated at around 6000.

Question #3: Which is the most widely spoken language in the world?

English is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is estimated that there are about 1.8 billion speakers. Chinese is second with 1.35 billion (mainly native) speakers. Hindi: 650 million speakers; Spanish: 495 million speakers.

Question #4: What proportion of all languages in the world are African languages?

About one third of all languages in the world are African languages. It is assumed that about half of all African languages, which means about 1000 languages (!), will die out within the next 50 years!

Question #5: Which of the following languages are written from right to left?

Hebrew and Arabic are written from right to left. Japanese, traditionally, is written from top to bottom (and then right to left). Maltese is written from left to right

Question #6: Which of the following languages spoken in Europe today is considered to be the oldest?

Basque is considered to be the oldest European language spoken today.