Languages of the World

LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. – Nelson Mandela

Do you know how many languages exist in the world? Though there is no exact list, it is believed there are approximately 7,000 languages that are spoken by people who consider the language a mother tongue. Still, many of these languages are spoken by a shrinking number of people: it is estimated that a language becomes extinct every two to four weeks! In many communities, speakers may choose to move to a more popularly used language or parents may decide to teach their children to speak a language that is used by a larger group, thus endangering their own native tongue. One of these languages is Akkala Sami, which was spoken in villages on Russia’s Kola Peninsula by inhabitants known as Sami, an ethnic group known to herd reindeer. On December 29, 2003, the last known speaker of the Akkala Sami language died and the language became extinct. source

The Bible tells us to go into all the world and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is important to embrace the different languages and different cultures that exist in the world so that we can be effective witnesses of God’s Word. But the Lord also reminds us that, though we may speak in different languages if we do not have love we are considered nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). In this new year, may we all develop a love for the many cultures and languages throughout the world and remember that life is fleeting but the Word of the Lord remains forever.