Vocabulary, Demographics, and Other Critical Info on Language Learners
Statistics from Kent State University, n.d.
Over 1.5 billion people globally are learning a second language.
The language learning market was valued at $70.69 billion in 2022.
The online language learning market grew 38% in 2020.
Over 7,000 languages are spoken globally.
One language disappears every two weeks.
54% of Europeans can hold a conversation in at least two languages.
Between 20-30% of Americans in the U.S. can hold a conversation in at least two languages.
More than 50% of African countries have bilingual education policies.
40% of people globally lack access to education in a language they know.
Note. From A comprehensive overlook of the Nordic languages in their old world language families [Illustration], by Minna Sundberg, 2014, Stand Still Stay Silent. https://www.sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=196
The map shown on the right was originally drawn by Minna Sundberg in 2014 and shows the language family tree, specifically for the Nordic languages. This is an incredibly comprehensive map, showing both how each of the languages are connected to each other, how they have grown and changed over time, and the sheer diversity of languages within just one language family.
A myriad of tongues: How languages reveal differences in how we think by Caleb Everett
This book, highlighted in by book reviews, discusses the many differences between languages and how they impact how people interpret the world around them. Focusing predominately on the Indigenous languages of the Amazonian area, Everett describes the linguistic differences in aspects like grammar, time interpretation, direction interpretation, and sound. He then goes on to describe each of these differences and how they influence how people think about the world around them.
Kent State University. (n.d.). Global language learning trends and statistics. https://www.kent.edu/mcls/translation-ma/blog/language-learning-trends-and-statistics
Sundberg, M. (2014, October 14). A comprehensive overlook of the Nordic languages in their old world language families [Illustration]. Stand Still Stay Silent. https://www.sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=196