UNUSUAL LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD
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Welcome to my blog
Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own — Goethe. Welcome to my blog, where I indulge my passion for all things linguistic! Be prepared to discover some weird and wonderful languages you’ve never heard of before, or maybe just to learn more about some languages you thought you knew. While… Read more
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Scotland’s lost Scandinavian language
Only a few hundred kilometres from Iceland and the Faroe Islands lie the islands of Orkney and Shetland – the northernmost points of the United Kingdom, and home to the now-extinct language Norn. The Shetland islands were originally a Celtic settlement, until they were invaded by Vikings (the Norse people) during the 9th century AD.… Read more
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Where does Russia become Alaska?
The answer is: halfway between Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Island. Out in the Bering Strait, off the eastern coast of Siberia and the westernmost point of Alaska, lie the Diomede Islands: Big Diomede and Little Diomede. At their closest points, the two islands are less than 4 kilometres apart – a small stretch of water… Read more
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Pitcairn & Pitkern: a secret family language?
Out in the middle of the Pacific, more than 5,000km from Auckland and 6,000km from Panama, lie the Pitcairn Islands – one of the most remote inhabited island groups in the world. A trip there from Europe would require a 30-hour flight to Tahiti, followed by a 4-hour flight to the Gambier Islands and a… Read more
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Europe’s mystery language
Straddling north-western Spain and south-western France lies a region called the Basque Country, with its own unique language: Basque (or Euskara in Basque). The vast majority (93%) of its 750,000 speakers reside in Spain, while the other 7% live over the French border. Unlike Catalan and other minority languages of Spain, Basque is completely unrelated… Read more
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Unusual Languages of the World 