Local dialects richness

Q: What is the origin of languages?

According to historians, languages in their modern sense appeared between 80,000 and 60,000 BCE in East Africa or the Near East. These then gave rise to various types of dialects around the world.

Q: What distinguishes a dialect from a language?

An official language is generally well-stabilized within society, especially orally and in writing. On the other hand, the notion of rarity distinguishes a dialect from a language. Indeed, the number of its speakers is usually low, and this is why several dialects have disappeared nowadays.

The first stop will be in Israel, where Hebrew is classified as the country's official language. That said, travelers should be aware that today's Hebrew differs from what is available in the Old Testament and related texts. Another Jewish language, namely Yiddish, has dramatically influenced modern Hebrew. Concretely, apart from Israel, this dialect is very little spoken worldwide. After that, it will be time to tour Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan to discover Farsi. It is a dialect originating from Old Persian. Nevertheless, it almost remained the same since a Farsi speaker could easily read a text dating back to 900 CE. In Europe, two countries share the Basque language Spain and France. The most astonishing thing is that this dialect has no connection with these two countries' main languages and does not originate from them. To hear native Basque-speaking, travelers will have to go to the north of Spain and the southwestern territory of France. Then, it is in the far north of Europe that travelers will have to go to discover Lithuanian. Indeed, it is in Lithuania that they will be able to know the history of one of the oldest dialects in the world because, according to researchers, Lithuania appeared nearly 3,500 years before our era. They will also take the opportunity to visit must-see places in the country. Moreover, it is worth noting that this language is also adopted in Latvia. On the Irish side, Irish Gaelic is spoken by a small minority of locals. This dialect is derived from Scottish Gaelic and Manx. As such, tourists can visit the Gaeltacht on the west coast of Ireland during their visit. It is the only region that still retains this language in their culture. The next stop will be in Sri Lanka and Singapore to discover Tamil. It is a classical language that has survived the modern world since, according to researchers, Tamil dates back to the third century BC. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that this dialect is common in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, in the Territory of Pondicherry, in Malaysia and in Mauritius, where part of the Hindu community speaks it. Thus, tourists will be spoilt for choice in terms of travel if they want to know more about the local culture of these different countries and the language spoken by the inhabitants. Further, in Turkey, it is the language of birds, also called Kus Dili, that is honored, and tourists can listen to the locals speak it in the village of Kuskoy. Here, no alphabet is used apart from whistles and melodies. Not far from there, Pakistan is honored with the famous Kalasha-mun dialect, which the Kalash people of Chitral speak. To this day, about five thousand speakers continue to use it. The next destination is Cameroon, where Njérép presents as a rare language that few locals speak. On the Ethiopian side, travelers will be able to discover Ongota, which currently has only 12 speakers. To do this, they must travel to southeastern Ethiopia to meet these 12 deans. On the American continent, Piranha is an indigenous language from Brazil. There are about 300 locals who speak this dialect of Mura. Indeed, the nomadic hunter-gatherers who live along the Maici and Autaces rivers in the Amazon jungle of Brazil make use of it. Thus, a visit to this place can allow travelers to meet them. On the Colombian side, Tunebo is spoken by the Uwa people. Nearly 3,600 native speakers use it, and this dialect has a writing and dictionary system. Nevertheless, tourists who want to hear this language will have to go to the departments of Arauca and Boyaca. On the part of Oceania, tourists can venture to Bougainville Island, near Papua New Guinea, to discover Rotoka. This dialect is composed of 13 alphabets, and according to statistics, there are nearly 4,000 locals who speak it fluently. ◄

FAQ - Local dialects richness

►
What is the origin of languages?
According to historians, languages in their modern sense appeared between 80,000 and 60,000 BCE in East Africa or the Near East. These then gave rise to various types of dialects around the world. 
►
What distinguishes a dialect from a language? 
An official language is generally well-stabilized within society, especially orally and in writing. On the other hand, the notion of rarity distinguishes a dialect from a language. Indeed, the number of its speakers is usually low, and this is why several dialects have disappeared nowadays. 