Language facts

How many languages are there in the world?

• 3000 - 4000

• 6000 - 7000

• 9000 - 10000

• 12000 - 14000

How many languages are indigenous to Europe?

• around 125

• around 55

• around 225

• around 75

True or false?

Although many languages usually have 50 000 words or more, native speakers normally use the same few hundred words.

• True

• False

English belongs to...

• the Germanic language family

• the Romance language family

• the Slavic language family

Most European languages use the (a)   alphabet.

True or false?

Russia has by far the highest number of languages spoken on its territory: from 130 to 200 depending on the criteria.

• True

• False

Which of these is the oldest European language spoken today?

• Basque

• Greek

• Galician

• Icelandic

Where does the word 'alphabet' come from?

• From Sanskrit

• From the first two letters of the Greek alphabet

• From the name of the Greek god Alpheus

• From the Egyptian word for 'writing'

What's the official language in the USA?

• English

• none

• Spanish

• German

Which of these languages has the longest alphabet? (73 letters)

• Cambodian

• Croatian

• Indonesian

• Hindi