6th March, 2024
CHIRANJIT MITRA
● Roots: Southern India and Sri Lanka ● Cultural Gem: Possesses a rich literary tradition dating back centuries. ● Fact: It's one of the official languages of Singapore and Sri Lanka.
● Biblical Connection: The Language of the Old Testament ● Incredible Revival: After centuries of decline, it was resurrected as the official language of Israel. ● Fact: Hebrew reads from right to left.
● Heavyweight: Deeply influential on Western philosophy, literature, and science. ● Source of Many Words: Gave English terms like "democracy" and "physics." ● Fact: The Greek alphabet has been used for nearly 3,000 years.
● Speakers: Boasts the world's largest native speaker population. ● Unique Writing: Based on logograms (characters representing words). ● Fact: There are many regional Chinese dialects, some as different as Spanish and French.
● Jesus' Language: The language spoken by Jesus Christ. ● Far Reaching: Once a major language across the Middle East ● Fact: Small communities still speak Aramaic dialects today.
● India's Sacred Tongue: The language of Hindu scriptures and ancient philosophy. ● Mother of Many: Languages across India descend from Sanskrit. ● Fact: Its precise grammar was a key influence on early linguistics studies.
● Echoes of Pharaohs: Descended from the language of ancient Egypt. ● Religious Use: Preserved as the liturgical language of Egypt's Coptic Christians. ● Fact: The Egyptian hieroglyphic system was one of the world's earliest forms of writing.
● Voice of Iran: The official language of Iran, with variants spoken in Afghanistan (Dari) and Tajikistan (Tajiki). ● Poetic Legacy: Language of great poets like Rumi and Hafez. ● Fact: Farsi uses a modified version of the Arabic alphabet.
● Mysterious Origins: Spoken in the Basque region of Spain and France. ● Linguistic Puzzle: Its roots remain a matter of debate among scholars. ● Fact: The word "Basque" likely has the same origin as "Gascon," an inhabitant of southwestern France.
● Pride of Korea: The official language of both North and South Korea. ● Unique Alphabet: The Hangul script is known for its simplicity and ease of learning. ● Fact: Korea has numerous dialects, though the standard is the Seoul dialect.