Why Do We Love Languages? - Creative Word

Almost half the world’s population can fluently speak more than one language, while 13% can speak three or more, but what is it about languages that we love so much?

Is it the sound of exotic words rolling off our tongues? Or is it more to do with a sense of familiarity with a specific culture, country or people?

Polyglots, those that can speak more than one language, are definitely the majority, and with supposed health benefits such as, delayed degeneration of the brain, and increased intellectual capacity, they are quite justified in their language choices.

According to The Guardian, the allure of language has more to do with our perception of a country’s status and social values, than the actual sound of the words.

Learning to speak more than one language also has a certain kind of sex appeal; Italian is often famed as the language of love due to its rhythmic dispersal of consonants and vowels, making for a song-like quality.

Native English speakers are often drawn to melodic sounding languages such as, French, Italian and Spanish due to the similarities between them and English. There are specific sounds which are familiar to the listener, with similar grammar and linguistic structure. However, languages such as, Chinese or Arabic are completely unrelated and therefore, might sound less appealing.

Dr Vineeta Chand from the University of Essex, believes it isn’t so much the sound of the language that appeals to us, but more the positive connotations we have formed of that particular language and location.

She claims that the more popular languages are those that are linked to countries that hold a certain prestige. Chinese, is an example of a language whose popularity is on the rise due to the economic growth made by China in recent years, whereas, languages such as Maori or Hawaiian (from less economically powerful countries) which are infrequently used outside of their native base, are therefore, less popular.

Chand suggests that the link between the perception of a country, and the popularity of its language, are very difficult for listeners to overcome. No matter how hard a speaker tries to seduce a listener with honeyed words, the lack of social status will dictate a negative outcome.

The allure of each language then, depends upon the listener’s outlook, background, culture, and native language.

So, while we might love some languages, there are likely to be others that we find will grate on our nerves, and cause us to switch off from listening. As Nelson Mandela rightly pointed out “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”