*~How can Eriope have so many Languages it its not even that big?~*?

Question

How can there be so many languages in Europe if even now when it isn't even that big. After all there used to be even more languages like Prussian (right?) how did all these languages develop? and be soooo different like German and Spanish

Answer 1

Actually Europe is the POOREST region (or one of the poorest) in the world for diversity of language BUT because of the fragmentation of Europe into many small nation states it just seems like there are many languages.

Here's a fact for you: With an average of only 7000 speakers per language, Papua New Guinea has a greater density of languages than any other nation on earth except Vanuatu.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea )

Calafornia and North America in general used to be one of the richest areas for language diversity but unfortunately the great demise of the First Nations brought with it the death of many many languages.

If you count up all the tribal and minority languages in areas such as South America, India and China would discover that these areas are rich in language diversity.

There are roughly around 6,000 spoken living languages in the world today. If there are just under 200 nation states in the world you can see that language and nation do not go hand in hand. Unfortunately only around 10% of the languages spoken today on this earth will survive into the 22nd century. Who knows what will happen in two or three hundred years but one thing is for certain: the number of language spoken then will only be a minute fraction of the number spoken today.

Answer 2

Well there are so many countries here in Europe, some languages resemble each other like Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish to some extent, even Icelandic and they are influenced by German and English to some degree.Spanish, Italian, Greek, Portuguese and French are influenced by Latin and also by Arabic. To know all about the European languages you should read the history of Europe, there you will find your answer.There are almost as many countries in Europe as there are states in the USA. Good luck with your history studies!

Answer 3

Because when people FIRST migrated to Europe from different places, they were very isolated. When groups are very isolated they have no way of knowing what other people are doing and so their languages and cultures develop along very different lines. As people began to come into more and more contact with each other, languages began to blend a little, and since we're in a globalized world today, that's why so many people understand/speak English.

Answer 4

There is the same language diversity in the US, but for historical reasons the ruling class was mostly English and made English the dominating language. In Europe, every country, every language group has its own ruling class. There have been nationalist campaigns in the 19th and beginning of the 20th century to wipe out language diversity in countries like France, Belgium and Spain, but they failed, and these newly autonomous regions are now the strongest economical regions in Europe : Northern France, Bretagne, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Flanders ...

Answer 5

Look at the biggest country in the world, they seak 2 languages, French and English ( Canada)

Answer 6

If you track the history of Europe, you will see a huge influx of people and nationalities, thus the huge scattering of languages.

It's not the sizxe but the activity

Answer 7

life is weird sometimes