Languages in the News: August 2016

Today we're looking back at all the language news that made the headlines throughout the month of August.

With the Olympic Games taking place from the 5th to the 21st of the month, it's hardly surprising that August was full of news stories about the games. The Providence Journal reported that American TV network NBC attempted to have the opening ceremony's official language changed from Portuguese to English in order to boost viewership. You can read the full article here.

Once the games started, organisers praised the multicultural South African women's football team's efforts of working through their language barriers. Read about their multilingual efforts here.

The beautiful Emerald Isle.

The Irish Times brought us news from Tajikistan, where journalists are being fined for using words that authorities deem "incomprehensible" in order to protect their official languages from contamination by foreign words. The article also covers ways of protecting Irish in Ireland, as well as covering how the Académie Française deals with foreign words making their way into French. Read all about it here.

The Guardian looked at Hawaii Sign Language (HSL), a language which was only discovered in 2013, has around 30 native speakers, and is not very well documented. HSL is in trouble, and Ross Perlin's in-depth article about the language can be read here.

Lauren Collins of The New Yorker spoke at length about love and languages. If you're a romantic at heart, you may enjoy her fascinating piece about learning language for your heart as well as your mind. You can enjoy the article here.

The Oxford Dictionary's blog, in keeping with all the sporting events going on in the Olympic Games, shared some of the words commonly used when talking about long-distance running. You can expand your vocabulary by reading the article here.

It may look like a planet, but it isn't.

Quartz was full of praise for the upcoming science fiction film Arrival, which features a linguist who is trying to communicate with an alien species as its protagonist (finally!). Read the article about the film here.

CBS reported that the Voynich Manuscript, which is in an unknown language, was to be published in order to give the public a chance at deciphering it. However, at nearly $10,000 a copy, this isn't a task for amateurs. Read the article here.

On NPR's website, Leah Donella discussed the terminology that was, is, and could be used when discussing people with multiple backgrounds, how the terms came about, and how it feels when these terms are used. Read all about the topic here.

If you have any other interesting news articles on languages, feel free to share them in the comments below. We'll try to share the best ones on our social media!

What Is The World's Sexiest Accent?

Sometimes it's not what you say but how you said it. We've been looking into which accents are most likely to help you convince somebody that they should share their genetic material with you.

This list is hardly definitive. You can't always expect your accent entice members of the opposite sex. Following some research and our personal preferences, we think we have a decent short-list of contenders for the title of world's sexiest language. Here they are in alphabetical order.

American, Southern American

Though it's not at the top of everyone's list, the American accent is well-known and can be very popular, especially if you're from the Deep South. There's something very friendly about the accent which can do its speakers a great favour if they're trying to get someone in the sack. Yeehaw!

This cowgirl sure knows how to use a lasso!

Australian

This one crops up quite a bit in lists... most people are probably thinking of Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman, which doesn't hurt. The film Australia could help put this accent in the running, plus you can't forget that Australians are viewed as some of the most fun-loving and friendly people on the planet.

Brazilian Portuguese

Given that Brazilians are already considered sexy, they didn't really need a sexy accent. Nevertheless, they have one and it's definitely sexy. The home of Carnival is full of people with a beautiful not quite Spanish and not quite French sounding accent. It's really a winning combination.

British, Oxford British

Not really an accent that would conjure up the idea of a party animal. This accent is adored by everyone looking for their very own Mr. Darcy. The sophistication that goes with the accent conjures up visions of culture, Downton Abbey and helps people forget that their skin is as pale as paper.

We didn't dare to tease the ladies with a
mention of Mr. Darcy...

French

The language of love was bound to figure in this list. The musical nature of French helps it rank highly on most lists you'll find. Given their fame for being exceptional lovers, the French probably don't mind this stereotype. That said, they've got a big reputation to live up to.

Irish

They have the luck of the Irish when it comes to the accent department. We are of course talking about the Irish accent from the Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland. Friendly, melodic and soft, except when they've had a few too many pints of Guinness.

Italian

Famed for being passionate, Italians have the accent to match. A few rolled r's and most people feel their legs miraculously turn to jelly.

Russian

James Bond wasn't the only person with a soft-spot for a Russian accent. He liked to think he was in control but we reckon he was powerless against their accent.

Scottish

The Scottish accent is not only considered sexy but it's also one of the best-trusted accents in the UK. If you need somebody to tell you bad news or convince you to buy something, you better have a Scottish accent. Of course, we're referring to the classic soft-spoken Scottish accents and not the howling of Rab C. Nesbitt.

Think Sean Connery as James Bond.
Does a sexier accent really exist?

South African, Afrikaans

A fun and friendly accent. The apparent mixing up of vowels keeps people listening attentively, while just hearing them say the name of their homeland will get your blood pumping.

Spanish

Definitely one of our favourites. It's fiery, passionate and very percussive. We love those rolled r's! It certainly helps that they see a lot of the sun and generally tend to be gorgeous people. Well done Spain.

Swedish

Aside from the stereotype of being stunning and blonde (or blond in the case of the men), the Swedes have it good in the accent department. They don't sound like the chef from The Muppets either.

Thinking of these accents is getting us a little hot so we best stop. Which ones do it for you? Are there any that need to be added to the list or taken away? Tell us below in the comments.

Languages In South Africa

South Africa is perhaps one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. The African continent has a huge number of languages, actually...

South Africa has 11 official languages. The five most common languages feature in the national anthem (having a stanza each), likely making it one of the hardest anthems to learn. However, it was a welcome change to hear it at the Olympics instead of The Star Spangled Banner or March of the Volunteers, the anthems of the USA and China respectively.

If we steer clear of some of the cultural issues that have plagued South Africa over the years and concentrate solely on language we find ourselves in a true linguistic melting pot. In that respect, the country earns itself the title of the Rainbow Nation, which was coined by none other than The Lingua File's favourite South African Archbishop, Desmond Tutu.

South Africa's flag, adopted in 1994, is apparently symbolic of something.

The official languages of South Africa are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Afrikaans and English are Germanic languages, while the other nine are Bantu languages.

The "Rainbow Nation" in glorious linguistic technicolour.

The languages of South Africa have fairly distinct geographic areas in which they are used. From a European point of view it's not uncommon to expect this amount of linguistic diversity across such distances, but you have to consider that this is one country.