Native Language
Research papers on native language speaking are done from a wide variety of perspectives academically. Anthropology courses are the most frequent classes that require native language research papers. However, they can also be needed for political science classes or social sciences courses. If you need a research paper on native languages, have Paper Masters write your custom research paper or use the topic suggestion you see here.
A native language, also called a mother tongue, is the language that each individual grows up hearing and learns fluently from birth. A person's native language is generally the basis for their cultural or sociolinguistic identity. Children who grow up in households where two native languages are spoken are classified as bilingual.
Native Languages Around the World
The world's largest native languages, indicating the number of native-born speakers, include (In order of population from most to least):
- Mandarin
- Spanish
- English
- Hindi
- Arabic
- Portuguese
The exact number of languages spoken in the world today is a debatable number. The Bible, for example, has been translated into over 2500 languages, but linguists estimate there may be almost 7000 spoken languages in the world today.
Languages are, of course, living things to an extent. They change over time and numerous languages have died out as spoken tongues. Latin is perhaps the most famous dead language, as it is not spoken natively, but is merely learned academically.
Native Languages and Globalization
Native languages, as a result of globalization, are decreasing in number. The example of North America serves as an indication of how this happens. When the Europeans first came, there were hundreds if not thousands of native languages spoken regularly throughout the continent. Over time, the two main languages of English and Spanish came to dominate, with some native languages dwindling to a few hundred speakers.