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Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics

 

Why learning European languages makes you part of a global network

The ceiling in Trinity College

A new study published in the US shows that a language’s international importance can be measured in more ways than just counting the number of native speakers. 

By analysing millions of book translations, Wikipedia entries, and Twitter posts, the authors (including noted psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker) identified global language networks with English as a primary hub and then a ‘halo’ of intermediate hubs, which included Spanish, German, French, Russian and Portuguese. All of these halo languages contributed to the sharing of knowledge, information and culture around the world.  

Read the full article “Links that speak: The global language network and its association with global fame”

To find out more about studying languages at MML, visit our Applying webpage.