Blog, Mommy Explains Everything, Page 3

So many Languages!

desert

Akku: Mommy, how many languages are spoken in the world?

The scientists who study languages, called linguists, say that around 7000 languages are spoken worldwide today.

Akku: No way…but why are there so many languages?

Human migration, the process of moving from one place to another, played a big role in evolving and creating so many languages.

Akku: How did that happen?

Years ago, humans split off into groups. As that happened, one language turned into many. People had to learn to live in very different places like hot deserts, freezing mountains and rainforests. Each place had different kinds of weather, plants, and animals. Having new words to talk about these new things helped people adapt to their new home and survive. After a while, new words and ways of life helped lead to totally new languages.

Akku: Wow! But why are languages so important?

Mom: Language helps express our emotions, desires, and questions to the world around us.

Akku: That makes sense. Mommy, so when was the first language created?

Mom: Language first evolved with modern Homo sapiens, who are our forefathers, around 150,000 years ago.

Akku: Is that language still spoken? Is it English?

No. Languages change as they are handed down from generation to generation, due to change in culture, living conditions and influence of other languages. This led us to speak different languages at different places.

Akku: So what did the first humans speak at that time ?

It started off with sign languages, then they started grunting, hooting and crying out, then more specific sounds and this gradually developed into the language we use today.

Akku: Then why couldn’t we speak the same language. Why speak different languages?

As I said earlier, they migrate to different places. Once a group of people settled in a place, they were often isolated from other groups. People usually don’t mix much, their words don’t either. But they do sometimes learn and borrow some words from other groups. For example, people speaking different languages might meet to trade, or were forced to leave home and move closer to another group. Isolation and mixing over a long period of time helped create so many languages.

migrtion

Akku: Now I get it. And I think English is the most spoken language in the world, right mom?

No, Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 1.3 Billion people, Spanish by 460 million and then English by 379 million people.

Chinese

Akku: Wow that’s a great info Mom. Thank you!

You are always welcome baby. If you are really interested in languages there is so much more you can read. There are lots of interesting facts about the ancient languages and its origins.

Akku: Sure Mom. I can do it. See you later.

Bye!

Extinction of dinosaurs

Akku: Mommy, Why aren’t there any more dinosaurs?

Well, about 65 million years ago, a huge rock from outer space called an asteroid smashed into the Earth, changing the climatic conditions so dramatically that dinosaurs could not survive.

Akku: Wow! How big was it? And where did it hit?

Oh dear, it was huge! It was about 10 miles in diameter and that asteroid’s name is ‘Chicxulub Impactor’. Scientists say it hit some where in Mexico.

asteroid

Akku : WOW! That asteroid was really BIG!! But it hit just Mexico, how did it create such a big impact, that it wiped out all the dinosaurs???

Well baby, that giant asteroid landed with a huge impact. The asteroid made lots of dust, dirt and rocks fly up into the air. All that dust and dirt covered around the planet and made the sky dark and covered the Sun. And many forest fires were caused too.

Akku : Then what happened?

All this dust led to a deadly chain of events. The dust blocked sun for a very long time. Without the Sun, all the plants died. Without the plants, all the plant-eaters died and without the plant-eaters, all the meat-eaters died.

Akku : That’s so sad. The asteroid made a HUGE difference in the world! And I really feel sorry for the dinosaurs. They also must have cared for their families, just like humans.

Yes true! But human race wouldn’t be there on earth today, if not for that asteroid.

Akku : What do you mean?

If not for the extinction of dinosaurs, mammals probably would’ve remained in the shadows, as they had been for over a hundred million years. Humans then, probably would’ve never been here.

mammals

Akku : That’s so interesting. What is the real meaning of the word extinct and why did just dinosaurs go extinct?

An animal is extinct when it doesn’t exist anymore anywhere in the world. It wasn’t just dinosaurs that went extinct. Among others that went extinct were: flying reptiles called pterosaurs, huge reptiles that swam in the ocean called plesiosaurs and pliosaurs, creatures with curled, spiral shells called ammonites, and lots of other plants and animals. But others survived. Different types of insects, lizards, crocodiles, mammals, birds, sharks, fish, crabs, snails, flowers, ferns and trees all made it through.

Akku : But without food and sunlight, how did they survive, Mom?

Scientists have many different theories on how other animals survived the extinction of dinosaurs. It could be because the animals were small and didn’t need much food. Maybe it was because they could eat crunchy seeds the dead plants left behind. Maybe it was because they could burrow into the ground to keep warm. And maybe some of those dry, crunchy seeds could grow into plants after they were buried for a long time.

Akku : Cool. But I wish still I could see dinosaurs.

Don’t worry baby. If you like to learn more about dinosaurs we could go to museums, and look at the intact skeletons and fossils. You can always read about them in books and watch them in movies and documentaries.

fossil

Akku : Thanks for the explanation Mama! I still have more questions, but I’ll ask you those later. Well then, see you later!

Ok baby! I am always here to help you.

No ones explains better than mom!

Mommy, Why do humans speak different languages?