Over 96 percent of the world’s languages are spoken by 4 percent of the world’s population. About 175 languages are spoken by less than 10 people and 500 languages are spoken by less than 100 people. In most languages 100 words consists half of the vocabularies that are used in day to day conversations. In most languages around the world, the word for mother starts with letter ‘m’, except for languages in the Uralic group. The most widely spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese, as 885,000,000 people speak it. The Chinese language requires no punctuation. The Philippines has more than 1,000 dialects and only 2 official languages. Due to Globalization, people tend to prefer to speak more widely used languages such as Chinese, English Hindu, French, Russian and Spanish rather than local languages that are only known by a limited number of people.

Most people in the world are either bilingual or multilingual. Recent studies have shown that the brains of individuals who are bilingual tend to process things faster than those who are monolingual. Thus, it has been suggested that bilingual people tend to be smarter than those who are monolingual. Various socio-economic factors drive communities to shift from speaking one language to another.

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To become a polygot, that is someone who can speak several languages, you must have the right motivation to do so. This will help you stay committed to your cause and learn the language properly. You should be passionate about each language you learn. This is because it takes a lot of study and hard work. Learn one language at a time to minimize chances of getting confused and to give each language the attention it deserves. Try and learn languages that are in the same family group. Due to the similarities between the languages, you will be able to master them much more quickly. Take advantage of computer programs and audios to enhance your study. They will help you learn the pronunciation of words. Listen to television or radio channels in the language you are interested in. Fully immerse yourself in the language and culture of the people. If possible, travel to the foreign country and immerse yourself in the community. Talk the language as much as you can even if you make silly grammatical mistakes.

Know when to move on to the next language. Once you have mastered the language to an intermediate or advanced level, move on. Remember to also work on your accent. Pour your whole body and mind into learning the words and the emotions behind them and you will be able to easily switch between languages while incorporating the right accents too.

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There are 431,700 Kumyks in the Republic of Dagestan. This makes the group the 3rd largest in Dagestan. The Kumyks live in the lowland areas, between the foothills of Dagestan and the Caspian Sea. Kumyk is also written as Kumuklar, Qumuq, Kumyki and Kumuk. The language was initially written using the Arabic alphabet. This was changed to the Latin alphabet between 1928 and 1938. Since then, the Cyrillic alphabet is used to write the language. Currently, there is one newspaper that prints out its issues using the Kumyk language. Kumyk is a Turkic language that falls under the Kypchak branch of languages. It has been influenced by other languages such as Dargwa, Azeri and Russian. Kumyk speakers can also be found in Kazakhstan and Turkey.

Most Kumyks are Sunni Muslims. Islam spread among the Kumyks in the 8th and 12th centuries. Before that, Christianity was widespread among the upper class. Shamanism, which was widely practiced in the past, is practically non-existent presently. Islam replaced the pagan beliefs that community members had before. Islam influenced the culture of the people. For instance, marriage and divorce was governed by the Sharia law. Most people got married at the age of 15 or 16 and bride price had to be paid. Weddings had the mark of grandeur and a lot of people were normally invited.

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The Kryts language falls under the Shahdag group of languages, which belongs to the Lezgian-Samur group of Dagestan languages. Kryts is linguistically similar to the Budukh language. Alternate names for the Kryts language is Dhzek, Katsy, Kryzy, Kryc, Kryz, Dzek and Dhzeki. Kryts has no writing system. The 1st written evidence of the Kryts language was in the 18th century by the Russian traveler and soldier Gerber. Kryts land was part of the Shemakha Khanate, which was later annexed by Russia. The Kryts lived in 5 villages in the Konakhkent District of Azerbaijan. These villages and other Kryts settlements are located in remote parts of Caucasia.

The Kryts people call themselves kjrtuar and their language kjruaj mez. Kryts are primarily horticulturists, agriculturalists and livestock keepers. They are also good in crafts and are engaged in the manufacture of carpets, rugs and patterned socks. The Kryts society was based on kinship relationships, until the end of the 19th century when capitalism began to be incorporated into their economic system. This began the disintegration of the Kryts economic and social way of life. The Kryts culture underwent considerable change in the 1950s and 60s. This was mainly because the Kryts lost their geographical isolation and began adopting to a more modern way of life. They engaged in more leisure activities such as watching films, and using libraries. The old customs such as wedding ceremonies were changed. Due to exposure to a European way of life and better education opportunities, the dressing style and household appliances that were bought in shops rather than home made. Most Kryts are Sunni Muslims.

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The Kott language is also known as Assan or Asan. Mathhias Castren published a grammar dictionary of the language in 1858. The dictionary included information on the Kott and Ket languages. The book was known as Versuch einer jenissei-ostjakischen und kottischen Sprachlehre.

The Yenesian language family is spoken in Central Siberia. It is split into northern Yenesian and southern Yenesian. Ket and Yugh languages fall under the northern Yenesian languages. Kott, Assan, Arin and Pumpokol languages fall under the southern Yenesian languages. Out of all these languages, only 2 survived; Ket and Yugh. The Ket language has about 500 speakers, while about 5 people can still speak the Yugh language. The other languages have been extinct for approximately 2 centuries. Other language groups, which have been identified as Yeniseic are also extinct and nothing but only a few proper names remain of the languages. This includes the Baikot, Buklin, Yarin, Ashkyshtym, Yastin, and Koibalkyshtym languages.

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The Khanty language was previously known as Ostyak. It is the language spoken by the Khanty people who live in Russia. The language can also be written as Xanty, Khanti and Hanty. The language has many dialects that are broadly divided into the western, southern and the eastern dialects. They have great dialectical differences based on the phonetic and lexical features. This has made the dialects to be mutually unintelligible, to the extent that they can be considered to be separate but closely related languages. The southern dialect is thought to be currently extinct.

There are approximately 1,200 people who speak the language, out of which 550-990 are considered to be native speakers. The language is also spoken in Siberia. Most of the youngest speakers are aged between 25 to 35. Most speakers are bilingual and can speak Russian too. Khanty currently has no other related languages as Kott, Assan and Arin languages became extinct long ago. Khanty was written using the Latin alphabet from 1930-1937. The Cyrillic alphabet was then adopted. The main dialects that are used when it comes to writing in Khanty includes the Kazym, Middle-Ob and Shuryshkar dialects. When it comes to print and electronic media, the main dialect used is Kazym. Khanty is classified as a Uralic language.

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The first possible source of information about the Khalaj language was provided by Minorsky Vladimir between 1940-1942. Vladimir published a couple of Khalaj texts. However, he did not categorize Khalaj as an independent language group. Other people who provided more information on the language includes Mohammad Moqaddam in 1950 and G. Doerfer in the 20th century, when he went for expeditions in Persia. G. Doerfer carried out an extensive research on the Khalaj language and came up with the first ever Khalaj dictionary in 1980 and a Khalaj grammar book in 1988. Another important milestone of Doerfer’s expeditions was the classification of Khalaj as an independent language group, consisting of several dialects.

Based on Zemarcos’ Syriac chronicle, Khalaj speakers are the remnants of the Hephthalites, who were a Turkic people. According to historic records, the Khalajes lived in Zabulistan, present day Afghanistan, and ruled as Zunbils. They were overthrown by the Saffarids in 879 and ruled by the Samanids and the Ghaznavids. During the time that they were ruled by the Ghaznavids, some Khalajes were gradually assimilated into the Ghilzai tribe of Afghanistan. The Khalajes eventually revolted against the Ghaznavids and overthrew them. The Khalajes were later subjugated by the Khwarezmshahs in the the 13th century. When the Mongols invaded their tetrrioty in 1221, some Khalajes sided with the Mongols. Eventually, some Khalajes went to India and served in Delhi, Bengal and western India, while others chose to remain in Afghanistan.

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There are no government policies about the use of the Khakas language. The language is generally used in informal situations and it is not used as a language of instruction in schools. During the 19th century, Finnish and Russian linguists began documenting the language. The Cyrillic language was used during this time. Later on, between 1929-1939, the Latin alphabet was used to write the language before switching back to the Cyrillic alphabet. The written language is based on the Sagai dialect. The language is also referred to as Khakass, Khakhass, Khakhas, Yenisei Tatar and Abakan Tatar.

The origin of the Khakas people is disputed. Some scholars argue that they descended from the Yenisei Kirghiz, while other linguists argue that the Yenisei people group migrated to Central Asia. The Khakas are believed to have formed Khakassia in Yenisei Kirghiz. The Russians arrived shortly after that. Most Khakas’ accepted the Russian way of life in the 19th Century and most of them converted to Russian Orthodox Christianity under pressure from Russian soldiers. Shamanism is still commonly practiced as it is mixed together with Christianity. Traditionally, the Khakas practice nomadic herding, hunting, fishing and agriculture. Over time, the people have become more industrialized, though it is still common to find community members herding sheep and cattle.

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Ket is spoken by about 550 people in Central Siberia and is on the verge of extinction. Not all these people can speak the language fluently. Ket is related to the Yug, Arin, Baikot, Kot and Pumpokol languages which are now extinct. The language has been in contact with other languages such as Evenki, Russian, Enet and Yug. There are 3 distinct dialects of the language. This includes Southern Ket, Northern Ket and Middle Ket. The dialectical differences are minor, even though speakers tend to distinguish their own dialect from others. The first Ket alphabet used Latin graphics. In the 1980s, an alphabet based on the Cyrillic system was developed. When Ket began to be taught in Primary schools as a subject , Russian Ket and a Ket Russian dictionary was published. Ket is mainly used in schools but Russian is mainly used in other public domains.

The ket language is used for various social roles. Generally, the youngest speakers of the language are in their 30s and 40s therefore, it is rare to hear people speaking the language in public. Most parents do not even speak the language to their children as they cannot speak the language well themselves. Most children only know a couple of Ket words, which they may have been taught by their grandparents. Most Kets speak Russian, while others speak Ket, Russian and Selkup.

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Kazakh or Qazaq is a Turkic language. It is spoken in Kazakhstan, Russia and China. There are 8 million people who speak Kazakh. Kazakhstan is a bilingual country. While 64.4 percent of the population speak Kazakh, Russian is recognized as the state language and is the main language used in formal set ups. Kazakh is closely related to the Nogai and Karakalpak languages. Other communities that are prevalent in Kazakhstan include the Tartars, Germans and Uzbeks, who can be found in the northern parts of the country. Most Kazakh native speakers tend to live in the southern part of the country. However, the government intends to spread and increase the population of Kazakhs all over the country and has taken various steps to ensure that this happens. This includes encouraging expatriated Kazakhs to return home and encouraging families to have more children. It is essential to note that all the people who live in Kazakhstan are generally referred to as Kazakhstanis. It is the people who belong to the ethnic group Kazakh that are referred to as Kazakhs.

There are interesting facts about Kazakhstan. This includes the fact that it is the largest landlocked country in the whole world and it is the 9th largest country worldwide. The currency used in Kazakhstan is known as Tenge. The majority of the populations are Muslims, followed by Orthodox Christians. Kazakhstan was the first country to repay all money it owed to the International Monetary Fund, 7 years before it was due. The first man believed to have ever climbed on a horse came from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has 3 timezones.

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