The Croatian language has undergone many changes since its origin in 9th century CE. This language grew when Old Church Slavonic, which had been used purely for liturgical matters, was adopted into common, secular use.

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While French is the official language of the island of Corsica, the vast majority of Corsicans speaks the Corsican language which is also referred to as Corsu . While Corsican does not have a legal standing as an official language, the Corsican language is taught in most schools as part of bilingual educational programs.

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The history of Danish begins in Norway in approximately 900 CE, when Old Norse was the primary spoken language of Scandinavia. By the 1100s, however, Danish had emerged as its own language. Though it had much in common with its parent tongue (and still does) Danish took on several significant phonological changes and in addition, the grammar became comparatively simplified.

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Chuvash is the official language spoken in a republic of central, European Russia near the Volga River known as Chuvashia. Sometimes referred to as Chuwash, Chovash, or Chavash, Chuvash is a branch of the Turkish language in the Altaic family, and also the native tongue of nearly two million people.

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Anyone familiar with Spanish politics of late knows the push by Catalonia for a stronger identity. In fact that push along with ongoing Basque region has led some Spaniards to question whether too much cultural diversity can be a potentially dangerous thing. The question of identiy is certainly a geographic one, but perhaps manifests itself most clearly in the Catalan language.

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The remarkable megalithic structures and stunning visual appeal of Brittany’s landscape is one that enthralls most tourists who have the pleasure of visiting. Yet Brittany is also home to several hundred thousand people who speak the Breton language. A favorite of the Britanny elite till the 12th century, the Breton language reveals Britanny’s Celtic past and serves as a living reminder of it. Most Americans are familiar with Irish Gaelic, Scottish, and even Welsh, but the Breton language remains elusive for most people to recognize.

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With the rise of China as an economic power is pushing many people to consider Chinese as their first or second choice of foreign languages to learn. While this is certainly a worthy endeavor, it would be good for potential students to consider which “Chinese” it most appropriate to their needs. While Mandarin is typically studied, Chinese Cantonese is also a major language to consider.

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Bengali is prominent in the Bengali-speaking immigrant communities in countries such as the U.A.E, Malaysia and Sierra Leone. Interestingly, the Bengali language has even been honored as an official language of Sierra Leone as a way to show respect to the Bangladeshi peacekeepers who were deployed there on directions from the United Nations.

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The heated discussions in the House of Representatives regarding a proposed bill declaring the tragic Armenian loss of life under Ottoman rule in 1915 a genocide, have brought the Armenian people to the forefront of the world stage these last few weeks.

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Over sixteen million people speak the Albanian language. Most of them reside in Albania, which has an estimated population of over 8 million people, and in the region of Kosovo. Other pockets of Albanian speakers are found in the Macedonian Republic as well as in Serbia and Montenegro.

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