Communication is the gateway to the world, and in order to become an active member of any society, you much speak their language. The history of languages goes back further than just a means to communicate, but as a way to understand a culture and environment and truly experience its people. The importance of a wide variety of languages is probably overlooked, but essential to the way we live. With the risk of some languages nearing extinction, it is crucial to get involved in these diverse languages and expand your communication scope.

The history of language goes back to nearly 150,000 years ago and involves more than just humans, but animals too. Any living organism that has a way to alert, converse, or interact with each other uses some type of language. The earliest theories suggest that "sounds and tones" of the environment were picked up by people, and soon tongue movements and manual gestures had evolved. Cave drawings and paintings suggest that people began illustrating language before speaking it, perhaps hence the term "a picture can speak a thousand words."

Most believe that the birth of spoken language originates back to southwestern Africa. As migration occurred and new territories and people emerged, languages continued to develop, change and spread. The language spectrum includes far more than spoken forms but incorporates morse code, sign language and symbols. Any method of communication, either spoken, signaled or written is considered a language.

It's important to learn new languages and insert yourself into new cultures to continue to spread inclusion and language diversity. Perhaps the region you live in will give you an opportunity to recognize the languages that might be spoken in your area. Those who live in Arizona might learn Spanish since they are close to Mexico, those who travel frequently to other countries might pick up on the native languages there, and so on. Tools like online classes, apps, and physically inserting yourself into new territories can help you ease into learning a new way to communicate, and in this, feel more comfortable and included in that environment.

Some interesting language facts!

-There are over 6,500 languages spoken worldwide

-2,400 languages have less than 1,000 native speakers left

-Mandarin is the most commonly spoken language worldwide

-Over 300 languages are spoken just in the United States

-There are over 200 fake languages made up for movies and TV

-The Bible is the most translated book reaching over 698 languages

-231 languages are completely extinct

-At least half the worlds population is bilingual

-Cambodia has the longest alphabet with 74 letters

-Over 20,000 new French words are created each year

-Hawaiians have over 200 words for "rain"

-More than 1.5 million Americans are native French speakers

-People who speak Chinese use both sides of their brain; English requires only the left side