Don’t break the tongue: The hardest languages in the world

Автор: Anastasiia Shkuro 14.12.2021 | traditions, history, culture

It is said, the easier it is, the better we feel, however, is it always like that? We know that not all the nations follow this principle. OUTLOOK has found out the strangest, toughest and hard in articulation international languages and would like to share it with the readers.

Tabasaran language: in the depth of grammar

When you choose the hardest language among what humanity has invented to speak, it is easy to break the tongue, and such a scruple made people create a thousand and one proverbs on the topic of long-winded linguistic collocations. All of them are acceptable in terms of the most difficult language in the world. It is going about Tabasaran language which is not easy to talk in even for those who are considered as the native speakers.

The citizens of Dagestan tried to fill it with such sophisticated expressions that even Guinness Book of Records put into its list this dialect with forty-eight case. By the way, the number 48 is accepted conditionally as even erudite Dagestanians are not assured in the quantity of the case, and, perhaps, they exceed the proposed number.Photo flnka.ru

How could the citizens of Dagestan learn so many rules by heart and also use them in the speech? Since the ancient time young people have received deep education what was connected with the sequence of religion changes at the lands of Dagestan. Everything started from Albanian enlightenment which was followed by Islamic traditions that made contribution in the view of Arabian language to the space of Dagestan.

Since young years the children had to learn the verses from Koran getting familiar with the facts how to worship God in an appropriate manner. The most complicated grammar had been learnt in the junior school in a special Muslim school mekteb. The tutors required to develop the analytical skills, made debates, learnt how to stand for their opinion. Everything aforementioned was necessary for the logical thinking that was must-have while studying the intricate Tabasaran language.

Having reached the teenage years, the children came to medrese where education got military manner. The pupils had to be able to know law perfectly, have logical mind and be ready to give blood for the country in case the danger overhung native lands. Tabasaran language was discovered from a new side in a medrese as the teachers concentrated on making children learn all the subtleties of Arabian language usage that became a part of Dagestani language.

Such an education was also connected with the fact that at the lands of Tabasaran there were a lot of sacred wars. The nomads and hostile nationalities tended to occupy Tabasaran. There was a mixture of culture and religions, and it was very important to know a national language so as not to get lost in its waterfall of the events.

The language of Basques: ‘proud lone wolf’

There is an opinion that the most complicated language is the one that is hard in perception by its speakers. According to the consideration of neurophysiologists, the specialists who learn the peculiarities of the nerve system, the most difficult languages are Chinese and Arabian because even the representatives of these nationalities experience hardship during the learning. In the meantime, foreigners are sometimes bad at learning Russian language, by the way, Japanese feel the biggest hardship in it, and it is not surprising.

However, if one puts enough efforts, he is able to learn everything, even the language of Basque. Is it really so difficult, you will ask? Certainly, as only 800 thousand people speak this dialect. In total, it has more than 35 thousand years because for the first time it had been implied by the ancient Greek geographer Strabon.

French and Spanish people who were not able to learn the language of Basques tried to raise a laugh against this dialect. Nevertheless, indeed, the citizens of region that is situated between the North of France and South of Spain succeeded in decoding their speech to such an extent that few people could understand them. The strangest thing is that for a long time linguists cannot refer Basque’s language to one category. It is the lonely language that does not have relatives. At least, the native speakers consider it like that and, perhaps, are proud of their own inaccessibility.Photo pri.org

By the way, during the Second World War the secret-service agents immersed into the mystery of Basque language and used it so as not to let the enemy understand what they were speaking about. They wonderfully succeeded in it because human ear did not get used to such nuances.

For example, in Basque language there are only fifteen personal verbs that change forms for the past, present and future tenses. Apart from that, they differ because they have five grammatical persons in singular form and three grammatical persons in plural form. Other verbs resemble sloth as they are limited by only three forms, particularly, conjunctives, simple tense and conditionals that are used in all the occasions of life.

The languages of Indians: out of this world

50 thousand people represent the number of those who speak this mysterious language chippeva that is more known under the name odjibe. Even though nobody could be astonished in the Southern part of Canada and at the North of the USA, the scientists regard chippeva as one of the most complicated languages in the world.

It is easy to cool the ardor of those who decided to get into the language depth. Particularly, it is sufficient to say that language chippeva has five dialects that is why one needs to study five times more. Indeed, there are some nuances in Western, Northern, and Eastern dialects as well as Minnesota and Ottawa variants of language. However, you have to be assured that they will understand you clearly at any dialects like Americans grasp in a single flash British American language.

The picturesque dialect is stunning for those you have read in the childhood the exciting stories about Indian tribes. Perhaps, the representatives of the union of Indian tribes that has existed since XVIII century used this dialect to speak. The truculent and unpredictable, Indians called their brotherhood as ‘Three fire union’ while they used the language chippeva for bigger solidarity. It could become an excellent match for secret meetings, worshipping deity Kichichi-Manito as well as while conducting Shamanic rituals and dances with the drum.

The disconnectedness of the chippeva language is explained by the fact that the representatives of Indian tribes led negotiations with the supreme forces, communicated with the spirits while for the spirit-rapping they need too exotic language.Photo gif.cmtt.space

One mor Indian language haida is putting a lot of efforts to withstand English that tries to force it out of the lands of Canada. The representatives of this nationality believed in immortal soul that lives in the body of the human, in a skin of animals, in guises of trees and grass. They brought an effect of benevolence to the animals as it was considered that the generation is protected by some animal, and it wants to be worshipped so as to avoid the trouble. The various hunting cults and rituals of Shamans required prolific communication with the supreme forces that is why their language haida is not simple. Being filled with various metaphoric collocations, it had a lot in common with the mythology of Indians.

Unfortunately, now this language is at the edge of extinction, and scientists-linguists are searching for its last speakers not to let the haida become long gone.

Cover photo thoughtco.com