European Year of Languages
From England to Finland, Germany to Portugal, Europeans are communicating with one another across national and linguistic borders. In fact, just over half of all Europeans claim they can speak at least one foreign language. And nearly 70 percent say learning another language is important for the future of Europe.
In order to encourage this positive trend, the European Union and the Council of Europe have proclaimed the year 2001 as the European Year of Languages.
Find out more about the European Year of Language and some of the studies conducted on foreign language learning. Which country has the highest percentage of foreign language learners? Which languages are most frequently taught? Which languages are in danger of fading out, and which languages are becoming fashionable? Where do people speak Manx, Sorbish or "Denglish"?