Shadowing Practice: Why a Language Map of the World is Impossible - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Bienvenido, zu, Garta, Miehet, Viz, I, Wanwame, Men, Ea, Tehe, Nunanguak.

Mup, men, mup, men, mup, mup, men, men.

There are more than 7 ,000 languages spoken on planet Earth alone.

Which one you choose to speak every day is very strongly linked to where you choose to live.

For example, people who speak Keshwar tend to live here, and people who speak Mongolian tend to live here.

So, here's the super simple challenge.

Is it possible to draw up a world map divided up neatly into who speaks what language where using Microsoft Paint?

Why?

Because a map of languages will provide a living blueprint of the stories of our ancestors

and our shared cultures across the world.

No, I mean why use Microsoft Paint?

That's the most powerful graphic software I know how to use.

I don't think this will be super simple.

One piece of good news is

that this map is certainly easier to draw today than it would have been a few hundred years ago.

Language first developed on Earth on the 18th of September, 97 ,006 BC.

Spoon.

And ever since then, languages started spreading around the world, gradually splitting up into lots of different languages.

People rarely communicated with people outside of their own village, which meant that the language spoken in the next village was slightly different.

Spoon.

Speen.

Spleen.

But then, thanks to increased mobility and printing technology, languages became standardised.

There were now great big zones in which everyone more or less understood the same languages.

But these didn't necessarily correspond to political borders.

Borders were determined by dynastic inheritance, military conquest, and or royal marriages.

This is how you end up with states like the Austro -Hungarian Empire, a single massive blob on the map where the rulers spoke German, but the citizens spoke German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Polish, Ukrainian,

Slovenian, Serbo -Croat, Romanian, and Italian in no particular order. But then...

A German philosopher called Johann Gottfried von Herder once argued that A people's soul, identity and world view are inherently tied to their native tongue.

To be ruled by a foreign empire is a great injustice.

Herder's ideas sparked a massive movement across Europe where linguistic identity was the same as national identity.

To summarise this incredibly complicated history in as few words as possible, wars.

Which is how you get modern nation states, each with their own language, that we know and like today.

Making Europe a great easy place to start drawing our map.

So, Portuguese in Portugal, Spanish in Spain, French in France, German in Germany, easy -peasy language squeezy.

Wait a minute!

A small handful of small nations are an exception to this rule, with some European countries not having languages to call their own, but borrowing the languages spoken across the border,

making Austria and Liechtenstein disappear into Germany, Switzerland disappear into Italy, France and Germany, and Belgium disappear into the Netherlands, France and Germany a bit.

Well that's just a handful of anomalies, we can work with that.

Filling in all of Europe very, very fast.

Right, that's Europe completely filled in.

Time to move on to the rest of the planet.

Not yet!

Rather a lot of languages don't have the advantage of being represented by a fully -fledged nation -state, but are still spoken by a lot of people, and deserve to be on this map.

For example, take France.

Thank you.

France does not just speak French.

There are also plenty of regional languages that you'll often see on street signs, such as Breton, Basque, Occitan, Corsican, and Alsatian.

And that's just France.

There are regional languages on street signs, local newspapers and bus timetables in certain regions of Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Poland, Finland.

Hang on, hang on, hang on.

This is getting too cluttery.

If our map of all the world's languages is going to be anyway legible, we're just going to have to get rid of some of the unimportant ones.

Uh -oh.

Differentiating between which languages are apparently important is not data, it's a personal opinion.

How would you like it if it was your language that the powers that be decided didn't belong on this map.

Well, I'd feel marginalised and ignored.

Not a nice feeling, is it?

Wouldn't know.

So we need a simple rule to keep the map legible that can be applied to the whole map, devoid of our own personal opinions.

I think I've got one.

You do?

Yep, and it's very simple.

All languages on this map have to be official.

That sounds nice and simple.

To see if that's any help at all, let's look at Ireland.

The Arctic Circle, home to some of the most inhospitable environments on Earth.

It is also incredibly boring.

But this human thinks he has found an ingenious solution.

Surfshark VPN, the sponsor of this video.

With this remarkable adaptation, he can now watch streaming services is usually only available to those in other countries.

Not only will this stave off boredom, the Surfshark CleanWeb feature ensures he won't be overwhelmed by ads and trackers, meaning faster load times and lower data usage,

whilst its email scam checker helps protect against criminal calamity.

But not everyone is so lucky.

No!

With access to only the Danish internet, this individual has reached his wits end.

But I already know Jens and Sebastian are the same person!

I've seen it 15 times!

Surfshark's benefits are truly humorous.

If humans like the one behind me do not learn to click the link in the description...

Will I borrow your heater?

Shut up!

Surfshark .com forward slash mapmen and use the code MAPMEN.

You're so mean!

Shut up!

To get four months extra, then they will surely become extinct.

Can I use your Surfshark account?

Right, that's it!

No, please!

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

The official first language of the Republic of Ireland, explicitly stated by the Irish Constitution, is Irish.

It's on all road signs, government websites, library cards, public transport announcements, and government -funded TV and radio stations.

However, 98 % of the Irish population actually speaks English.

The Irish language is spoken at home by less than 2 % of Irish people.

Lots of Irish people can speak some Irish, but mostly because it's taught in schools as a compulsory subject.

To ladron erin, to ladron eris, to ladron erin, to ladron erin.

Irish is just one example of an official language that is not a majority language.

100

Thanks to modern -day migration, Scotland has more speakers of Polish than Scottish Gaelic, Toulouse has more speakers of Arabic than Occitan and Switzerland has more speakers of Portuguese than Romance.

101

Many languages are made official for historical or political reasons.

102

In the case of Irish, its modern preservation is a direct response to undo the damage done by centuries of attempts by the English to eradicate it.

103

And it's a similar story for many of the other languages

104

that appear on street signs whose status comes not from the fact that so many people speak them, but that so many people don't speak them.

105

So the word official is officially unhelpful for our map.

106

So far, but it might come in handy once we finally zoom out of Europe

107

and have a look at the rest of the world.

108

Beyond Europe, many places speak a European language thanks to colonialism.

109

Thanks to colonialism?

110

What's the word for thanks to but when it's a bad thing?

111

Thanks to bad.

112

Thanks to bad colonialism.

113

So French is an official language in these countries, Portuguese is an official language in these countries,

114

Spanish in these countries and of course English in all these countries.

115

Not so fast, Bucket!

116

Let's see which languages are actually spoken in these places.

117

This is Namibia, in the southwest of Africa, just northwest of South Africa.

118

According to its constitution, after gaining independence in 1990, that was late, its only official language is English.

119

It's used in boring government documents, PowerPoint presentations in business meetings, and the Namibian Post Office's FAQ webpage.

120

However, English is actually spoken as a first language by less than 4 % of actual Namibians.

121

So what do actual Namibians actually speak?

122

Most Namibians speak a patchwork of dozens of indigenous languages, languages, such as Oshiwambo, Cuocacoap, Ochiherero, Rukwangali.

123

So why is their official language English?

124

If they'd chosen any of the indigenous languages, they'd have risked alienating speakers of the other ones.

125

By selecting English, a language native to almost nobody, Namibia established a neutral bridging language, putting all citizens at the same annoying disadvantage.

126

So if our map's going to be actually useful, we can't use English for Namibia?

127

Certainly not!

128

Nor can you use it for any other countries where English is an official but by no means majority language, such as India, Pakistan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea,

129

Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Vanuatu or the Solomon Islands.

130

Conversely, in this country, where English actually is widely spoken by the population, the English language has no legal official status at all.

131

In the United States, the fact that all the country's business

132

and TV stations and national anthems just happen to be conducted in English is, legally speaking, a happy and very useful coincidence.

133

OK, it's taken a lot of research and a lot of colours, but I've ignored the politicians, ignored national borders, and just coloured each area according to the most spoken language.

134

Spoken language? Or languages?

135

Oh no. The majority of the world is not monolingual.

136

Speaking one language when you're at home, and then another language when you're at work, or school, or in court, is completely normal for roughly 60 % of the world's population.

137

Take Paraguay.

138

Thank you.

139

In Paraguay, the country in South America you know least about, the vast majority of the population speaks both Spanish and Guarani, the local indigenous language.

140

But when they use each one depends on the situation.

141

Spanish is used for formal purposes like business or education, and Guarani is used for informal, intimate and everyday personal interactions.

142

This is called diglossia.

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This is completely true, by the way.

144

I actually did a gap year in Paraguay when I was 19, so I actually saw this for myself.

145

I was teaching English in a school and the kids would all speak Spanish to me in our lessons, but every time they spoke to each other, they'd speak in Guarani.

146

And I did manage to learn just a little bit of Guarani while I was out there.

147

Paraguay is far from the only place on our map where we'd have to show two or more languages at once.

148

In many bi - or tri -lingual parts of the world, people switch languages not just throughout a typical day, but throughout a typical sentence.

149

This is called code -switching, and it'll be familiar to anybody who grew up in a bilingual household.

150

Dad, can I with and Steve's after school?

151

Only if your mother says .

152

This happens in, for example, Delhi, where the average sentence switches every few seconds between English and Hindi, or the Philippines between English and Tagalog, or Singapore between English, Malay,

153

Cantonese and Hokkien, more commonly known as Singlish.

154

So if our map is going to be accurate, it's going to have to have lots of zones where you have to show two or more languages at once.

155

And how are you going to do that?

156

Errr...

157

Well, if we draw very, very, very thin vertical lines with alternating colours, it sort of makes it look really clear that it's meant to be both languages at once.

158

Problem solved!

159

Can I have a go?

160

Go ahead.

161

Yeah, look at that!

162

Hello?

163

I'll tell him.

164

Apparently Singlish mixes these languages together in such a consistent way, that it arguably doesn't count as code -switching, and it's its own dialect.

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Oh no no no, we're not putting dialects on this map.

166

Why not?

167

Who was that?

168

King of Singapore.

169

Because this map is crowded enough.

170

It's not supposed to be a map of dialects, it's a map of different languages.

171

Do you know the difference?

172

A dialect is a version of a language, with some of its own distinct vocabulary, or grammar or pronunciation, but it's still generally understood by speakers of other dialects.

173

For example, Geordie, spoken in Newcastle, is a dialect of English, understood by speakers of other English dialects.

174

So you say.

175

But to the relief of everyone from Sunderland, the rest of the world is not like Newcastle.

176

This is China, home to more than a billion speakers of dozens of languages.

177

For example, in Beijing, they speak Mandarin.

178

And in Hong Kong, they speak Cantonese.

179

These are as different from each other as Spanish is from Italian.

180

However… If you ask the Chinese government what languages these people are speaking, they'll say they're speaking the same language.

181

For the purposes of political unity, these two languages, and indeed all the other dozens of mutually unintelligible languages across China, are referred to as dialects of Chinese.

182

Confusing things a bit, these mutually unintelligible tongues share the same pictorial writing system, So, written down, they all count as Chinese, even though they sound very different.

183

Well, we're not letting the Chinese government dictate what our map looks like.

184

Then you'll need a consistent definition across the world for what counts as a language, and not a dialect.

185

How about this?

186

It counts as a different language if two speakers can't understand each other.

187

I'm afraid if you apply that rule, we'll have to start Europe all over again.

188

What?

189

In Scandinavia, the countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden respectively speak the languages Norwegian, Danish and Swedish.

190

How.

191

Ever.

192

If you've ever had a curious look at the user manual for a 2006 Peugeot 107, you'll notice that the instructions in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian are remarkably similar.

193

The result of so much shared Scandinavian geography and history is

194

that 64 % of Danish speakers can understand 91 % of Norwegian, and 88 % of Norwegian speakers can understand 72 % of Swedish.

195

That's a lot of percent.

196

It's about like hearing an English sentence like this a bit.

197

Understand it, you can't perfect, Borg.

198

Only it sound, it sound a bit wrong." There is arguably more mutual understanding

199

between the three Scandinavian languages than there is between speakers of wildly different dialects of Arabic.

200

Okay, couldn't we just colour all of Scandinavia one colour?

201

Nay, nay and nay.

202

There is no such thing as standard pan -Scandinavian.

203

These nations take each other's separate identities and independence very seriously, and have been to war with each other several times just to make sure.

204

For similarly politically sensitive reasons, you can't say Serbian is the same as Bosnian or

205

that Czech is the same as Slovak or that Hindi is the same as Urdu.

206

Even though it sort of is, it sort of is and it sort of is.

207

So if it's not government recognition or mutual intelligibility, what on earth is the difference between a language and a dialect?

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There isn't one!

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As the famous linguist Max Weinreich once said, A language is just a dialect with an army and a navy.

210

A quote which has been endlessly re -quoted again and again in dozens of dialects.

211

Well this is getting ridiculous now.

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If it counts as a different language, even if you can still understand each other, we'll be dividing the map up all day.

213

My neighbour pronounces spade differently.

214

Mind if I borrow your spade?

215

In truth, that's the very thing that makes this map impossibilist to draw.

216

My neighbour?

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In a manner of speaking, yes.

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In a globalised world of high international travel and migration, the reality is there are dozens of different dialects in every district.

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In my street alone, there are families speaking Greek, Romanian, Portuguese, Yoruba, and that weird kid at number 12 who's made up his own language.

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To show broad generalisations on a legible map is sort of saying that these people don't matter or don't exist.

221

So it turns out a map of all the world's languages can never be truly representative

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and consistent and accurate at the same time, no matter how state -of -the -art your software is.

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Ah, I guess you're right.

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Making this map was completely pointless.

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Well, that's not what I said.

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Even if the map itself is fundamentally flawed, the process of trying to make it teaches us so much.

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The very thing that makes the topic of linguistics

228

so endlessly fascinating is the fact that you can't show the rich

229

and varied tapestries of the world's languages in one single map.

230

Each new layer of complexity, each caveat and bit of nuance, reveals more about how cultural exchange, political control and human interconnectivity have shaped the world today.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Why a Language Map of the World is Impossible”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: language, map, English, speak, dialect. This video has 230 sentences and 2804 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:28. The speaker talks fast, about 181 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
ladrone noun		A robber; a pirate; a rascal or rogue.
legible adjective	/ˈlɛd͡ʒəbl/	Clear enough to be read; readable, particularly of handwriting.
spoon noun	/spuːn/	An implement for eating or serving; a scooped utensil whose long handle is straight, in contrast to a ladle.
disappear verb	/dɪsəˈpɪɹ/	To vanish.
endlessly adverb	/ˈɛndləsli/	In an endless manner; continuously without limit.
unintelligible adjective	/ˌʌnɪnˈtɛlɪd͡ʒɪbəl/	Not intelligible; unable to be understood.
mutually adverb	/ˈmjut͡ʃuəli/	In the same way, each to the other; reciprocally.
neighbour noun	/ˈneɪbɚ/	A person living on adjacent or nearby land; a person situated adjacently or nearby; anything (of the same type of thing as the subject) in an adjacent or…
arguably adverb	/ˈɑɹɡjuəbli/	As can be supported or proven by sound logical deduction, evidence, and precedent, but without absolute certainty.
bore verb	/boɹ/	To inspire boredom in somebody.
borrow verb	/ˈbɑɹ.oʊ/	To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it.
alienate verb	/ˈeɪ.li.ə.neɪt/	To convey or transfer to another, as title, property, or right; to part voluntarily with ownership of.
ancestor noun	/ˈæn.sɛs.tɚ/	One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a forefather; a forebear.
anomaly noun	/əˈnɑ.mə.li/	A deviation from a rule or from what is regarded as normal; an outlier.
blueprint noun	/ˈbluːˌpɹɪnt/	A type of paper-based reproduction process producing white-on-blue images by means of a photosensitive ferric compound, used primarily for technical and…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
shut up	/ʃʌt ʌp/	Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)…
draw up verb		To compose (a document), especially following a standard form; prepare a plan.
go ahead verb	/ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/	To proceed with; to begin.
make up verb	/ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/	To constitute, to compose.
turn out verb		To end up; to result.
write down verb		To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

I don't think this will be super simple.
Will I borrow your heater?
Can I have a go?
Do you know the difference?
Mind if I borrow your spade?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you apply that rule, we'll have
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are inherently tied · be ruled · being represented
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has found · has reached · I've seen
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who speak · anybody who grew · quote which has

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 43 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, differentiate /dɪf.əˈɹɛn.ʃi.eɪt/, preservation /ˌpɹɛz.əˈveɪ.ʃən/, adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: unintelligible /ˌʌnɪnˈtɛlɪd͡ʒɪbəl/, alienate /ˈeɪ.li.ə.neɪt/, anomaly /əˈnɑ.mə.li/, calamity /kəˈlæmɪti/, diglossia /ˌdaɪˈɡlɑsi.ə/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like ladrone, legible, spoon.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Why a Language Map of the World is Impossible - Learn English Speaking with Video

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