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Why Do We Speak So Many Languages?

Sound Comparisons

More than seven thousand languages are spoken around the globe, but researchers have picked up on a curious fact: as you move from the Earth’s poles toward the equator, more and more languages are spoken. Why are there so many more languages spoken in the tropics? Dr. Michael Gavin, associate professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, describes his investigation of language diversity.

Check out Dr. Gavin's piece posted on The Conversation here. Listen to the different languages of Malakula, compiled by the Max Plank Institute for the Science of Human History

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.