Mutually Intelligible Languages
Which of the following pair or set of languages can be considered as single languages based on the extent of mutual intelligibility therefore similar to each other?
1. Scandinavian - Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish
2. Polish, Czech, and Slovak
3. Hindustani - Hindi and Urdu
4. Finish and Estonian
5. Dutch and Afrikaans
6. Thai and Laotian
7. Bahasa - Malaysian and Indonesian
8. Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian
1. - clearly different languages
2. - there is no way to confuse Polish with Czech & Slovak
3,5,6. - I don't know
4. - Finish and Estonian are quite distant (more than Italian and Portuguese IMHO)
7,8. - these are only political names for the same languages
"7,8. - these are only political names for the same languages"
The same for Hindi and Urdu. They are the same language written in different alphabets.
Even in several lists of the most spoken languages they say Hindi-Urdu as one language. Also Malay-Indonesian is one of the most spoken languages.
You should add three important examples:
Spanish-Portuguese. They are Mutually Intelligible Languages. Together you can understand over 700 million people in all the continents.
The other two examples are some Turkish languages and Great Persian
Between Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, so I've seen on some other forum, there's intelligibility between several dialects. It's wrong to call them clearly different languages, as it speakers talk to one another more than with other Europeans because there's only a small linguistic barrier. I doubt a Swede speaks English to a Norwegian. No, he speaks some Svorsk.
About Afrikaans: I can understand 95% of it without having studied it, but I cannot speak it (because it's too similar to Dutch). It's just simplified Dutch that has been standardized in that form under impulse of Boer-nationalism.
Dutch-speaking and Afrikaans-speaking speak to each other in Dutch and Afrikaans (sometimes mix both).
Moreover, I know one Francophone who has studied Dutch and who also understand Afrikaans.
catalan galego portuguese are mutual intelligibility with spanish but i don't know if catalan is intelligibility with portuguese and galego and so on. Catalan is more 'french' and galego is more 'portuguese' spanish perhaps is in the middle of them.
2. Polish, Czech and Slovak are all NOT mutually intelligible.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/NGmc_relations.png
The mutual intelligibility between the Continental Scandinavian languages is asymmetrical. Various studies have shown Norwegian-speakers to be the best in Scandinavia at understanding other languages within the language group.[11][12] According to a study undertaken during 2002–2005 and funded by the Nordic Cultural Fund, Swedish-speakers in Stockholm and Danish-speakers in Copenhagen have the greatest difficulty in understanding other Nordic languages.[10] The study, which focused mainly on native speakers under the age of 25, showed that the lowest ability to comprehend another language is demonstrated by youth in Stockholm in regard to Danish, producing the lowest ability score in the survey. The greatest variation in results between participants within the same country was also demonstrated by the Swedish-speakers in the study. Participants from Malmö, located in the southernmost Swedish province of Scania, demonstrated a better understanding of Danish than Swedish-speakers to the north. Access to Danish television and radio, direct trains to Copenhagen over the Öresund bridge and a larger number of cross-border commuters in the Oresund Region contribute to a better knowledge of spoken Danish and a better knowledge of the unique Danish words among the region's inhabitants. According to the study, youth in this region were able to understand the Danish language better than the Norwegian language.
The results from the study of how well native youth in different Scandinavian cities did when tested on their knowledge of the other Continental Scandinavian languages are summarized in table format,[11] reproduced below. The maximum score was 10.0:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Germanic_languages#Mutual_intelligibility
Modern communicational means will doubtlessly bring along a mentality change among future generation of Scandinavians. A lot of the linguistic definitions are inspired through ideas of past eras.
<<catalan galego portuguese are mutual intelligibility with spanish >>
Would people from rural Mexico or Puerto Rico (for example) who seldom hear Catalan or European Portuguese easily understand these languages when they first hear them?
<<Participants from Malmö, located in the southernmost Swedish province of Scania, demonstrated a better understanding of Danish than Swedish-speakers to the north>> Ancestors of Danish people were from Skåne (Scania), it was province of Denmark in medieval ages. Dalarna dialect of Swedish language is not mutual intelligible with Standard Swedish. It is very archaic and has some features of East Old Norse.
West Frisian,North Frisian dialects and Saterland Frisian are not mutually inelligible.
<<Saterland Frisian: Die Wänt strookede dät Wucht uum ju Keeuwe un oapede hier ap do Sooken.
North Frisian (Mooring): Di dreng aide dåt foomen am dåt kan än mäket har aw da siike.
West Frisian: De jonge streake it famke om it kin en tute har op 'e wangen.
East Frisian Low Saxon: De Jung straktde dat Wicht üm't Kinn to un tuutjede hör up de Wangen.
Dutch: De jongen aaide/streelde het meisje over haar kin en kuste haar op haar wangen.
German: Der Junge streichelte das Mädchen ums Kinn und küsste sie auf die Wangen.
English: The boy stroked the girl on the chin and kissed her on the cheeks.>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saterland_Frisian_language
I'd be interested to know if the different Gaelic languages of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Brittany are mutually intelligible?
Also, I wonder if many of the Chinese dialects, Mndarin, Cantonese, etc, which are often presented almost as independent languages, are mutually intelligible.
I've read in the newspaper of Polish and Russian immigrants in the UK communicating falteringly with each other in their native tongues. It was a court case where they were accused of murder, and they commented on being able to communicate despite speaking different languages.
Spanish and Italian are mutually intelligible to some degree, perhaps even more than Spanish and Portuguese.
<<
I've read in the newspaper of Polish and Russian immigrants in the UK communicating falteringly with each other in their native tongues.>>
Russian and Polish are very distant. There is quite a lot of mutual intelligibility between Russian and Ukrainian, but they're still clearly different languages.
<<Spanish and Italian are mutually intelligible to some degree, perhaps even more than Spanish and Portuguese. >>
It's not true .Portuguese and Spanish are mutually intelligible in written form,less-in spoken form,but Italian is quite different language.
Portuguese:
1. Toda a pessoa tem o direito de tomar parte livremente na vida cultural da comunidade, de fruir as artes e de participar no progresso científico e nos benefícios que deste resultam.
2. Todos têm direito à protecção dos interesses morais e materiais ligados a qualquer produção científica, literária ou artística da sua autoria.
Spanish:
1. Toda persona tiene derecho a tomar parte libremente en la vida cultural de la comunidad, a gozar de las artes y a participar en el progreso científico y en los beneficios que de él resulten.
2. Toda persona tiene derecho a la protección de los intereses morales y materiales que le correspondan por razón de las producciones científicas, literarias o artísticas de que sea autora.
Italian:
1.Ogni individuo ha diritto di prendere parte liberamente alla vita culturale della comunità, di godere delle arti e di partecipare al progresso scientifico ed ai suoi benefici.
2.Ogni individuo ha diritto alla protezione degli interessi morali e materiali derivanti da ogni produzione scientifica, letteraria e artistica di cui egli sia autore.
http://www.lexilogos.com/declaration/index_english.htm
<<Russian and Polish are very distant. There is quite a lot of mutual intelligibility between Russian and Ukrainian, but they're still clearly different languages.>>
Some Polish dialects however are told to have undergone some Russian influence. I've read about Polish traders who can easily communicate with Russians, but I forgot which dialect.