One
of the things we love about Bristol is that it is home to a range of cultures,
nationalities and languages. Here at Caffe Clifton, situated close to the
University and several International Language Schools, it is not unusual to
hear conversations in several different tongues occurring around our tables.
Even our staff can boast multilingual proficiencies, for example our Barista
Maria is fluent in Spanish and Dorotea who works close by on the hotel
reception desk possesses skills in Mandarin.
To
celebrate this diversity we are holding a language exchange on Saturday the 17th
of September.
The
dynamic will be friendly and informal; think relaxed conversations over coffee
and cake, but in several different languages. All are welcome whether you are
multilingual or monosyllabic, it’s a chance to get to know new people, build
your confidence in a new language, and of course eat lots of delicious cake!
And
if you needany more convincing, check out these fascinating facts about
language diversity:
At
least 91 different languages are spoken across Bristol*
At
least half of the world’s population are bilingual or plurilingual, i.e. they
speak two or more languages.**
Bilingualism
arguably brings with it many benefits: it makes the learning of additional
languages easier, enhances the thinking process and fosters contacts with other
people and their cultures.**
The critical threshold for the survival of a language is estimated at
300 000 speakers. This means that about 80% of the European minority languages
are endangered.***
A
significant chunk of the world’s languages, estimated at 2,200, are found in
Asia, while Europe can only boast a mere 260 in comparison.****
The
country with the most official languages is Zimbabwe, with a massive 16
different languages being recognised as official!****
Please
do get in contact for any more information:
Address:
St Paul’s Road, BS8 1LX
E-mail
address: caffeclifton@caffeclifton.co.uk
Telephone
number: 0117 973 6882
Website:
www.caffeclifton.co.uk
We
are looking forward to seeing you soon!
The
Caffe Clifton Team
*http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/changing-culture-bristol-2014/story-23058782-detail/story.html
**http://edl.ecml.at/LanguageFun/LanguageFacts/tabid/1859/Default.aspx
***http://language-diversity.eu/en/knowledge/fakten/
****https://www.welocalize.com/five-facts-on-linguistic-diversity-around-the-world/
