Home to around 800
different languages, New York is a delight for linguists, but also
provides a rich hunting ground for those trying to document languages
threatened with extinction.
To hear the many languages of New York, just board the subway.
The number 7 line, which leads from Flushing in Queens to
Times Square in the heart of Manhattan takes you on a journey which
would thrill the heart of a linguistic anthropologist.
Each stop along the line takes you into a different linguistic universe - Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali.
And it is not just the language spoken on the streets that changes.
Street signs and business names are also transformed, even
those advertising the services of major multinational banks or hotel
chains.
In the subway, the information signs warning passengers to avoid the electrified rails are written in seven different languageshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20716344
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