Dig into the distinction between a language and a dialect, and uncover the history of standardized languages.

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Outside of China, Mandarin and Cantonese are often referred to as Chinese dialects, despite being even more dissimilar than Spanish and Italian. On the other hand, speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, which are three distinct languages, can usually communicate with each other in their native tongues. So, when is speech considered a dialect versus a language? Martin Hilpert investigates.

Lesson by Martin Hilpert, directed by Luísa M H Copetti, Hype CG.

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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-a-language-a-language-martin-hilpert
Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-a-language-a-language-martin-hilpert#digdeeper

Animator's website: https://www.luisacopetti.com and https://www.hype.cg
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