Bodies react to speech

Speech is processed in our brain. Our brain is active when we listen or read. This can be measured using various methods. But not only our brain reacts to linguistic stimuli. Recent studies show that speech also activates our body. Our body works when it hears or reads certain words. Above all, words that describe physical reactions. The word smile is a good example of this. When we read this word, we move our ‘smile muscle’. Negative words also have a measurable effect. An example of this is the word pain. Our body exhibits a clear pain reaction when we read this word. It could be said then that we imitate that which we read or hear. The more vivid the speech is, the more we react to it. A precise description has a strong reaction as a result. The activity of the body was measured for a study. Test subjects were shown various words. There were positive and negative words. The facial expressions of the test subjects changed during the tests. The movements of the mouth and forehead varied. That proves that speech has a strong effect on us. Words are more than just a means of communication. Our brain translates speech into body language. How exactly that works hasn't been researched yet. It is possible that the results of the study will have consequences. Physicians are discussing how best to treat patients. Because many ill people must undergo a long round of therapy. And there is a lot of talking in the process…

Guess the language!

German is the native language of more than 90 million people. These people live primarily in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. German is also spoken in Belgium, Liechtenstein, northern Italy, and Luxembourg. In addition to the native speakers, there are 80 million people who understand German. German is one of the most-learned foreign languages. It is counted among the West Germanic languages, like English and Dutch. It was also influenced by other languages over many centuries. This is due to the fact that the language region is located in the middle of Europe.

Nowadays, English terms above all are integrated into the German vocabulary. Another hallmark of the German language is the many different dialects. These are increasingly losing importance, however. The standard language is becoming more and more widespread, especially through the media. Because of this, many schools want to teach dialects again. German grammar is not especially easy, but it is worth the trouble! German is among the ten most important languages of the world.