Long words, short words

The length of a word is dependent upon its informative content. This has been shown by an American study. Researchers evaluated words from ten European languages. This was achieved with the help of a computer. The computer analyzed various words with a program. In the process, it used a formula to calculate the informative content. The results were clear. The shorter a word is, the less information it conveys. Interestingly, we use short words more often than long words. The reason for this could lie in the efficiency of speech. When we speak, we concentrate on the most important thing. Therefore, words without much information mustn't be too long. This guarantees we don't spend too much time on unimportant things. The correlation between length and content has another advantage. It ensures that the informative content always remains the same. That is to say, we always say the same amount in a certain period of time. For example, we can use a few long words. But we can also use many short words. It doesn't matter what we decide: The informative content remains the same. As a result, our speech has a consistent rhythm. This makes it easier for listeners to follow us. If the amount of information were always varied, it would be difficult. Our listeners couldn't adapt well to our speech. Comprehension would thus be made difficult. He who wants the best chance of being understood should use short words. Since short words are better comprehended than long ones. Therefore, the principle goes: Keep It Short and Simple! In short: KISS!

Guess the language!

The ______ language is counted among the most important languages worldwide. More than 300 million people in over 20 countries speak ______. This Afro-Asian language originated several thousands of years ago. Originally only spoken on the ______ peninsula, it later became widespread. There are many different ______ dialects. Many of the dialects are very different from standard ______. Speakers from different regions often do not understand each other at all. Ancient ______ is hardly spoken today.

It exists most notably in the written form. Interest in ______ has increased in recent years. Many people find the ______ writing system especially fascinating. It is written from right to left. If you want to learn ______, you must do so in a particular order. First the pronunciation, then the grammar, then the writing system. If you stick to that order, you will most definitely have fun while learning.