With extra time on our hands this year, lots of people decided to learn something new like embroidery, cooking or a new language.
And new data has revealed some interesting (and pretty hilarious) findings for people who chose the latter option.
Duolingo has released its Year in Language report, which shows a huge rise in the number of people joining the app after lockdown. It also reveals the top phrase from learners.
The platform asked users to vote on the ‘Most 2020 Duolingo Phrase’ of the year, based on the courses taught on the app. And it’s safe to say that the winning phrase pretty much sums up the general mood of 2020.
Scooping first place was the phrase ‘I am eating bread and crying on the floor’ from Duolingo’s Norwegian course.
Pretty spot on, to be honest.
The report shows that around 30 million new people took up language learning in the weeks following lockdown – a spike which was twice as large as the increase for New Year 2020, when lots of people were making resolutions.
Duolingo’s language expert, Dr. Cindy Blanco, said: ‘During lockdown, learners around the globe looked for ways to feel connected, and so millions of people began learning a new language.
‘Duolingo’s data reveals where and when people began learning their community’s own language, studying to keep up with schoolwork, and trying out the languages behind some of our other favorite quarantine activities, like binging on Netflix and streaming music from around the world.’
In terms of the languages themselves, English remains the most popular to study worldwide, but this year Spanish overtook French as the second most popular.
The report also shows that all five of the fastest growing languages around the world are Asian languages – with Japanese, Korean and Chinese all placing within the top 10.
How to say 2020 phrases in the top 10 languages
- Where is the closest hand sanitiser? – Spanish: ¿Dónde está el desinfectante de manos más cercano?
- Oh no, I forgot my mask – French: Oh non, j’ai oublié mon masque
- No, I do not want to attend another Zoom quiz – German: Nein, ich möchte nicht an einem weiteren Zoom-Quiz teilnehmen
- Do you want to go on a socially distanced walk? – Italian: Vuoi fare una passeggiata a distanza?
- Is it contactless delivery? – Japanese: 非接触型決済ですか？(Hi sesshoku-gata kessaidesu ka?)
- You’re on mute – Korean: 음소거 상태입니다 (eumsogeo sangtaeibnida)
- If your relationship can survive lockdown, it can survive anything – Portuguese: Se o seu relacionamento pode sobreviver ao bloqueio, pode sobreviver a qualquer coisa
- I’m not missing the commute – Russian: Я не скучаю по дороге (YA ne skuchayu po doroge)
- Where can I buy some loo roll? – Chinese: 我在哪里可以买到一些 (Wǒ zài nǎlǐ kěyǐ mǎi dào yīxi)
- I’m having to self-isolate- Spanish: Tengo que aislarme
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/12/22/duolingo-reveals-the-top-phrase-from-learners-in-2020-13790053/
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