Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words still used today including 'bedroom,' 'lonely,' and 'obscene.'

The word 'OK' may be the most recognized word in the world — understood in virtually every language.

There are roughly 7,000 languages, but about 23 languages account for over half the world's speakers.

The Hawaiian alphabet has only 13 letters.

The word 'cereal' comes from Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain and harvest.

There are no true synonyms — words with similar meanings always differ in connotation or register.

The oldest written language is Sumerian, dating to around 3200 BCE.

Sanskrit has the most perfect grammatical structure ever analyzed by linguists.

Creole languages develop when children of pidgin speakers create a fully structured native language from a simplified trade tongue.