Official language after unifying the country in 221 BC. Classical Chinese would remain the standard written language for the next 2000 years. Standardization of the spoken language received less political attention, and Mandarin developed on an "ad hoc" basis from the dialects of the various imperial capitals until being officially standardized in the early twentieth century. According to an undated chart by the American pro-English-only organization known as U.S. English, 178 countries have an official language at the national level. Among those, English is the most common with 67 nations giving it official status. French is second with 29 countries, Arabic is
In What Language? eyes, our bodies, our hearts, our minds." In What Language? In What Language? is a studio album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer recorded with hip-hop artist Mike Ladd. The album was released on via Pi Recordings label. Joe Tangari of "Piitchfork" mentioned "What might make "In What Language?" truly important, though, is that it's focused intently on probing social issues in meaningful ways. We've all spent time lately lamenting the fact that modern music is so apolitical, and this is a good start for an antidote. If it takes a poet and a jazz pianist to expose some truth