I Like My Words Fast and Hot!

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m quite interested in languages - not enough to want to know their origins, necessarily, but fascinated enough to rise above the level of mere dilettante. As a result of this interest, combined with all things internetty - I’m also addicted (too strong a word?) to the Dictionary.com Word of the Day.

In fact, I’ve been a keeper of lists of words for some time - though most of them often get lost and few are rarely used - another bit of unfortunate business. 
That does not prohibit me from collecting them - and though I do not often sprinkle my own writing with the new ones I come across, it does give me a clearer understanding of texts in which they may be employed - not to mention the invaluable help in solving crossword puzzles…

After reading today’s Word of the Day (xenophilia - an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs.) and thinking, but for a second, when and where I might utilize such an 'open' word, I slid my finger across the screen of my iPhone to discover - The Hot Word. 
Now, The Hot Word is often not a solitary, stand alone kind of word, but rather, a group of words or an insight into why a word or group of words are used in a particular way - today I was pleasantly surprised to have something confirmed for me which I have thought for some time - Spanish is a rapid-fire language! 
Of course, we all knew that - right?

But here’s the thing: It seems a group of linguists from the University of Lyons, recently set about to determine the difference in the rate of speed, 7 diverse languages were spoken - the results indicated that Japanese and Spanish were the fastest (I knew it! Just try and follow along when 2 or more native Spanish speakers are conversing and your knowledge is limited - or try a telenovela!) and Mandarin, the slowest.

The way they went about measuring was to have 60 native speakers from each language group, read the same text - speed was based on the rapidity of each syllable spoken.

But there was a further bit of complication in terms of measuring - and that was density of content, for it appeared that languages spoken quickly were less content ‘rich’, so to speak, whilst those spoken at a slower rate were ‘fuller’ in their content, or information conveyed. What this meant in the end was that they were all more or less equal - and the reason for this equality is that, among linguists, there is a school of thought that says the human brain can only handle and sort so much information at a given time and that the rate of speed at which humans communicate is inherent, based on our ability to process and comprehend.

They indicate that this is purely conjectural but it struck me with such truth as to render it so - at least for me.

I’ve often wondered whether it was just my inability to comprehend or whether, when listening to Spanish being spoken, it was actually coming at me, speed of light-like - now, I know.

This gives me fresh (hot) hope, that with a little practice (okay - a lot more practice), I too will be rattling away just as naturally, and quickly, as the next Spaniard - of course, it means I’m going to have to add Spanish to my list of languages.  But there's time - if I hurry.

Vamanos! ándale!