When we think about where languages are spoken, we often picture tidy borders and tidy rules, like French in France or Japanese in Japan. But real-life linguistic geography is rarely that neat! Centuries of colonization, migration, and cultural exchange all have created pockets of unexpected languages in countries across the world.
Here are seven places where you’ll hear languages you might not expect—all featuring languages you can learn on Duolingo!
1. Swedish in Finland
Sure, Finland is the land of the Finns, but the country has two national languages: Finnish and Swedish (not to mention half a dozen more officially recognized languages). It might also surprise you to learn that these two neighboring languages aren’t related at all! About 5% of the Finnish population speaks Swedish as their mother tongue, and in places like the Åland Islands and parts of western Finland, Swedish communities date back to long before we called it Finland at all.
2. Welsh in Patagonia, Argentina
Yes—Welsh in South America! Welsh settlers in the 1860s traveled to Argentina from Wales and founded cities such as Trelew and Gaiman—and today this region of Patagonia is known as Y Wladychfa Gymreig—“The Welsh Settlement.” Here, you’ll find Welsh tea houses, bilingual Welsh-Spanish schools, and cultural festivals known as Eistefoddau.
3. German in Namibia
Namibia remains one of the only places in Africa where German is still spoken, alongside English (its official language) and a multitude of indigenous languages from the Niger-Congo, Khoe-Kwadi, and other language families. German continues to live on through families, schools, and local culture as a linguistic echo of its early 20th-century colonial history. Listen for it in radio broadcasts, bakeries, and historic neighborhoods.
4. Portuguese in Japan
Japan has one of the largest Brazilian communities outside of Brazil, especially in Aichi, Shizuoka, and Gifu. This means that in those prefectures, you’ll spot Portuguese on shop signs, hear it in cafés, and find Brazilian supermarkets. Thanks in part to bilingual schools, many kids even grow up learning both Portuguese and Japanese from a young age.
5. French in Louisiana, U.S.
French is found in Europe, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, and the Pacific—but that’s not all! Louisiana, a state in the southern U.S., is home to vibrant Cajun and Creole French communities. Between 1920 and 1960, French was suppressed in schools, and even though English dominates today, revival programs help keep Louisiana French alive through storytelling, festivals, and traditions that stretch back centuries.
6. Spanish in the Philippines
Spanish coexisted alongside Filipino languages like Tagalog during more than 300 years of colonial rule, and you can still spot its impact everywhere. The modern Filipino alphabet uses the Latin script that was introduced during the colonial period, and common surnames such as Cruz, García, Reyes, and Santos can be traced back to a 19th-century naming decree. Today, only a small community speaks Spanish, but Chavacano, a creole language heavily influenced by Spanish vocabulary, is still used in parts of the country, one of many remnants of the Philippines’ Spanish past.
7. German in Italy’s South Tyrol
German is spoken widely in South Tyrol, a region of Italy that was annexed after World War I, and today the area is officially trilingual with German, Italian, and Ladin (a Romance language spoken mainly in the Dolomite Mountains) all holding recognized status. But public life leans toward German, and most residents grow up speaking it at home and many schools teach primarily in German. Come for the strudel alongside your espresso, and stay for the linguistic blend shaped by a century of cultural coexistence.
Why these unexpected language pockets matter
Each of these places reminds us that languages—like people—don’t stay put. The way we communicate is constantly changing, and it migrates, mixes, and evolves as we do. For language lovers, that’s great news: Everything you study opens more doors than you might have ever imagined. 💚