How to Define a Language in a Written Text?

 Source: http://www.globallanguageservices.co.uk/british-really-bad-speaking-foreign-languages/

Is it so easy to define a language if you encounter a text written in a language you don’t know?


Imagine a situation when you get an extremely important document written in an unknown language. You need to know its contents. However, you are ignorant, what translator you must contact. Of course, any translators’ agency IS able to define a language in a proper way but they require an extra charge for this service. In addition, if there are no translators specialized in a defined language they usually redirect this order to other agencies. In this case, an extra postage also appears. 

How is it possible to solve this problem? Is there any way out from this situation? Is it possible to define any written language by oneself?

YES, IT IS POSSIBLE!

Each language has its own peculiarities concerning the written system it uses. These peculiarities consist in the presence of special additional characters as well as typical letter combinations, endings and auxiliary words. 

Let us dwell on some examples concerning some languages using the Latin script.

German
Additional letters: ä, ö, ü, ß
Typical letter combinations: ch, sch, tsch, au, ei, eu, ie…
Typical auxiliary words: der, dem, die, das, den, von, vom, vor, im, am, an, zu, zum, zur…
Typical endings: -ung, -en, -isch, -bar, -heit…

Dutch
Additional letters: ë
Typical letter combinations: ij (in this ligature is capitalized, both characters are capital: IJsselmeer), ie, numerous double vowels (aa, ee, oo)…
Typical auxiliary words: van, het
Typical endings: -lijk, -ing

French
Additional letters: à, á, â, æ, ç, è, é, ê, ë, ì, í, î, ï, œ, ò, ó, ô, ù, ú, û, ü
Typical letter combinations: ch, eu, ui, ai, au, eau, oi
Typical auxiliary words: le, les, et, en, où, ça, des, du
Typical endings: -au, -eau, -é, -ée, -eux

Spanish
Additional letters: á, é, í, ñ, ó, ú, ü
Typical letter combinations: ch, ll, rr, ue…
Typical auxiliary words: y, el, en, se, su, está, mas…
Typical endings: -ción, -os
Typical punctuation: mirror question and exclamation marks (¿?, ¡!)

Portuguese
Additional letters: à, á, â, ã, ç, è, é, ê, ë, ì, í, î, ï, õ, ò, ó, ô, ù, ú, û, ü
Typical letter combinations: ao, ão, õe, nh, lh
Typical auxiliary words: do, da, dos…
Typical endings: -ção, -ções…

Polish
Additional letters: ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź, ż; the letter V is used very rarely (in recent loan words and in foreign proper names only)
Typical letter combinations: ch, cz, sz, rz, ia, ie, io, iu
Typical auxiliary words: o, od, w, czy, się…
Typical endings: -ić, -yć, -ych, -ów…

Czech
Additional letters: á, č, ď (Ď), é, ě, í, ň, ó, ř, š, ť (Ť), ú, ů, ý, ž

Slovak
Additional letters: á, ä, č, ď (Ď), é, í, ĺ, ľ, ň, ó, ô, ŕ, š, ť (Ť), ú, ý, ž

Croatian
Additional letters: ć, č, đ, š, ž
Typical letter combinations: ije; ligatures lj, nj as well as numerous free combinations “consonant + J”
Typical auxiliary words: nije, su, u, za, da, pa, je, kad…

Lithuanian
Additional letters: ą, č, ę, ė, į, š, ų, ū, ž
Typical letter combinations: ai, ia, ie, io, iu, uo

Latvian
Additional letters: ā, č, ē, ģ (Ģ), ī, ķ, ļ, ņ, ō, ŗ, š, ū, ž
Typical letter combinations: ie

Romanian
Additional letters: ă, â, î, ş, ţ
Typical letter combinations: gh, ea…
Typical auxiliary words: în, cu, cum, pe, din, şi, să, s-a, lui…
Typical endings: -ţie, -ul, -ului, -iţa, -iţă, -uţa, -uţă, -ile, -lor…

Albanian
Additional letters: ç, ë
Typical letter combinations: rr, ll, zh, xh, sh, zh, dh, th, dj, tj, nj, fj…
Typical auxiliary words: dhe, është, që, e, i, jo, në, një…

Turkish
Additional letters: â, ç, ğ, î, ı (I), i (İ), ş
Typical auxiliary words: ya, ve
Typical endings: -lar, -ler, -dir, -dır, -da, -lı, -sı, -ğı…

More details concerning various writing systems and some peculiarities of national alphabets can be found on the website called Omniglot.

There is also special free software called Polyglot 3000, which is able to define up to 3,000 languages including very rare and exotic ones.