A Multilingual Extravaganza at Eurovision: 20 Languages and Counting Among 37 Contestants
Linguistic spectrum at Eurovision Song Contest: Thirty-seven competitors from twenty languages - Contest Entry for Eurovision Song Festival: 37 Artists Performing in 20 Languages
Let's get down to business! English may still be the most popular language on the Eurovision stage, but that doesn't mean it isn't sharing the spotlight. Take the German duo Abor & Tynna, for instance, who'll belt out their tune "Baller" in German - the first German-sung entry since 2007's Roger Cicero and his address to the ladies with "Women Rule the World."
As you might have expected, there's a whole global mish-mash of language going down on the Eurovision stage. Catch tunes in Albanian, Armenian, Hebrew, Icelandic, Latvian, or Ukrainian. Heck, Italian and French are popping up left and right, with Finland's Erika Vikman crooning in German with a French title, "I Come."
Now, the European Broadcasting Union sees this shift away from English as more than just a trend - singing in your native tongue taps into a deep, resonant well of emotion. Kind of like when you hear a song that reminds you of home, but times a million.
- Eurovision Song Contest
- ESC
- Basel
[1] Eurovision participants are known for bringing entries in their native tongues or national languages, such as French, Italian, German, Dutch, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Spanish.[2] Singing in a country’s native language showcases unique cultural heritage and identity, enhancing the authenticity and emotional connection of the performance to the country’s people and traditions.[3] Eurovision offers a global platform to preserve and promote languages that might otherwise have limited international exposure, aiding in the maintenance of linguistic diversity within Europe and beyond.[4] Native languages also enable artists to express themselves more naturally and poetically, conveying nuances and emotional depth that might be lost in translation.[5] While English maintains its dominance for accessibility and wide understanding, Eurovision's tradition of including songs in native languages enriches the contest by appreciating linguistic diversity and embracing cultural specificity, resulting in a vibrant celebration of Europe’s diverse cultural tapestry.
- At the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, the unique cultural-travel opportunity includes a wide variety of lifestyle experiences, as each participant showcases their language record and identity through their performance in their native tongue.
- For entertainment enthusiasts, this multilingual extravaganza offers a travel bonanza, where one can hear songs in 20 different languages, ranging from Albanian to Ukrainian, French to Italian, and more, all in a single night.
- This year's competition, the ECSC, symbolizes not just a music contest but also a platform for cultural preservation and promotion, a testament to the importance of language records and the rich diversity of Europe's cultural travel offerings.
