Nursery rhymes, tongue twisters, and gibberish; Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss. Children’s language can be silly, but it’s not just fun and games. Complex verbal exercises purposely play up a given language’s nuances of sound, syntax, and semantics, and so become a wonderful way to hear the voices of the world. The same lingual hijinks are equally important as conveyors of culture. Enjoy listening to playful language from around the globe in celebration of International Mother Language Day!