Les niveaux de connaissance en langue ont été classés et définis par le Conseil de l'Europe. Cette norme européenne, appelée cadre européen commun de référence, est acceptée et reconnue dans tous les pays de l'Union Européenne. Elle détermine précisément les compétences que doit posséder l'apprenant pour communiquer dans certains contextes.
Children who have grown up using mobile phones and gaming consoles have much stronger and more dextrous fingers and thumbs. Even the shape of their fingers and thumbs changes. The thumb in particular is much more widely used and many kids use it to perform simple tasks like pointing or ringing doorbells, instead of the index finger. These changing habits have become so noticeable that in Japan these kids have been nicknamed the thumb generation.
The changes are most obvious with kids who use their thumbs to key in text messages or use the Internet a lot. Researchers say that this is a case of technology causing physical changes. They have noticed that most people instinctively use one or several fingers to access a keyboard or a mobile phone. These teenagers use both thumbs ambidextrously, hardly needing to look at the keys.