Introduction The Silk Road, which has also been referred to as the Silk Route, was a trade path. Xu and Li explain that the road was functional from the second century B.C to the fourteenth century A.C. One of the reasons why the road is of interest is the fact that it stretched from Asia all the way to the Mediterranean. This means that the route cut across India, China, Arabia, Italy, Greece, and Persia. It is prudent to point out that the road got its name due to the fact that the communities that traded were mainly interested in silk and its product. It can be argued that silk was used as a common currency during that time. However, traders could also get other elements such as grains, other types of fabric, and also wood and metal works. It is prudent to mention that different cultures would meet on the Silk Road. This meant that a majority could not understand each other due to the different languages they spoke. This essay analyzes the languages that were used on the Silk Road. However, in order to understand these languages and how the traders communicated, it is critical to understand the cultures that were represented on the Silk Road. Cultures on the Silk Road One of the reasons it is important to understand the cultures on the Silk Road is their impact on language. As mentioned previously, the different communities that were trading on the Silk Route had differing languages. One of the common cultures was Chinese. This was due to the fact that the most valuable commodity for trade (initially) was Chinese Silk. Van Der Wende confirms that once the material became common, other communities started making it. It is important to note that due to the initial interaction with the Chinese in order to get Silk, several cultures borrowed from the Chinese culture. Additionally, it is also possible to find that the Chinese culture also borrowed from the other cultures that were represented on the road. Critically, due to the differences in languages, these cultures had to use a shared language in order to understand one another. Another culture that was represented in the Silk Road was European. This community was well known for gems and pearls, which became more common as more people were able to get silk from their communities. Therefore, the culture became important on the road as more people wanted to get the desired commodities. It can be argued that one of the ways in which the European culture affected other people on the Silk Road is by offering them items that were already deemed important in the European nations. For example, medicine was traded, not only by the Europeans but also by other cultures. One can argue that medicine was a highly cultural commodity, therefore, trading the item would also mean giving out some parts of one’s culture. This led to the integration of different cultures and further ensured that all the cultures on the road were intertwined. Critically, Persians were also part of the communities that were found on the Silk Road. McCannon notes that one of the most spread cultural aspects is food preparation. This can be attributed to the Persians and other communities that were found on the Silk Road. It is important to note that one of the key trading comm