What number of languages are there? In the present day, there are over 7,000 lively languages world wide. However in all of historical past, linguists assume folks have spoken some 31,000 totally different languages. Meaning lots of languages have disappeared. And so they nonetheless do.
Languages change on a regular basis. New ones seem. Some uncommon ones disappear. Dialects of the identical language develop. Folks transfer away, and their youngsters purchase the brand new language higher than their mother and father’ language. All these present us why languages don’t stand nonetheless.
Language acquisition was one in every of my college modules again once I was learning languages. I discovered it fascinating how all of us purchase languages in numerous methods. I nonetheless do. The reply to “what number of languages are there” is commonly “properly, it relies upon.” On this article, I’ll speak about why it’s a tough query.
The Problem of Counting How Many Languages There Are
Why is it so laborious to agree on what number of languages there are? One cause is that what counts as a language could be a matter of opinion. Some linguists take into account lexical and grammatical info whereas others take social, cultural, or political elements into consideration.
One more reason is that there are greater than 3,000 endangered languages on the planet. This accounts for almost 40% of the world’s languages. Along with this, over 1,400 languages have lower than 1,000 first-language audio system, 422 have lower than 100 audio system, and 117 have lower than 10 audio system.
Language and Dialect: What’s the Distinction When Counting Languages?
As linguist Max Weinreich’s well-known saying goes, “a language is a dialect with a military and a navy.” Weinreich’s work targeted on elevating consciousness on Yiddish, a language spoken by Ashkenazic Jews. This language was spoken throughout a number of international locations, and ended up growing its personal dialects — recognized at this time as Jap and Western Yiddish.
What makes a language a language, and never only a dialect? In accordance with the dictionary definitions, language is a system of communication with its personal algorithm for grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. A dialect, however, is a model of a language that’s particular to a area or group of individuals. It could have totally different phrases, accents, or methods of claiming issues, however usually, audio system of various dialects of the identical language can perceive one another.
Let’s have a look at the place I’m from: Cyprus. We’ve two languages, Turkish and Greek. We perceive Turkish from Turkey, and Greek from Greece however communicate with our Cypriot dialects. Folks from Turkey and Greece can principally perceive the Cypriot dialect, though it’s not very simple.
Over time, Cypriot Turkish and Cypriot Greek developed their very own vocabulary inside the Turkish and Greek languages. For instance, in Cypriot Turkish, we name the asparagus plant ayrelli. In Commonplace Turkish it’s kuşkonmaz, and in Cypriot Greek agrellia.
Most Spoken Languages and the International Linguistic Panorama
23 languages make up for the language of greater than half of the world’s inhabitants. So which means that thousands and thousands or billions of individuals communicate these languages. Amongst them are English, Mandarin Chinese language, and Spanish.
There are a number of explanation why these languages are so widespread. Spanish, for instance, is the official language in 20 international locations, together with Spain and lots of Latin American international locations. China has a inhabitants of over one billion, which means that billions of individuals communicate Mandarin Chinese language as their first language.
Some languages are ‘lingua francas,’ serving as a bridge between totally different languages. English is a standard one. Over a billion folks world wide communicate English however most are non-native audio system. A worldwide language, it’s typically the communication language of two individuals who don’t communicate the identical language. In accordance with English First’s English Proficiency Index, greater than 60 international locations have no less than average English proficiency. The Netherlands, Singapore, and Austria rank the best in English proficiency as non-native audio system. So if a Dutch-speaker from the Netherlands met a Mandarin-speaker from Singapore, they’d almost definitely haven’t any communication issues talking English.
Different languages could function the lingua franca inside a rustic — take Nigeria for instance, the place there are over 500 dwelling languages. The lingua franca of Nigeria is each English and Nigerian Pidgin, an English-based creole. Ethnologue’s 2023 information reveals that there are greater than 100 million audio system of Nigerian Pidgin alone, making it one of the spoken languages worldwide.
So how in regards to the different commonest languages? Listed below are the highest 20:
- English – 1.5 billion audio system
- Mandarin Chinese language – 1.1 billion audio system
- Hindi – 609 million audio system
- Spanish – 559 million audio system
- French – 309 million audio system
- Commonplace Arabic – 274 million audio system
- Bengali – 272 million audio system
- Portuguese – 263 million audio system
- Russian – 255 million audio system
- Urdu – 231 million audio system
- Indonesian – 199 million audio system
- German – 133 million audio system
- Japanese – 123 million audio system
- Nigerian Pidgin – 120 million audio system
- Egyptian Spoken Arabic – 102 million audio system
- Marathi – 99 million audio system
- Telugu – 96 million audio system
- Turkish – 90 million audio system
- Tamil – 86 million audio system
- Yue Chinese language – 86 million audio system
What Places a Language in Hazard?
When the final speaker of a language dies, the language dies too. That is what we name ‘language demise’, and it’s occurring greater than you would possibly assume. Why? There are lots of causes. Younger folks would possibly cease studying their ancestors’ language as a result of a extra extensively spoken language would possibly provide higher job possibilities or they don’t have a reference to the nation anymore. Or, a neighborhood might lose its language if its audio system transfer to cities the place one other language is spoken.
UNESCO has a mission referred to as Atlas of the World’s Languages in Hazard, exhibiting the diploma of endangerment of a language. These levels are secure, weak, undoubtedly endangered, critically endangered, and extinct. A minimum of 43% of the world’s languages have some extent of endangerment. Instance languages embody Bashkarik in Pakistan (severely endangered), Apinajé in Brazil (weak), Emilian-Romagnol in Italy (undoubtedly endangered), and extra.
Languages and Their On-line Presence
Not all languages are equally on-line. Some don’t have web sites, apps, or keyboards, making it tough to make use of them on the web. Only some hundred languages are well-represented on-line, regardless that there are 1000’s spoken world wide.
Having your language on-line means you should utilize it to learn the information, chat with buddies, or watch sequence. It additionally makes it extra fascinating for younger folks to study it, which ensures the way forward for the language — no less than for a while.
There’s nonetheless work to be achieved to convey extra languages on-line — Apple solely launched an Urdu language keyboard for iOS gadgets in 2013, for instance.
So, How Many Languages Are There?
There’s no single quantity that tells the entire story. Though there are over 7,000 languages on the planet, about 97% of the world’s inhabitants communicate solely 4% of those languages! Research on endangered languages are so priceless, since preserving a language typically means preserving a tradition as
