Greater than 7,000 languages are spoken round the world at the moment and at the very least 3,000 of them, or 40 p.c, are endangered.
English is the most extensively spoken language, with roughly 1.5 billion audio system in 186 international locations. Two out of each 10 English audio system are native, whereas the remaining 80 p.c converse English as their second, third or increased language, in response to Ethnologue, a database which catalogues the world’s languages.
Mandarin Chinese language is the second most spoken language with nearly 1.2 billion audio system. Nonetheless, when accounting for native audio system, it’s the largest language in the world, owing to China’s massive inhabitants.
Hindi comes in third at 609 million audio system, adopted by Spanish (559 million), and Commonplace Arabic (335 million).
Scripts in the world’s most in style languages
There are 293 recognized scripts – units of graphic characters used to jot down a language – in response to The World’s Writing Methods, a reference e book about world scripts.
Greater than 156 scripts are nonetheless in use at the moment, whereas greater than 137 historic scripts, together with Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Aztec pictograms, are now not in use.
The Latin script, which is used to jot down English, French, Spanish, German and extra, is used in at the very least 305 of the world’s 7,139 recognized residing human languages. Greater than 70 p.c of the world’s inhabitants use it.
Which are the most endangered languages?
Of the 7,159 languages spoken worldwide, 3,193 (44 p.c) are endangered, 3,479 (49 p.c) are secure, and 487 (7 p.c) are institutional, which means they are utilized by governments, faculties and the media.
A language turns into endangered when its customers start to move on a extra dominant language to the kids in the group. Many are used as second languages.
Based on Ethnologue, some 337 languages are mentioned to be dormant whereas 454 are extinct.
Dormant languages are those who now not have proficient audio system, however the language nonetheless has social makes use of and the language is a part of the identification of an ethnic group. Extinct languages are those who don’t have any audio system and no social makes use of or teams that declare it as a part of their heritage or identification.
Based on Ethnologue, 88.1 million individuals converse an endangered language as their mom tongue. There are:
- 1,431 languages with fewer than 1,000 first-language audio system
- 463 with fewer than 100 audio system
- 110 with fewer than 10 audio system
Simply 25 international locations are residence to some 80 p.c of the world’s endangered languages. Oceania has the most endangered languages, adopted by Asia, Africa and the Americas.
Some endangered languages embody:
Oceania
In Australia, Yugambeh, an endangered Aboriginal language, is spoken by the Yugambeh individuals, primarily throughout the Gold Coast, Scenic Rim and Logan in japanese Australia.
In recent times, a powerful community-led revitalisation programme and the use of studying apps have made the language extra accessible to youthful generations.
Asia
Japan’s Ainu (Ainu Itak) is a critically endangered language. Based on UNESCO, it could actually’t be linked with certainty to any household of languages. The precise variety of Ainu audio system is unknown, nevertheless a 2006 survey confirmed that out of 23,782 Ainu, 304 know the language.
Africa
In Ethiopia, Ongota is a critically endangered language.
It was spoken by a group on the west financial institution of the Weito River in southwest Ethiopia. There are solely about 400 members of the group left, with a handful of elders talking the language.
Americas
In North and Central America, nearly all Indigenous languages are endangered. Louisiana Creole, a French-based creole with African and Indigenous influences, is a severely endangered language in the United States, with it principally spoken by elders.
Leco is an endangered Indigenous language spoken in Bolivia and is taken into account an remoted language – one which has no genetic relationship to different languages. The language is barely now spoken by elders with a Leco ethnic inhabitants of solely about 13,500.
Europe
Cornish (Kernewek), spoken in southwest England, was marked as an extinct language by UNESCO, till it was revived and in 2010 modified to an endangered language. It’s spoken as a primary language by 563 individuals in response to the 2021 England and Wales census.
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