Languages
Bonjour! Nǐ hǎo! Cześć! Jo napot! Guten Tag! Zdravstvuyte! Hello!
These are just seven of roughly 7,000 languages spoken and signed around the world. Some countries are home to many – such as Zimbabwe, which has 16 official languages.
But languages are under threat. According to UNESCO, 230 languages went extinct between 1950 and 2010. Today, a third of the world’s languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers.
Historically, those speaking minority languages have faced discrimination, such as native children in Canada being punished for speaking their mother tongues. Globalisation also means that smaller languages are used less and less. Meanwhile, the world’s most popular languages continue to grow. According to Ethnologue, there are now over 740 million non-native English speakers worldwide.
Language is an important part of culture. When a language becomes extinct, much about the people who once spoke it is lost. Luckily, an organisation called Wikitongues is on a mission to save them. Collecting videos of native speakers from all over the world, it hopes to keep a record of all languages for future generations.
Read more about the most endangered languages in our briefing.
Read Our Stories
-
Furious backlash slams gender-neutral French
Should all languages be made gender neutral? The French prime minister has cracked down on new non-gendered grammar. But some say revolutionising the language will lead to greater equality.
-
Emojis are ‘the language of the 21st century’
Yesterday was World Emoji Day. The little yellow faces and symbols are just the latest method of communication invented by humans. But can emojis really be described as a new language?
-
Thanksgiving tribe’s lost language is revived
Should we revive dead languages? As Thanksgiving approaches, the descendants of the Native Americans who originated it are remembering how to speak like their ancestors…
Assembly
This assembly explores the history of human language, how it has evolved, and its possible future. Images, discussion points and videos look at how language shapes our thinking and considers how a knowledge of different languages can broaden our perspective.
Activities
- In a small group, spend 10 minutes writing down words for “hello” in as many languages as possible. How many can you think of?
- Using the internet, research endangered languages. Pick one and create a short presentation about it, including where it is spoken and how many people use it.
- Choose a language that you do not speak and research some simple words and phrases. By the end of the week, aim to be able to introduce yourself.
