Eblaite
Is an extinct East Semitic language which was spoken in the 3rd millennium BC in the ancient city Ebla, in modern Syria. It is considered to be the oldest written Semitic language. The language, closely related to Akkadian, is known from about 17,000 tablets written with cuneiform script which were found between 1974–1976 in the ruins of the Ebla city. The tablets were first interpreted by Giovanni Pettinato.
Edomite
Is the extinct Hebrew Canaanite language of the Edomites in southwestern Jordan in the first millennium BC. It is known only from a very small corpus. In early times, it seems to have been probably written with a Canaanite alphabet; like Moabite, it retained feminine -t. However, in the 6th century BC, it adopted the Aramaic alphabet, and specifically Arabic elements such as whb "gave" (in names) and tgr "merchant" began showing up in texts. Biblically, since "Edom" is an alternate name of Esau, who was a descendant of Eber through Abraham, the Edomites are regarded as being a Hebrew people, as are the Moabites and Ammonites. For this reason, the four closely related south Canaanite languages are sometimes termed "Hebrew languages".
Egyptian
Written records of the ancient Egyptian language have been dated from about 3200 BC. Egyptian is part of the Afro-Asiatic group of languages and is related to Berber and Semitic (languages such as Arabic, Amharic and Hebrew). The language survived until the 5th century AD in the form of Demotic and until the Middle Ages in the form of Coptic. Thus it had a lifespan of over four millennia. Egyptian is one of the oldest recorded languages known.
Egyptian Arabic
Is part of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, descended mainly from a medieval dialect of Arabic. It originated in the Nile Delta region (Lower Egypt) around its urban centers, Cairo and Alexandria. Today, it is the national language of Egypt and the mother tongue of more than 78 million people. It also serves as a second language in many countries across the Middle East
While Egyptian Arabic is mainly spoken, it is written occasionally in novels, plays, poems (vernacular literature) as well as in comics, advertising, some newspapers, and transcriptions of popular songs. In most other written media and in TV news reporting, Standard Arabic is used. Like other varieties of Arabic, the Egyptian dialect is written in the Arabic alphabet.
Ekoti
Is a Bantu language spoken in Mozambique by about 64,200 people, the Akoti. Ekoti is spoken on Koti Island and is also the major language of Angoche, the capital of the district with the same name in the province of Nampula. In terms of genetic classification, Ekoti is generally considered to belong to the Makhuwa group (P.30 in Guthrie's classification). A large portion of its vocabulary however derives from a past variety of Swahili, today the lingua franca of much of East Africa's coast. This Swahili influence is usually attributed to traders from Kilwa or somewhere else on the Zanzibar Coast, who in the fifteenth century settled at Angoche.
Elamite
Is an extinct language, which was spoken by the ancient Elamites. Elamite was an official language of the Persian Empire from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE. The last written records in Elamite appear about the time of the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great.
Enets
Is a Samoyedic language spoken by the Enets people along the lower Yenisei River in Taymyria in northern Russia. There are two distinct dialects - Forest Enets and Tundra Enets - which may be considered separate languages. There are only about 70 speakers in total, with slightly more speaking Forest Enets. Most speakers are middle-aged or older, and all speak Russian as a second language. It is closely related to Nenets, which it was formerly regarded as a dialect of, and to Nganasan.
English
Is a West Germanic language which is the dominant language in the United Kingdom, the United States, the Republic of Ireland, many Commonwealth nations including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and other former British colonies. It is also an important or official language in many countries formerly under British or American rule, such as India, Nigeria and the Philippines.
Erzya
Is spoken by about 500,000 people in the northern and eastern and north-western parts of the Republic of Mordovia and adjacent regions of Nizhniy Novgorod, Chuvashia, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Orenburg, Ulyanovsk, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan in Russia. A diaspora can also be found in Armenia, Estonia, Kazakhstan and the other newly independent states of Central Asia. Erzya is currently written using the Cyrillic alphabet with no modifications to the variant used by the Russian language. In Mordovia, Erzya is co-official with the Moksha and Russian.
The language belongs to the Mordvinic branch of Finno-Volgaic languages a sub-branch of the Finno-Ugric languages. Erzya is closely related to Moksha, but is distinct in its phonetics, morphology and vocabulary.
Esperanto
Is the most widely spoken constructed international language. The name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof first published the Unua Libro in 1887. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible language as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding.
Estonian
Is spoken by about 1.1 million people, of whom the great majority live in the Northern European country of Estonia. Estonian belongs to the Finnic branch of the Finno-Ugric languages. Estonian is thus related to Finnish, spoken on the other side of the Gulf of Finland, and is one of the few languages of Europe that is not Indo-European. Despite some minor overlaps in the vocabulary due to loaning, in terms of its origin, Estonian is not related to its nearest neighbours, Swedish, Latvian and Russian, which are all Indo-European languages.
Etruscan
Was a language spoken and written in the ancient region of Etruria (current Tuscany) and in parts of what are now Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna (where the Etruscans were displaced by Gauls), in Italy. However, Latin superseded Etruscan completely, leaving only a few documents and a few loanwords in Latin (e.g., persona from Etruscan phersu), and some place-names, like Parma.
Even
Is the language spoken by Evens. It is an endangered language, having around 3,000 speakers.
Evenk
Is the largest of the northern group of the Manchu-Tungus languages, a group which also includes the Even and Negidal languages. It is spoken by Evenks in Russia, Mongolia and China. The basic vocabulary has much in common with the Mongolian and the Turkic languages, indicating a close relation. In certain areas the influences of the Yakut and the Buryat languages are strong. The influence of Russian is general and overwhelming (in 1979, 75.2 % of the Evenk were fluent in Russian). The Evenk language varies considerably and is divided into three large dialect groups: the northern, the southern and the eastern dialect. These are further divided into minor dialects. The written language was created in the late 1920s.
Ewe
Is a Kwa language spoken in Ghana and Togo by approximately three million people (Capo 1991). Ewe is part of a cluster of related languages commonly called Gbe, stretching from eastern Ghana to Western Nigeria. Other Gbe languages Fon and Aja. Like other Gbe languages, Ewe is a tonal language. Ewe is one of the better documented languages of Africa, partly due to the massive work of Diedrich Hermann Westermann, who published many dictionaries and grammars of Ewe and several other Gbe languages.
Eyak
Is a Na-Dené language that was historically spoken in southcentral Alaska, near the mouth of the Copper River. Today, the language has only one surviving elderly speaker, 88 year old Marie Smith of Cordova, Alaska, now resident in Anchorage, Alaska, and she is also the only surviving full blooded Eyak still living. Because of the dying off of its native speakers, Eyak has become a poster child for the fight against language extinction.
The closest relatives of Eyak are the Athabaskan languages. The Eyak-Athabaskan cluster, together with Tlingit, forms a basic division of the Na-Dené language phylum.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
D
Dacian
Was an Indo-European language spoken by the ancient people of Dacia. It is often considered to have been a northern variant of the Thracian language or closely related to it. Many of the characteristics of the Dacian language are unknown and disputed. There are almost no written documents in Dacian. What is known of the language derives from:
* the toponyms, hydronyms, proper names (including names of kings) and Dacian names of about fifty plants written in Greek and Roman sources (see List of Dacian plant names).
* the substratum words found in the current Romanian language, the language that is spoken in almost all the places Dacians lived: there are about 400 words with uncertain origin (like brânza=cheese, balaur=dragon, etc), some of which have cognates in Albanian. These words may have entered from the Dacian language in ancient times, and would be the remains of the Dacian language.
* Dacian writings; Decebalus Per Scorilo is the longest inscription known. The Roman poet Ovid learned the Dacian language after being exiled to Tomis (today Constanta) in Dacia. He composed poems in the language, but they were not preserved.
Dahlik
Is a newly discovered language spoken exclusively in Eritrea off the coast of Massawa, on three islands in the Dahlak Archipelago: Dahlak Kebir, Nora and Dehil. It has around 2,500–3,000 speakers. It belongs to the Ethio-Semitic language group and is quite closely related to Tigre and Tigrinya. It is mutually intelligible with Tigre (see Shaebia below), but, according to Simeone-Senelle, is sufficiently different to be considered a separate language.
Dalecarlian
(English: lit. "Älvdalen speech", also: Älvdalska, Övdalsk, English: Elfdalian) is a member of the Dalecarlian dialect a group of Swedish. It is spoken in Älvdalen Municipality in Northern Dalarna (Dalecarlia) province. . It is considered to be a dialect by some Scandinavian linguists, but a separate language by others. Other Dalecarlian diaelects are spoken around the Lake Siljan. The dialects are very distinct from Standard Swedish and have retained many archaic grammatical and phonological features, many of which have not changed considerably since Old Swedish, the form of Swedish spoken during the Middle Ages.
Recently there have been attempts to create a written standard language for Elfdalian through the establishment of the Ulum Dalska association with the help of the Råðdjärum (lit. 'Let us confer') group of Swedish linguists such as Östen Dahl. Älvdalska is highly endangered. However, it is possible that it will officially gain status as a minority language in Sweden.
Dalmatian
Is an extinct Romance language formerly spoken along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and as far south as Kotor in Montenegro. The Dalmatian speakers lived in the coastal towns and villages: (Zara, Traù, Spalato, Ragusa and Cattaro), each of these cities having a local dialect, and also on the islands of Veglia, Cherso and Arbe. Note that the term "Dalmatian" today is often used to refer to the Cakavian-ikavian Croatian dialect spoken in Dalmatia, which includes many words picked up from Italian and even some from German and Turkish. This dialect and the original Dalmatian language are not related, however, and should not be confused.
Danish
Belongs to the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages), a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. It is spoken by around 6 million people mainly in Denmark including some 50,000 people in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, where it holds the status of minority language. Danish also holds official status and is a mandatory subject in school in the former Danish colonies of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, that now enjoy limited autonomy. In Iceland, which was a part of Denmark until 1944, Danish is still the second foreign language taught in schools (although a few learn Swedish or Norwegian instead).
Dargin
Or Dargwa language is spoken by the Dargin people of western Dagestan. It is a dialect continuum with three principal dialects, and its people are Sunni-Muslims. Dargwa peoples use a modified version of the Cyrillic alphabets to write their language, which is one of the literary languages of Dagestan. As per the 2002 census, there are 429,347 speakers of Dargwa proper in Dagestan, 7,188 in neighbouring Kalmykia, 1,620 in Khantia-Mansia, 680 in Chechnya, and hundreds more in other parts of Russia. Figures for the Lakh dialect are 142,523 in Dagestan, 1,504 in Kabardino-Balkaria, 708 in Khantia-Mansia.
Dari
Is the first language of an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 persons living in and around the cities of Yazd and Kerman in central Iran. While Dari is spoken in a geographical area that is predominantly Muslim, it is the ethnolect of the area’s Zoroastrians, followers of the pre-Islamic religion of Iran. Genetically, Dari is a member of the Northwestern Iranian language subfamily, which includes several other closely related languages, e.g. Kurdish, Gilaki, Balochi. The Northwestern Iranian languages themselves comprise a branch of the larger Iranian language family, which embraces in its Southwestern subgrouping the family’s best-known language, Persian. More distantly, Dari is related to European languages like English, German and French since the Iranian language group is itself a branch of the Indo-European language family.
Dari-Persian
Is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and in Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere.
Dena’ina
(Also Tanaina) is the Athabaskan language of Eklutna, Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. The ancestral territory of the Dena’ina tribe surrounds Cook Inlet, including the present-day location of Anchorage, Alaska. Nondalton on Lake Clark and Lime Village on the Stony River are also current and ancestral regions of Dena’ina. It is commonly held to have four dialects:
- Upper Inlet, spoken in Eklutna, Knik, Susitna, Tyonek.
- Outer Inlet, spoken in Kenai, Kustatan, Seldovia.
- Iliamna, spoken in Pedro Bay, Old Iliamna, Lake Iliamna area.
- Inland, spoken in Nondalton, Lime Village
Dida
Is a Kru language, or two languages, spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. Dida can be divided into two groups, Yocoboué Dida (101,600 speakers) and Lakota Dida (93,800 speakers), which may be regarded as dialects of a single Dida language, or as two separate languages.
Dhivehi
Is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 300,000 people in the Republic of Maldives where it is the official language of the country and in the island of Minicoy (Maliku) in neighbouring India where it is known as Mahl. Dhivehi is thought to be a descendent of Maharashtri, one of the Prakrit languages which developed from Sanskrit. Dhivehi is closely related to Sinhala. Many languages have influenced the development of Dhivehi through the ages, Arabic being one of the main ones. Others include Sinhala, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, French, Persian, Portuguese, and English.
Dogri
Is an Indic language spoken by some two million people in South Asia, chiefly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir but also in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, other parts of Kashmir and elsewhere. The people speaking Dogri are called Dogras. Dogri has in the past been widely considered a dialect of Punjabi, but it has taken on a literary life of its own. Recently Dogri was recognized as a scheduled language in the Indian constitution. Amir Khusrao was the first person to record the existence of Dogri as a distinct North Indian dialect, in the 14th century. Dogri is one of the state languages of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is written either in Nagari, or in the Nasta'liq form of the Perso-Arabic script.
Dogrib
Is a language spoken by the First Nations Tlicho people of the Canadian territory Northwest Territories. According to Statistics Canada in 1999, there were approximately 2,085 people whose first language is Dogrib. The Dogrib region covers the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, reaching almost up to Great Bear Lake. Rae-Edzo is the largest community in the Dogrib Region.
Dolgan
Is a Turkic language with around 5,000 speakers that is spoken in the Taymyr Peninsula in the Russian Federation. Its speakers are known as the Dolgans. Like Finnish, Hungarian, and Turkish, Dolgan has vowel harmony, is agglutinative and has no grammatical gender. Word order is usually Subject Object Verb.
Dongxiang
Is a Mongolic language spoken by the Dongxiang people of northwestern China.
Duala
(Also known by the French spelling Douala) is the language spoken by the Duala. The language belonges to the Bantu language family.
Dungan
Is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Dungan or (Hui) of Central Asia. Dungan is spoken primarily in Kyrgyzstan, with speakers in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia as well. The Dungan ethnic group are the descendants of refugees from China who migrated west into Central Asia. It is used in the school system. The first Dungan-language newspaper was established in 1932; it continues publication today in weekly form.
Dutch
Sometimes referred to as Netherlandic in English, is a Low Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Dzhidi
Is the Jewish language spoken by the Jews living in Iran. As a collective term, Dzhidi refers to a number of Indo-Iranian languages or dialects spoken by Jewish communities throughout the formerly extensive Persian Empire. On a more limited scale, spoken Dzhidi refers to the Judæo-Persian dialect spoken by the Jewish communities of the area around Tehran and Mashhad. The language is also known, especially in its literary form, as Latorayi, literally "not [the language] of the Torah". The earliest evidence of the entrance of Persian words into the language of the Israelites is found in the Bible. The post-exilic portions, Hebrew as well as Aramaic, contain besides many Persian proper names and titles, a number of nouns (as "dat" = "law"; "genez" = "treasure"; "pardes" = "park") which came into permanent use at the time of the Achæmenidæ.
Dzongkha
Is the national language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Dzongkha bears a linguistic relationship to modern Tibetan as that between Spanish and Italian. The modern language pairs have lost mutual comprehensibility but they share a common ancestor language which is still used in liturgical contexts. Thus religious professionals in Spain and Italy study Latin the religious language of Roman Catholicism, while monks in Tibet and Bhutan study Old Tibetan the sacred language of Tibetan Buddhism. In Bhutan this preserved sacred language is referred to as Chhokey.
Was an Indo-European language spoken by the ancient people of Dacia. It is often considered to have been a northern variant of the Thracian language or closely related to it. Many of the characteristics of the Dacian language are unknown and disputed. There are almost no written documents in Dacian. What is known of the language derives from:
* the toponyms, hydronyms, proper names (including names of kings) and Dacian names of about fifty plants written in Greek and Roman sources (see List of Dacian plant names).
* the substratum words found in the current Romanian language, the language that is spoken in almost all the places Dacians lived: there are about 400 words with uncertain origin (like brânza=cheese, balaur=dragon, etc), some of which have cognates in Albanian. These words may have entered from the Dacian language in ancient times, and would be the remains of the Dacian language.
* Dacian writings; Decebalus Per Scorilo is the longest inscription known. The Roman poet Ovid learned the Dacian language after being exiled to Tomis (today Constanta) in Dacia. He composed poems in the language, but they were not preserved.
Dahlik
Is a newly discovered language spoken exclusively in Eritrea off the coast of Massawa, on three islands in the Dahlak Archipelago: Dahlak Kebir, Nora and Dehil. It has around 2,500–3,000 speakers. It belongs to the Ethio-Semitic language group and is quite closely related to Tigre and Tigrinya. It is mutually intelligible with Tigre (see Shaebia below), but, according to Simeone-Senelle, is sufficiently different to be considered a separate language.
Dalecarlian
(English: lit. "Älvdalen speech", also: Älvdalska, Övdalsk, English: Elfdalian) is a member of the Dalecarlian dialect a group of Swedish. It is spoken in Älvdalen Municipality in Northern Dalarna (Dalecarlia) province. . It is considered to be a dialect by some Scandinavian linguists, but a separate language by others. Other Dalecarlian diaelects are spoken around the Lake Siljan. The dialects are very distinct from Standard Swedish and have retained many archaic grammatical and phonological features, many of which have not changed considerably since Old Swedish, the form of Swedish spoken during the Middle Ages.
Recently there have been attempts to create a written standard language for Elfdalian through the establishment of the Ulum Dalska association with the help of the Råðdjärum (lit. 'Let us confer') group of Swedish linguists such as Östen Dahl. Älvdalska is highly endangered. However, it is possible that it will officially gain status as a minority language in Sweden.
Dalmatian
Is an extinct Romance language formerly spoken along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and as far south as Kotor in Montenegro. The Dalmatian speakers lived in the coastal towns and villages: (Zara, Traù, Spalato, Ragusa and Cattaro), each of these cities having a local dialect, and also on the islands of Veglia, Cherso and Arbe. Note that the term "Dalmatian" today is often used to refer to the Cakavian-ikavian Croatian dialect spoken in Dalmatia, which includes many words picked up from Italian and even some from German and Turkish. This dialect and the original Dalmatian language are not related, however, and should not be confused.
Danish
Belongs to the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages), a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. It is spoken by around 6 million people mainly in Denmark including some 50,000 people in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, where it holds the status of minority language. Danish also holds official status and is a mandatory subject in school in the former Danish colonies of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, that now enjoy limited autonomy. In Iceland, which was a part of Denmark until 1944, Danish is still the second foreign language taught in schools (although a few learn Swedish or Norwegian instead).
Dargin
Or Dargwa language is spoken by the Dargin people of western Dagestan. It is a dialect continuum with three principal dialects, and its people are Sunni-Muslims. Dargwa peoples use a modified version of the Cyrillic alphabets to write their language, which is one of the literary languages of Dagestan. As per the 2002 census, there are 429,347 speakers of Dargwa proper in Dagestan, 7,188 in neighbouring Kalmykia, 1,620 in Khantia-Mansia, 680 in Chechnya, and hundreds more in other parts of Russia. Figures for the Lakh dialect are 142,523 in Dagestan, 1,504 in Kabardino-Balkaria, 708 in Khantia-Mansia.
Dari
Is the first language of an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 persons living in and around the cities of Yazd and Kerman in central Iran. While Dari is spoken in a geographical area that is predominantly Muslim, it is the ethnolect of the area’s Zoroastrians, followers of the pre-Islamic religion of Iran. Genetically, Dari is a member of the Northwestern Iranian language subfamily, which includes several other closely related languages, e.g. Kurdish, Gilaki, Balochi. The Northwestern Iranian languages themselves comprise a branch of the larger Iranian language family, which embraces in its Southwestern subgrouping the family’s best-known language, Persian. More distantly, Dari is related to European languages like English, German and French since the Iranian language group is itself a branch of the Indo-European language family.
Dari-Persian
Is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and in Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere.
Dena’ina
(Also Tanaina) is the Athabaskan language of Eklutna, Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. The ancestral territory of the Dena’ina tribe surrounds Cook Inlet, including the present-day location of Anchorage, Alaska. Nondalton on Lake Clark and Lime Village on the Stony River are also current and ancestral regions of Dena’ina. It is commonly held to have four dialects:
- Upper Inlet, spoken in Eklutna, Knik, Susitna, Tyonek.
- Outer Inlet, spoken in Kenai, Kustatan, Seldovia.
- Iliamna, spoken in Pedro Bay, Old Iliamna, Lake Iliamna area.
- Inland, spoken in Nondalton, Lime Village
Dida
Is a Kru language, or two languages, spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. Dida can be divided into two groups, Yocoboué Dida (101,600 speakers) and Lakota Dida (93,800 speakers), which may be regarded as dialects of a single Dida language, or as two separate languages.
Dhivehi
Is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 300,000 people in the Republic of Maldives where it is the official language of the country and in the island of Minicoy (Maliku) in neighbouring India where it is known as Mahl. Dhivehi is thought to be a descendent of Maharashtri, one of the Prakrit languages which developed from Sanskrit. Dhivehi is closely related to Sinhala. Many languages have influenced the development of Dhivehi through the ages, Arabic being one of the main ones. Others include Sinhala, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, French, Persian, Portuguese, and English.
Dogri
Is an Indic language spoken by some two million people in South Asia, chiefly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir but also in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, other parts of Kashmir and elsewhere. The people speaking Dogri are called Dogras. Dogri has in the past been widely considered a dialect of Punjabi, but it has taken on a literary life of its own. Recently Dogri was recognized as a scheduled language in the Indian constitution. Amir Khusrao was the first person to record the existence of Dogri as a distinct North Indian dialect, in the 14th century. Dogri is one of the state languages of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is written either in Nagari, or in the Nasta'liq form of the Perso-Arabic script.
Dogrib
Is a language spoken by the First Nations Tlicho people of the Canadian territory Northwest Territories. According to Statistics Canada in 1999, there were approximately 2,085 people whose first language is Dogrib. The Dogrib region covers the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, reaching almost up to Great Bear Lake. Rae-Edzo is the largest community in the Dogrib Region.
Dolgan
Is a Turkic language with around 5,000 speakers that is spoken in the Taymyr Peninsula in the Russian Federation. Its speakers are known as the Dolgans. Like Finnish, Hungarian, and Turkish, Dolgan has vowel harmony, is agglutinative and has no grammatical gender. Word order is usually Subject Object Verb.
Dongxiang
Is a Mongolic language spoken by the Dongxiang people of northwestern China.
Duala
(Also known by the French spelling Douala) is the language spoken by the Duala. The language belonges to the Bantu language family.
Dungan
Is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Dungan or (Hui) of Central Asia. Dungan is spoken primarily in Kyrgyzstan, with speakers in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia as well. The Dungan ethnic group are the descendants of refugees from China who migrated west into Central Asia. It is used in the school system. The first Dungan-language newspaper was established in 1932; it continues publication today in weekly form.
Dutch
Sometimes referred to as Netherlandic in English, is a Low Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Dzhidi
Is the Jewish language spoken by the Jews living in Iran. As a collective term, Dzhidi refers to a number of Indo-Iranian languages or dialects spoken by Jewish communities throughout the formerly extensive Persian Empire. On a more limited scale, spoken Dzhidi refers to the Judæo-Persian dialect spoken by the Jewish communities of the area around Tehran and Mashhad. The language is also known, especially in its literary form, as Latorayi, literally "not [the language] of the Torah". The earliest evidence of the entrance of Persian words into the language of the Israelites is found in the Bible. The post-exilic portions, Hebrew as well as Aramaic, contain besides many Persian proper names and titles, a number of nouns (as "dat" = "law"; "genez" = "treasure"; "pardes" = "park") which came into permanent use at the time of the Achæmenidæ.
Dzongkha
Is the national language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Dzongkha bears a linguistic relationship to modern Tibetan as that between Spanish and Italian. The modern language pairs have lost mutual comprehensibility but they share a common ancestor language which is still used in liturgical contexts. Thus religious professionals in Spain and Italy study Latin the religious language of Roman Catholicism, while monks in Tibet and Bhutan study Old Tibetan the sacred language of Tibetan Buddhism. In Bhutan this preserved sacred language is referred to as Chhokey.
C
Caluyanon
(Also splled Caluyanun) or is a Visayan language spoken in the Caluya Islands, Antique in the Philippines.
Camunic
Is an extinct language once spoken by the Camunni tribe that dwelt in the Val Camonica, Brescia, Italy. The language is of unknown classification, though the Etruscan and Rhaetic languages are thought to be related to it. Camunic writing is found mainly on rocks in a variety of the Old Italic alphabet. About 70 short inscriptions, all dating from the first millennium BCE, are known. Most were found within the Val Camonica. The tongue likely died out some time in the 1st century BCE due to Latin expansion.
Cantonese
Is one of the major dialect groups or languages of the Chinese language or language family. It is mainly spoken in parts of southern Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, by Chinese minorities in Southeast Asia and by many overseas Chinese of Guangdong and Hong Kong origin worldwide. The name is derived from Canton, a former romanized Western name for Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.
Caribean Languages
are an indigenous language family of South America. Carib languages are widespread across northern South America, from the mouth of the Amazon River to the Colombian Andes and from Maracaibo (Venezuela) to Central Brazil. Caribean languages are relatively close to each other; in some cases, it is difficult to decide whether different groups speak different languages or dialects of the same language. Because of this, the exact number of Caribean languages is not known with certainty (current estimates range from 25 to 40, with 20 to 30 still spoken). The Caribean family is well known in the linguistic world due to Hixkaryana, a language with Object-Verb-Subject sentences, previously thought not to exist in human language.
Catalan
Also in the form called Valencian (Valencià IPA: /valensi'a/) is a Romance language, the only official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia. Spain has the majority of active Catalan speakers, and Catalan is the state's second most widely spoken language. It is spoken or understood by as many as 12 million people who live not only in Andorra and Spain, but also in parts of France and Italy.
Cayuga
Is a Northern Iroquoian language of the Iroquois Proper (a.k.a. "Five Nations Iroquois") subfamily, and is spoken in Six Nations, Ontario by around 100 people. There were at one time two distinct dialects of Cayuga. One is still spoken in Ontario, the other, called "Seneca-Cayuga," was spoken in Oklahoma until the 1980s.
Cebuano
Also known as Sugboanon, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 18,000,000 people and is a subgroup or member of Bisaya, Visayan and Binisayâ. The name came from the Philippine island of Cebu, with the Spanish suffix -ano meaning native, of a place, added at the end. Cebuano is given the ISO 639-2 three letter code ceb, but has no ISO 639-1 two letter code. Cebuano is a member of the Visayan language family.
Chavacano
Chavacano speakers are concentrated mostly in Zamboanga City, in the provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan, Cavite, and in some areas of Davao and Cotabato. According to the 2000 census, there are 607,200 speakers. Speakers are also said to be found in one village in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. Some people of the Muslim ethnic tribes of Zamboanga such as the Tausugs, the Samals, and of Basilan such as the Yakans also speak the language. In the close provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas, there are Muslim speakers of the Chabacano de Zamboanga. The vocabulary is predominantly derived from the Spanish language, while grammar is mostly based on other Philippine languages such as Tagalog and Cebuano. It is used in education, print media, television and radio.
Chagatai
Is an extinct Turkic language which was once widely spoken in Central Asia and most of Khorasan region. The word Chagatai relates to the Chagatai Khanate, the western part of the Mongol empire, which was left to Genghis Khan's second son Chagatai Khan. Many of the Chagatai Turks and Tatars who were the speakers of this language, claim descent from Chagatai Khan.
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. Called Neo-Aramaic, it is not to be confused with the original Chaldean referring to the Old Aramaic dialect of the Chaldean Dynasty of Babylon. Originally, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic was spoken on the Plain of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is now the language of a worldwide Assyrian diaspora. Most speakers are members of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
Chamorro
Or Chamoru, is the native language of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. Although the English language and Japanese language are commonplace on both Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands, people still use the Chamorro language. Chamorro is also used in mainland United States by immigrants and some of their descendants. The numbers of Chamorro speakers have declined in recent years, and the younger generations are less likely to know the language. The influence of English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Japanese have caused the language to become endangered.
Chaouia
Is the Zenati Berber language of the Chaoui people of eastern Algeria, around Batna and Khenchela. It has over a million speakers. Known alternative spellings are "Shawia", "Shawiya", "Tachawit", "Thachawith", "Tachaouith", and "Th'Chèwith". But in Chaouia language, the T is not prononced, so it's "H'chawit"
Chechen
The Chechen language has about 1,200,000 speakers, most of whom live in Chechnya. is one of the languages of the Caucasus. Linguistically, it is a member of the Nakh family, together with Ingush and Bats; they all belong to the Northeast Caucasian languages with only Ingush and Chechen being mutually intelligible. Languages indigenous to the Caucasus are not members of any language families spoken elsewhere in the world.
Chemakum
(Also written as Chimakum or Chimacum) were a Native American group that once lived on western Washington state's Olympic Peninsula. The Chemakum spoke a language very similar to the Quileute language, which is now effectively a language isolate. This is because the Chemakum were wiped out by Chief Seattle and the Suquamish people in warfare during the 1860s.
Chenchu
Is a South Indian language from Andhra Pradesh which is spoken by about 28,754 (1981 census) persons. It is also called as Chenchucoolam, Chenchwar, Chenswar or Choncharu. It is classifeid as Dravidian, South-Central, Telugu.
Chenoua
Is the Zenati Berber language of Jebel Chenoua in Algeria, just west of Algiers near Tipasa and Cherchell. It is very closely similar to the Berber speech of the Beni Menacer nearby, and the name is thus sometimes extended to refer the Berber speech varieties of that whole area. According to the Ethnologue (2004) (whose figure is taken from the World Christian Database, 2000), it has 4,764 speakers.
Cherokee
Is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken.
Cheyenne
Is a Native American language spoken in present-day Montana and Oklahoma, USA. It is part of the Algonquian language family. Like all Algonquian languages, it has complex agglutinative morphology. Cheyenne is one of the Algonquian languages, which is a subphylum of the Algic languages. Specifically, it is a Plains Algonquian language. However, Plains Algonquian, which also includes Arapaho and Blackfoot, is an areal rather than genetic subgrouping.
Chinese
Is a language (or language family) that forms part of the Sino-Tibetan family of language. Chinese is the second most commonly spoken language in the world, after English. This is mainly because China is the most populous nation in the world.
Chiricahua
Is a Southern Athabaskan language spoken by the Chiricahua tribe in Oklahoma and New Mexico. It is very closely related to the Mescalero language and more distantly related to Navajo and Western Apache. Chiricahua has been described in great detail by the anthropological linguist Harry Hoijer (1904-1976), especially in Hoijer & Opler (1938) and Hoijer (1946). Hoijer & Opler's Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache Texts (including a grammatical sketch and traditional religious and secular stories) has been converted into an online "book" available from the University of Viriginia.
Chhattisgarhi
Is a language of India. It has approximately 11.5 million speakers, concentrated in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and in adjacent areas of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Bihar. Chhattisgarhi is most closely related to Bagheli and Awadhi (Avadhi), and these languages are classified in the East Central Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages, the Indian branch of the Indo-European language family. Chhattisgarhi, like Sanskrit and Hindi, is written using the Devanagari script. According to the Indian Government, Chhattisgarhi an eastern dialect of Hindi, although it is widely considered by linguists to be distinct enough from Hindi to constitute a separate language. Chhattisgarhi has several identified dialects of its own, in addition to Chhattisgarhi Proper: Baighani, Bhulia, Binjhwari, Kalanga, Kavardi, Khairagarhi, Sadri Korwa, and Surgujia.
Chichewa
Is one of the two official national languages of the Republic of Malawi, the other being English. Chichewa, also known as Chinyanja, is a language of the Bantu language family widely spoken in south-central Africa. It is also spoken in Mozambique, especially in the provinces of Tete and Niassa, in Zambia (especially in the Eastern Province), as well as in Zimbabwe where, according to some estimates, it ranks as the third most widely used local language, after Shona and Ndebele. The countries of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique constitute the central location of Chichewa. Both the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran have been translated into the Chichewa language.
Chittagonian
Is an Indo-European language spoken by the people of Chittagong in Bangladesh and the much of the southeast of the country. It is closely related to Bangla, but is normally considered by linguists to be a separate language and not a dialect of Bangla, as the two are not inherently mutually intelligible. It is estimated to have 14 million speakers, in Bangladesh as well as by expatriate and second generation Chittagonian Bengalis in the United Kingdom and other countries.
Choctaw
Traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family. It is very closely related to Chickasaw and some linguists consider the two dialects of a single language, although recent reports indicate that speakers of Choctaw find Chickasaw to be unintelligible. There are three dialects of Choctaw (Mithun 1999): "Native" Choctaw on the Choctaw Nation in southeastern Oklahoma, Mississippi Choctaw of Oklahoma on Chickasaw Nation of south central Oklahoma (near Durwood) and Choctaw of Mississippi near Philadelphia.
Other speakers live near Tallahassee, Florida and with the Koasati in Louisiana.
Chukchi
Is a Palaeosiberian language spoken by circa 10,400 people (2001) (Chukchi) in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in the region called Chukotka. It is closely related to Koryak, which is spoken by about half that number. The language together with Koryak, Kerek, Alutor and Itelmen forms the Chukotko-Kamchatkan language family. The Chukchi and Koryaks form a cultural unit with an economy based on reindeer herding and both have autonomy within the Russian Federation. The Russian word Chukchi is derived from Chukchi word Chauchu, meaning "rich in reindeer".
Chulyum
Also known as Chulim, Chulym-Turkic, Küerik, Chulym Tatar or Melets Tatar (not to be confused with the Tatar language) is the language of the Chulyms. It is also spoken by the Kacik (Kazik, Kuarik). This name originated from a now extinct tribe. The language is closely related to Shor. Sometimes the two are considered as one language. Chulym comprises two dialects: Lower Chulym and Middle Chulym.
The speakers are located in Russia, in central Siberia, north of the Altay Mountains, in the basin of the Chulym River, a tributary of the Ob River. Most speakers are bilingual in Russian. In Soviet times, children were discouraged and/or punished for using the language in schools.
Chuvash
(Also known as Chuwash, Chovash, Chavash or Çuas) is a Turkic language spoken west of the Urals in central Russia. Chuvash is the native language of the Chuvash people and an official language of Chuvashia. It is spoken by about two million people.
Cocoma
(Also spelled Cocama) is a language which is spoken by Indian tribesmen in northeastern lower Ucayali, lower Marañon and Huallaga rivers area, Peru. It is also spoken in Brazil and Colombia. Cocoma is classified in the Tupi group of the Tupi-Guarani language subfamily.
Cocoma has 18,000 speakers in its associated ethnic group in Peru, 200 in Brazil, and less than 100 in Colombia.
Coeur d'Alene
Are a First Nations/Native American people who lived in villages along the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe, Clark Fork and Spokane Rivers; as well as sites on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille and Hayden Lake, in what is now northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana.
In their language, members call themselves, Schitsu'umsh (or Skitswish), meaning The Discovered People or Those Who Are Found Here. Early French fur traders in the late 18th or early 19th century gave them their non-native name. The name, Coeur d'Alene means Heart of an Awl, referring to the perceived shrewdness of the trading skills exhibited by the tribe.
Comorian
Is the most widely used language on the Comoros (independent islands in the Indian Ocean, off Mozambique and Madagascar). It is a close relative of Swahili with a very strong Arabic influence, and is one of the three official languages of the Comoros, next to French and Arabic. Each island has a slightly different dialect; that of Anjouan is called Shindzuani, that of Mohel Shimwali, that of Maore Shimaore, and that of Grand Comoro Shingadzija. No official alphabet existed in 1992, but Arabic and Latin scripts were both used.
It is also the language of Udzima wa ya Masiwa, the national anthem of the "moon islands" ("al-qamar" is Arabic for "moon").
Coptic
Is the most recent phase of ancient Egyptian. It is the direct descendant of the ancient language written in Egyptian hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic scripts. The Coptic alphabet is a slightly modified form of the Greek alphabet, with some letters (which vary from dialect to dialect) deriving from demotic. As a living language of daily conversation, Coptic flourished from ca. 200 to 1100. The last record of its being spoken was during the 17th century. Coptic survives today as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Egyptian Arabic is the spoken and national language of Egypt today.
Cornish
Is one of the Brythonic group of Celtic languages (Brythonic also includes Welsh, Breton, the extinct Cumbric and perhaps the hypothetical Ivernic). The Celtic languages of Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Manx are part of the separate Goidelic group. Cornish shares about 80% basic vocabulary with Breton, 75% with Welsh, 35% with Irish, and 35% with Scottish Gaelic. By comparison, Welsh shares about 70% with Breton. Cornish continued to function as a community language until the late 18th century, and was again revived early in the 20th century. As of 2006, it has been estimated that currently around 3,500 speak Cornish to a basic conversational level, and around 500 fluently. Perhaps a score or more children and young adults can be considered native speakers of Revived Cornish.
Corsican
Is a Romance language spoken on the island of Corsica (France), alongside French, which is the official language. A similar dialect to Corsican is also spoken to some extent in the Gallura area of Sardinia (Italy). It has strong similarities to Italian and in particular the Tuscany dialects of Italian. Most linguists consider it as a Tuscany dialect, the closest to modern Italian.
The language has several dialects including Northern Corsican, spoken in the Bastia and Corte area, and Southern Corsican, spoken around Sartene and Porto-Vecchio. The dialect of Ajaccio has been described as in transition. The dialects spoken at Calvi and Bonifacio are closer to Genoa dialect, also known as Ligurian.
Cree
Is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 50,000 speakers across Canada, from Alberta to Labrador.
The Cree dialect continuum can be divided by several criteria. Dialects spoken from north-eastern Ontario to Labrador make a distinction between š (sh as in she) and s, while those to the west do not. In several dialects, including northern Plains Cree and Woods Cree, the long vowels ê and î have merged into a single vowel. However, the most transparent phonological variation between different Cree dialects is in the evolution of the proto-Algonquian rhotic *r in the modern dialects.
Crimean Tatar
Also known as Crimean (Qirim tili, Qirimca) and Crimean Turkish (Qirim Türkçesi) is the language of the Crimean Tatars. It is spoken in Crimea, the former Soviet Union, and the Crimean Tatar diasporas in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria.
Today, more than 260,000 Crimean Tatars are living in Crimea, and approximately 150,000 are still in exile in Central Asia (mainly in Uzbekistan). There is an estimated 5 million people of Crimean origin living in Turkey, descendants of those who emigrated in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Smaller Crimean Tatar communities are also found in Romania (24,000), Bulgaria (3,000), Poland, Finland, and the United States.
Croatian
Is a language of the western group of South Slavic languages which is used primarily by the Croats. It is one of the standard versions of the Central-South Slavic diasystem. Croatian is based on the Štokavian dialect (with some influence from Cakavian and Kajkavian) and written with the Croatian alphabet.
Cuman
Was a Turkic language spoken by the Cumans similar to today's Crimean Tatar language. It is documented in several medieval works, including the Codex Cumanicus. The Cumans were a nomad people that lived in the steppes of Eastern Europe, north of Black Sea before the Golden Horde. They have been incorporated into other Turkic peoples: Crimean Tatars, Karachays, Kumyks, etc.
Cumbric
Was the Brythonic Celtic language centred in Cumbria, and spoken from southern Lowland Scotland south as far as Greater Manchester, i.e. the area anciently referred to as Y Gogledd Hen. Cumbric was once referred to as North Welsh and Cornish as South, or West, Welsh.
The biggest problems with modern-day knowledge of the language lies with the fact that Cumbric may have been a dialect of Welsh, and not distinct at all. The old northern British kingdoms of Rheged, Strathclyde, Elmet and Gododdin spoke Old Welsh, but given time, many linguists consider that this tongue was distinguishable from Old Welsh at the time of its demise.
Curonian
Old Curonian: Refers to an extinct language that was spoken by Curonians mainly in Courland peninsula, Western Latvia, and along the nearby Baltic shores. It belonged to the Baltic languages and was closely related to Old Prussian, with some influence from the Livonian language. The language disappeared by the 17th century, leaving substrata in Western dialects of Latvian and Lithuanian languages. No written documents in this language are known, but some ancient Lithuanian texts from Western regions show influence of Curonian.
New Curonian: In the process of various migrations of the 14th-17th centuries, Curonians settled in the Curonian Spit and in East Prussia. Their language was heavily influenced by Lithuanian and German respectively, and by the end of 18th century new Curonian dialects had formed, with the dialect of the Curonian Spit being notably distinct, due to its isolation from the mainland.
Cuyonon
Is a language spoken on the coast of Palawan and the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines.
Czech
Is one of the West Slavic languages, along with Slovak, Polish, Pomeranian (Kashubian), and Lusatian Sorbian. It is spoken by most people in the Czech Republic and by Czechs all over the world (about 12 million native speakers in total). Czech is very close to Slovak and, to a lesser degree, to Polish. Most adult Czechs and Slovaks are able to understand each other without difficulty as they were routinely exposed to both languages on the national TV and radio until the splitting of Czechoslovakia. People born after circa 1985 may have difficulty grasping the few words that differ significantly, or understanding fast spoken language.
(Also splled Caluyanun) or is a Visayan language spoken in the Caluya Islands, Antique in the Philippines.
Camunic
Is an extinct language once spoken by the Camunni tribe that dwelt in the Val Camonica, Brescia, Italy. The language is of unknown classification, though the Etruscan and Rhaetic languages are thought to be related to it. Camunic writing is found mainly on rocks in a variety of the Old Italic alphabet. About 70 short inscriptions, all dating from the first millennium BCE, are known. Most were found within the Val Camonica. The tongue likely died out some time in the 1st century BCE due to Latin expansion.
Cantonese
Is one of the major dialect groups or languages of the Chinese language or language family. It is mainly spoken in parts of southern Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, by Chinese minorities in Southeast Asia and by many overseas Chinese of Guangdong and Hong Kong origin worldwide. The name is derived from Canton, a former romanized Western name for Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.
Caribean Languages
are an indigenous language family of South America. Carib languages are widespread across northern South America, from the mouth of the Amazon River to the Colombian Andes and from Maracaibo (Venezuela) to Central Brazil. Caribean languages are relatively close to each other; in some cases, it is difficult to decide whether different groups speak different languages or dialects of the same language. Because of this, the exact number of Caribean languages is not known with certainty (current estimates range from 25 to 40, with 20 to 30 still spoken). The Caribean family is well known in the linguistic world due to Hixkaryana, a language with Object-Verb-Subject sentences, previously thought not to exist in human language.
Catalan
Also in the form called Valencian (Valencià IPA: /valensi'a/) is a Romance language, the only official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia. Spain has the majority of active Catalan speakers, and Catalan is the state's second most widely spoken language. It is spoken or understood by as many as 12 million people who live not only in Andorra and Spain, but also in parts of France and Italy.
Cayuga
Is a Northern Iroquoian language of the Iroquois Proper (a.k.a. "Five Nations Iroquois") subfamily, and is spoken in Six Nations, Ontario by around 100 people. There were at one time two distinct dialects of Cayuga. One is still spoken in Ontario, the other, called "Seneca-Cayuga," was spoken in Oklahoma until the 1980s.
Cebuano
Also known as Sugboanon, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 18,000,000 people and is a subgroup or member of Bisaya, Visayan and Binisayâ. The name came from the Philippine island of Cebu, with the Spanish suffix -ano meaning native, of a place, added at the end. Cebuano is given the ISO 639-2 three letter code ceb, but has no ISO 639-1 two letter code. Cebuano is a member of the Visayan language family.
Chavacano
Chavacano speakers are concentrated mostly in Zamboanga City, in the provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan, Cavite, and in some areas of Davao and Cotabato. According to the 2000 census, there are 607,200 speakers. Speakers are also said to be found in one village in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. Some people of the Muslim ethnic tribes of Zamboanga such as the Tausugs, the Samals, and of Basilan such as the Yakans also speak the language. In the close provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas, there are Muslim speakers of the Chabacano de Zamboanga. The vocabulary is predominantly derived from the Spanish language, while grammar is mostly based on other Philippine languages such as Tagalog and Cebuano. It is used in education, print media, television and radio.
Chagatai
Is an extinct Turkic language which was once widely spoken in Central Asia and most of Khorasan region. The word Chagatai relates to the Chagatai Khanate, the western part of the Mongol empire, which was left to Genghis Khan's second son Chagatai Khan. Many of the Chagatai Turks and Tatars who were the speakers of this language, claim descent from Chagatai Khan.
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. Called Neo-Aramaic, it is not to be confused with the original Chaldean referring to the Old Aramaic dialect of the Chaldean Dynasty of Babylon. Originally, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic was spoken on the Plain of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is now the language of a worldwide Assyrian diaspora. Most speakers are members of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
Chamorro
Or Chamoru, is the native language of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. Although the English language and Japanese language are commonplace on both Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands, people still use the Chamorro language. Chamorro is also used in mainland United States by immigrants and some of their descendants. The numbers of Chamorro speakers have declined in recent years, and the younger generations are less likely to know the language. The influence of English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Japanese have caused the language to become endangered.
Chaouia
Is the Zenati Berber language of the Chaoui people of eastern Algeria, around Batna and Khenchela. It has over a million speakers. Known alternative spellings are "Shawia", "Shawiya", "Tachawit", "Thachawith", "Tachaouith", and "Th'Chèwith". But in Chaouia language, the T is not prononced, so it's "H'chawit"
Chechen
The Chechen language has about 1,200,000 speakers, most of whom live in Chechnya. is one of the languages of the Caucasus. Linguistically, it is a member of the Nakh family, together with Ingush and Bats; they all belong to the Northeast Caucasian languages with only Ingush and Chechen being mutually intelligible. Languages indigenous to the Caucasus are not members of any language families spoken elsewhere in the world.
Chemakum
(Also written as Chimakum or Chimacum) were a Native American group that once lived on western Washington state's Olympic Peninsula. The Chemakum spoke a language very similar to the Quileute language, which is now effectively a language isolate. This is because the Chemakum were wiped out by Chief Seattle and the Suquamish people in warfare during the 1860s.
Chenchu
Is a South Indian language from Andhra Pradesh which is spoken by about 28,754 (1981 census) persons. It is also called as Chenchucoolam, Chenchwar, Chenswar or Choncharu. It is classifeid as Dravidian, South-Central, Telugu.
Chenoua
Is the Zenati Berber language of Jebel Chenoua in Algeria, just west of Algiers near Tipasa and Cherchell. It is very closely similar to the Berber speech of the Beni Menacer nearby, and the name is thus sometimes extended to refer the Berber speech varieties of that whole area. According to the Ethnologue (2004) (whose figure is taken from the World Christian Database, 2000), it has 4,764 speakers.
Cherokee
Is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken.
Cheyenne
Is a Native American language spoken in present-day Montana and Oklahoma, USA. It is part of the Algonquian language family. Like all Algonquian languages, it has complex agglutinative morphology. Cheyenne is one of the Algonquian languages, which is a subphylum of the Algic languages. Specifically, it is a Plains Algonquian language. However, Plains Algonquian, which also includes Arapaho and Blackfoot, is an areal rather than genetic subgrouping.
Chinese
Is a language (or language family) that forms part of the Sino-Tibetan family of language. Chinese is the second most commonly spoken language in the world, after English. This is mainly because China is the most populous nation in the world.
Chiricahua
Is a Southern Athabaskan language spoken by the Chiricahua tribe in Oklahoma and New Mexico. It is very closely related to the Mescalero language and more distantly related to Navajo and Western Apache. Chiricahua has been described in great detail by the anthropological linguist Harry Hoijer (1904-1976), especially in Hoijer & Opler (1938) and Hoijer (1946). Hoijer & Opler's Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache Texts (including a grammatical sketch and traditional religious and secular stories) has been converted into an online "book" available from the University of Viriginia.
Chhattisgarhi
Is a language of India. It has approximately 11.5 million speakers, concentrated in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and in adjacent areas of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Bihar. Chhattisgarhi is most closely related to Bagheli and Awadhi (Avadhi), and these languages are classified in the East Central Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages, the Indian branch of the Indo-European language family. Chhattisgarhi, like Sanskrit and Hindi, is written using the Devanagari script. According to the Indian Government, Chhattisgarhi an eastern dialect of Hindi, although it is widely considered by linguists to be distinct enough from Hindi to constitute a separate language. Chhattisgarhi has several identified dialects of its own, in addition to Chhattisgarhi Proper: Baighani, Bhulia, Binjhwari, Kalanga, Kavardi, Khairagarhi, Sadri Korwa, and Surgujia.
Chichewa
Is one of the two official national languages of the Republic of Malawi, the other being English. Chichewa, also known as Chinyanja, is a language of the Bantu language family widely spoken in south-central Africa. It is also spoken in Mozambique, especially in the provinces of Tete and Niassa, in Zambia (especially in the Eastern Province), as well as in Zimbabwe where, according to some estimates, it ranks as the third most widely used local language, after Shona and Ndebele. The countries of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique constitute the central location of Chichewa. Both the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran have been translated into the Chichewa language.
Chittagonian
Is an Indo-European language spoken by the people of Chittagong in Bangladesh and the much of the southeast of the country. It is closely related to Bangla, but is normally considered by linguists to be a separate language and not a dialect of Bangla, as the two are not inherently mutually intelligible. It is estimated to have 14 million speakers, in Bangladesh as well as by expatriate and second generation Chittagonian Bengalis in the United Kingdom and other countries.
Choctaw
Traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family. It is very closely related to Chickasaw and some linguists consider the two dialects of a single language, although recent reports indicate that speakers of Choctaw find Chickasaw to be unintelligible. There are three dialects of Choctaw (Mithun 1999): "Native" Choctaw on the Choctaw Nation in southeastern Oklahoma, Mississippi Choctaw of Oklahoma on Chickasaw Nation of south central Oklahoma (near Durwood) and Choctaw of Mississippi near Philadelphia.
Other speakers live near Tallahassee, Florida and with the Koasati in Louisiana.
Chukchi
Is a Palaeosiberian language spoken by circa 10,400 people (2001) (Chukchi) in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in the region called Chukotka. It is closely related to Koryak, which is spoken by about half that number. The language together with Koryak, Kerek, Alutor and Itelmen forms the Chukotko-Kamchatkan language family. The Chukchi and Koryaks form a cultural unit with an economy based on reindeer herding and both have autonomy within the Russian Federation. The Russian word Chukchi is derived from Chukchi word Chauchu, meaning "rich in reindeer".
Chulyum
Also known as Chulim, Chulym-Turkic, Küerik, Chulym Tatar or Melets Tatar (not to be confused with the Tatar language) is the language of the Chulyms. It is also spoken by the Kacik (Kazik, Kuarik). This name originated from a now extinct tribe. The language is closely related to Shor. Sometimes the two are considered as one language. Chulym comprises two dialects: Lower Chulym and Middle Chulym.
The speakers are located in Russia, in central Siberia, north of the Altay Mountains, in the basin of the Chulym River, a tributary of the Ob River. Most speakers are bilingual in Russian. In Soviet times, children were discouraged and/or punished for using the language in schools.
Chuvash
(Also known as Chuwash, Chovash, Chavash or Çuas) is a Turkic language spoken west of the Urals in central Russia. Chuvash is the native language of the Chuvash people and an official language of Chuvashia. It is spoken by about two million people.
Cocoma
(Also spelled Cocama) is a language which is spoken by Indian tribesmen in northeastern lower Ucayali, lower Marañon and Huallaga rivers area, Peru. It is also spoken in Brazil and Colombia. Cocoma is classified in the Tupi group of the Tupi-Guarani language subfamily.
Cocoma has 18,000 speakers in its associated ethnic group in Peru, 200 in Brazil, and less than 100 in Colombia.
Coeur d'Alene
Are a First Nations/Native American people who lived in villages along the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe, Clark Fork and Spokane Rivers; as well as sites on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille and Hayden Lake, in what is now northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana.
In their language, members call themselves, Schitsu'umsh (or Skitswish), meaning The Discovered People or Those Who Are Found Here. Early French fur traders in the late 18th or early 19th century gave them their non-native name. The name, Coeur d'Alene means Heart of an Awl, referring to the perceived shrewdness of the trading skills exhibited by the tribe.
Comorian
Is the most widely used language on the Comoros (independent islands in the Indian Ocean, off Mozambique and Madagascar). It is a close relative of Swahili with a very strong Arabic influence, and is one of the three official languages of the Comoros, next to French and Arabic. Each island has a slightly different dialect; that of Anjouan is called Shindzuani, that of Mohel Shimwali, that of Maore Shimaore, and that of Grand Comoro Shingadzija. No official alphabet existed in 1992, but Arabic and Latin scripts were both used.
It is also the language of Udzima wa ya Masiwa, the national anthem of the "moon islands" ("al-qamar" is Arabic for "moon").
Coptic
Is the most recent phase of ancient Egyptian. It is the direct descendant of the ancient language written in Egyptian hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic scripts. The Coptic alphabet is a slightly modified form of the Greek alphabet, with some letters (which vary from dialect to dialect) deriving from demotic. As a living language of daily conversation, Coptic flourished from ca. 200 to 1100. The last record of its being spoken was during the 17th century. Coptic survives today as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Egyptian Arabic is the spoken and national language of Egypt today.
Cornish
Is one of the Brythonic group of Celtic languages (Brythonic also includes Welsh, Breton, the extinct Cumbric and perhaps the hypothetical Ivernic). The Celtic languages of Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Manx are part of the separate Goidelic group. Cornish shares about 80% basic vocabulary with Breton, 75% with Welsh, 35% with Irish, and 35% with Scottish Gaelic. By comparison, Welsh shares about 70% with Breton. Cornish continued to function as a community language until the late 18th century, and was again revived early in the 20th century. As of 2006, it has been estimated that currently around 3,500 speak Cornish to a basic conversational level, and around 500 fluently. Perhaps a score or more children and young adults can be considered native speakers of Revived Cornish.
Corsican
Is a Romance language spoken on the island of Corsica (France), alongside French, which is the official language. A similar dialect to Corsican is also spoken to some extent in the Gallura area of Sardinia (Italy). It has strong similarities to Italian and in particular the Tuscany dialects of Italian. Most linguists consider it as a Tuscany dialect, the closest to modern Italian.
The language has several dialects including Northern Corsican, spoken in the Bastia and Corte area, and Southern Corsican, spoken around Sartene and Porto-Vecchio. The dialect of Ajaccio has been described as in transition. The dialects spoken at Calvi and Bonifacio are closer to Genoa dialect, also known as Ligurian.
Cree
Is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 50,000 speakers across Canada, from Alberta to Labrador.
The Cree dialect continuum can be divided by several criteria. Dialects spoken from north-eastern Ontario to Labrador make a distinction between š (sh as in she) and s, while those to the west do not. In several dialects, including northern Plains Cree and Woods Cree, the long vowels ê and î have merged into a single vowel. However, the most transparent phonological variation between different Cree dialects is in the evolution of the proto-Algonquian rhotic *r in the modern dialects.
Crimean Tatar
Also known as Crimean (Qirim tili, Qirimca) and Crimean Turkish (Qirim Türkçesi) is the language of the Crimean Tatars. It is spoken in Crimea, the former Soviet Union, and the Crimean Tatar diasporas in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria.
Today, more than 260,000 Crimean Tatars are living in Crimea, and approximately 150,000 are still in exile in Central Asia (mainly in Uzbekistan). There is an estimated 5 million people of Crimean origin living in Turkey, descendants of those who emigrated in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Smaller Crimean Tatar communities are also found in Romania (24,000), Bulgaria (3,000), Poland, Finland, and the United States.
Croatian
Is a language of the western group of South Slavic languages which is used primarily by the Croats. It is one of the standard versions of the Central-South Slavic diasystem. Croatian is based on the Štokavian dialect (with some influence from Cakavian and Kajkavian) and written with the Croatian alphabet.
Cuman
Was a Turkic language spoken by the Cumans similar to today's Crimean Tatar language. It is documented in several medieval works, including the Codex Cumanicus. The Cumans were a nomad people that lived in the steppes of Eastern Europe, north of Black Sea before the Golden Horde. They have been incorporated into other Turkic peoples: Crimean Tatars, Karachays, Kumyks, etc.
Cumbric
Was the Brythonic Celtic language centred in Cumbria, and spoken from southern Lowland Scotland south as far as Greater Manchester, i.e. the area anciently referred to as Y Gogledd Hen. Cumbric was once referred to as North Welsh and Cornish as South, or West, Welsh.
The biggest problems with modern-day knowledge of the language lies with the fact that Cumbric may have been a dialect of Welsh, and not distinct at all. The old northern British kingdoms of Rheged, Strathclyde, Elmet and Gododdin spoke Old Welsh, but given time, many linguists consider that this tongue was distinguishable from Old Welsh at the time of its demise.
Curonian
Old Curonian: Refers to an extinct language that was spoken by Curonians mainly in Courland peninsula, Western Latvia, and along the nearby Baltic shores. It belonged to the Baltic languages and was closely related to Old Prussian, with some influence from the Livonian language. The language disappeared by the 17th century, leaving substrata in Western dialects of Latvian and Lithuanian languages. No written documents in this language are known, but some ancient Lithuanian texts from Western regions show influence of Curonian.
New Curonian: In the process of various migrations of the 14th-17th centuries, Curonians settled in the Curonian Spit and in East Prussia. Their language was heavily influenced by Lithuanian and German respectively, and by the end of 18th century new Curonian dialects had formed, with the dialect of the Curonian Spit being notably distinct, due to its isolation from the mainland.
Cuyonon
Is a language spoken on the coast of Palawan and the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines.
Czech
Is one of the West Slavic languages, along with Slovak, Polish, Pomeranian (Kashubian), and Lusatian Sorbian. It is spoken by most people in the Czech Republic and by Czechs all over the world (about 12 million native speakers in total). Czech is very close to Slovak and, to a lesser degree, to Polish. Most adult Czechs and Slovaks are able to understand each other without difficulty as they were routinely exposed to both languages on the national TV and radio until the splitting of Czechoslovakia. People born after circa 1985 may have difficulty grasping the few words that differ significantly, or understanding fast spoken language.
B
Badaga
Is a southern Dravidian language (Tamil-Kannada branch) spoken by approximately 250,000 people (the Badagas) in the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India. It is known for its retroflex vowels.
Badeshi
Is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by over 10,000 people in upper reaches of Bishigram Valley (Chail), east of Madyan, Swat, Kohistan in Northern Areas of Pakistan. Badeshi people of Bishigram Valley and Tirat Valley are total around 1,500 in numbers. The figures of Pooran Chakesar, Alai, and Mansehra towns is not available. Badeshi people stopped using their native language completely few generations ago. In Bishigram Valley, they only speak Torwali and in Tirat Valley they speak Pashto.
Balinese
Is the language spoken by people in the island of Bali, Indonesia. It is spoken by 3.8 million people, approximately 2.1% of Indonesia's population. It is spoken in Bali, in Lombok and in Java. Balinese is part of the Austronesian language family, and is closely related to the Sasak language and languages on western Sumbawa.
Balochi
(Also Baluchi, Baloci or Baluci) is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, a region in western Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui.
Balti
Is a language spoken in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Baltistan - before independence - was part of Ladakh province. The language is a sub-dialect of Ladakhi and an archaic dialect of the Tibetan language. Many of the consonants that are silent in most modern Tibetan dialects are pronounced in Balti.
Bambara
Also known as Bamanankan in the language itself, is a language spoken in Mali by as many as six million people (including second language users). The differences between Bambara and Dioula are minimal. Dioula is a language spoken or understood, by fewer numbers of people, in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Gambia. The Bambara language is primarily spoken by members of the Bambara ethnic group, numbering about 270,000 people, but serves also as an interethnic language of Mali.
Banyumasan
In modern language classification, the Banyumasan language is usually considered a dialect of Javanese. The Banyumasan language is mainly spoken in the three areas of the island of Java: the Banyumasan region, located in westernmost Central Java Province and surrounding the Slamet mountain and Serayu river; a neighboring area inside West Java Province; and northern region of Banten Province.
The Banyumasan language belongs to the Sundic sub-branch of the Western Malayo-Polynesian (also called Hesperonesian) branch of the Malayo-Polynesian subfamily of the Austronesian super family.
Basaa
(Also spelled Bassa, Basa, Bissa) is a Bantu language spoken in Cameroon. It is spoken by about 230,000 people in Centre and Littoral provinces.
Bashkir
Is a Turkic language. The 1989 population census showed over 1,047,000 native speakers of the Bashkir language living in the USSR. Additional 26,737 claimed Bashkir to be their secondary language. Approximately 300,000 Bashkirs said that Tatar was their native language. Speakers of the Bashkir language mostly live in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, as well as in neighboring Tatarstan and Udmurtia. Substantial number of the speakers also live in Perm Krai and in Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Sverdlovsk, and Kurgan Oblasts. Large Bashkir minority groups also live in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Bats
(Also Batsi, Batsbi, Batsb or Batsaw) is the language of the Bats people, a Caucasian minority group, and is part of the Nakh family of Caucasian languages. It had 2,500 to 3,000 speakers in 1975. There is only one dialect. It exists only as a spoken language, as the Bats people use Georgian as their written language. The language is not mutually intelligible with either Chechen or Ingush, the other two members of the Nakh family.
Bavarian
Or Austro-Bavarian is an Upper Germanic language. Like standard German, Austro-Bavarian is a High Germanic language, but they are not the same. However, Austro-Bavarian and Standard German have influenced each other and the vast majority of Austro-Bavarian speakers speak Standard German as well. Austro-Bavarian is also used to refer to the dialect group which includes the Austro-Bavarian dialect discussed here, as well as the Cimbrian, Hutterite German, and Mócheno dialects of German.
Beja
(Also called Bedawi, Bedauye, To Bedawie) is an Afro-Asiatic language of the southern coast of the Red Sea, spoken by about two million nomads in parts of Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea. It is usually seen as Cushitic, but several scholars, notably Robert Hetzron (1980), have regarded it as an independent branch of Afro-Asiatic.
Belarusian
Is the language of the Belarusian people. It is one of the three East Slavic languages and is spoken in and around Belarus. It shares some vocabulary with the languages of the neighboring Slavic nations, most notably with Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian. It is also known as "Belarusan", "Byelorussian", or "Belorussian". The word "Byelorussian" is an adjective derived from the transliteration of the Russian name of the country (Byelorussia). It was in predominant use in English earlier. The adjectives "Belarusian" and "Belarusan" and many other forms emerged in the 1990s by English-speaking people to denote something or somebody of or pertaining to present-day name of Belarus, its people and the language they speak, whereas in Russian and Belarusian no new forms of the adjective appeared in those days.
Berta
Is spoken in Sudan and Ethiopia, and is generally classified as a branch of Nilo-Saharan. It has the typical word order Subject Verb Object. It is a tonal language. It has significantly influenced some of the Eastern Jebel languages. The Arabic name "Beni-Shangul" (as in the Ethiopian province of Benishangul-Gumaz) derives from a Berta expression (with bele "mountain" misanalyzed as Arabic beni "sons".)
Bemba
Also known as Chibemba and Ichibemba, is a Bantu language that is spoken primarily in Zambia by the Bemba people (called "Ba-Bemba" in Zambia). It is also spoken in surrounding countries. Bemba and its dialects are spoken and understood by a sizable percentage of the population of Zambia. Over three million people are estimated to be native Bemba speakers in Zambia alone, with others using Bemba as a second language. Bemba is used as a lingua franca in Zambian cities and, according to Ethnologue, it "has higher social status than other languages except English" within Zambia. Bemba is also spoken, to a lesser extent, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Botswana.
Bangla
Or Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language of East South Asia, evolved from Sanskrit and Prakrit. The traditional English rendering is "Bengali", but increasingly, the rendering "Bangla" is gaining currency in English. With nearly 200 million native speakers, Bangla is one of the most widely spoken languages of the world (it is ranked between four and seven based on the number of speakers). Bangla is the second most commonly spoken language in India (after Hindi-Urdu). Along with Assamese, it is geographically the most eastern of the Indo-European languages.
Bezhta
(Also known as Kapucha) belongs to the Tsezic group of the North Caucasian language family. It is a language spoken by about 3000 people in southern Dagestan, Russia. Bezhta can be further divided into three dialects — Bezhta, Tljadali and Hochar-Hota — which are spoken in various villages in the region. Its closest linguistic relatives are Hunzib, Tsez, Khvarshi and Hinukh. It is also related to the Avar language, but the two are not mutually intelligible. Bezhta is an unwritten language, but various attempts have been made to develop an official orthography for the language. The Bezhta people use Avar as literary language. The first book ever printed in Bezhta was the Gospel of Luke.
Beothuk
Was the language spoken by the Beothuk indigenous people of Newfoundland. As the Beothuk are extinct and few written accounts of their language exist, little is known about it. It is sometimes assumed to be part of the neighboring Algonquian language family, but there is insufficient evidence to draw any strong conclusions, and this theory has not gained general acceptance. The few words of the language which are known came from captives such as Demasduwit and Shanawdithit.
Berber languages
(Or Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Morocco and Algeria. A very sparse population extends into the whole Sahara and the northern part of the Sahel. They belong to the Afro-Asiatic languages phylum. There is a strong movement among Berbers to unify the closely related northern Berber languages into a single standard, Tamazight.
Among the Berber languages are Tarifit or Riffi (northern Morocco), Kabyle (Algeria) and Tachelhit (central Morocco). Tamazight has been a written language, on and off, for almost 3000 years; however, this tradition has been frequently disrupted by various invasions. It was first written in the Tifinagh alphabet, still used by the Tuareg; the oldest dated inscription is from about 200 BC. Later between about 1000 AD and 1500 AD, it was written in the Arabic alphabet (particularly by the Shilha of Morocco); in this century, it is often written in the Latin alphabet, especially among the Kabyle. A variant of the Tifinagh alphabet was recently made official in Morocco, while the Latin alphabet is official in Algeria, Mali, and Niger; however, both Tifinagh and Arabic are still widely used in Mali and Niger, while Latin and Arabic are still widely used in Morocco.
Bété languages
Are spoken in south-eastern Côte d'Ivoire. There are many dialects but they can be grouped as follows:
Western: Bété of Gagnoa and Kouya. Eastern: Bété of Guiberoua, Bété of Daloa and Godié. They belong to the Kru language family.
Bhili
Is a Central Indo-Aryan language spoken in west-central India, in the region east of Ahmadabad. Other names for the language include Bhagoria, Bhil, Bhilbari, Bhilboli, Bhilla, Lengotia, and Vil. Bhili is a member of the Bhil language family, which are related to Gujarati and the Rajasthani languages. The language is written using a variation of the Devanagari script.
Bhojpuri
Is a popular regional language spoken in northeastern India in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, as well as an adjoining area of southern plains of Nepal. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius and is often said to be the only Indian language to be spoken on all continents.
Bhojpuri shares vocabulary with Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu and other Indo-Aryan languages of northern India. Bhojpuri and several closely related languages, including Maithili and Magahi, are together known as the Bihari languages. They are part of the Eastern Zone group of Indo-Aryan languages which includes Bengali and Oriya. There are numerous dialects of Bhojpuri, including three or four in eastern Uttar Pradesh alone.
Biafran
Or Igbo is a language spoken in Nigeria by around 18 million speakers (the Igbo), especially in the southeastern region once identified as Biafra. The language was used by John Goldsmith as an example to justify going away from the classical linear model of phonology as laid out in The Sound Pattern of English. It is written in the Roman script. Igbo is a tonal language, like Yoruba and Chinese. Most Igbo people prefer that the language be spelled Igbo rather than Ibo.
Bihari
Is a name given to a group of Indo-Aryan languages spoken in Bihar and neighboring states in India. The Bihari group consists of:
Angika (30,000,000 speakers). Written in Anga, Kaithi and Devanagari scripts.
Bhojpuri (26,254,000 speakers). Written in the Kaithi and Devanagari scripts.
Kudmali (37,000 speakers).
Magahi (11,362,000 speakers).
Maithili (7,500,00 speakers). Written in the Maithili and Devanagari scripts.
Panchpargania (274,000 speakers).
Sadri (1,965,000 speakers).
Surajpuri (273,000 speakers).
Vajjika (500,000 speakers).
Barzani Jewish Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Jewish Aramaic language, often called Neo-Aramaic or Judeo-Aramaic. It was originally spoken in three villages near Aqra in Iraqi Kurdistan. The native name of the language is Lishanid Janan, which means 'our language', and is similar to names used by other Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialects (Lishan Didan, Lishanid Noshan).
Bikol
Or Bicolano is an Austronesian language used in the Philippines particularly on the Bicol Peninsula on the island of Luzon.
Bikya
(Also known as Furu) is a language of the Niger-Congo family that is spoken in Cameroon. It is unknown if this language is still extant. In 1986 four surviving speakers were identified, although only one (a man in his seventies) spoke the language fluently. Bikya is probably best know for the work of English linguist Dr. David Dalby who filmed an 87 year old African woman, who spoke Bikya as her native tongue. All records indicate that she was the last fluent speaker of the tongue. The archival footage was shot to perserve the language before it was lost forever.
Blackfoot
Is the name of any of the Algonquian languages spoken by the Blackfoot tribe of Native Americans, who currently live in the northwestern plains of North America. Like the other Algonquian languages, Blackfoot is typologically polysynthetic. Whorf hypothesized that it was oligosynthetic, but mainstream linguistics has rejected this. Of all the Algonquian languages, Blackfoot is often said to have diverged most drastically from Proto-Algonquian. It is significantly different both phonologically and, especially, grammatically from the other languages in the family.
Boholano
Is a dialect of Cebuano that is spoken on the island of Bohol in the Philippines, although it is sometimes described as a separate language. Boholano, especially the dialects used in Central Bohol, can be distinguished from other Cebuano dialects by a few phonetic changes. The "y" sound in Cebuano becomes "j" ("iya" in Cebuano becomes "ija") and the "k" sound sometimes becomes "h" ("ako" in Cebuano becomes "aho"). The dialects used in the coastal areas of Bohol though, including Tagbilaran City, are almost indistinguishable from other Cebuano-speaking areas.
Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. Originally, Bohtan Neo-Aramaic was spoken on the Plain of Bohtan in Sirnak Province of southeastern Turkey, but it is now spoken mostly around the village of Garbadani, near Rustavi in Georgia. Before the First World War, there were around 30,000 speakers of Bohtan Neo-Aramaic on the Plain of Bohtan, around the town of Cizre in Turkey's Sirnak Province. Mostly Assyrian Christians, their language was a northern dialect of Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, but already somewhat more conservative than the standard Alqosh dialect. With the turmoil that hit eastern Turkey at the end of the war, many Christian peoples were forced from their homes. A decimated population travelled from Bohtan and eventually resettled in Garbadani in southeastern Georgia, 530 km from their original home. Many of the speakers of Bohtan Neo-Aramaic are over sixty year of age. The younger generations tend to use Georgian or Russian instead. The latest study of the language was carried out by Samuel Ethan Fox in 1999, showing that Bohtan Neo-Aramaic has retained many conservative features of Chaldean and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic which are not present in the standard Alqosh and Urmia dialects, but has also developed new features that are not present in other dialects.
Bolaang Mongondow
Is spoken in the district (Kabupaten) of Bolaang Mongondow in North Sulawesi (Celebes), Indonesia. The most interesting character is that they have the l alphabet but cannot pronounce it, so they would say a bit like r instead.
Bolgar
(Also Bolgar), also Proto-Bulgarian is the language of the Bulgars, now extinct, whose classification is unclear. There is variation of suppositions about its origins whether it is a Turkic language, or that it links to the Iranian language group. It was used in Great Bulgaria, and later in Volga Bulgaria and in Danubian Bulgaria. The language became extinct in Danubian Bulgaria in the 9th century as the Bulgar nobility became gradually Slavicized through intermarriages with the Slavic majority there.
The language remained, however, in use by the population of Volga Bulgaria until the 13th or the 14th century when it adopted a number of words and constructions from the Kypchak language. The language spoken by the present-day Volga Tatars represents a mixture of Bolgar and Kypchak. The Chuvash group of the Volga Bolgars kept their language and it evolved into the modern Chuvash language.
The Old Tatar language also absorbed elements of the Bolgar language, because it appeared before the extinction of Bolgar.
Inscirptions of Proto-Bulgarian are found in Pliska in Greek alphabet, because of the khans and kings of Bulgaria frequently used Greek in their court. These iscriptione are found along with inscriptions in Greek.
Bonan
Is the Mongolic language of the Bonan ethnic group of China.
Bosnian
Is one of the standard versions of the Central-South Slavic diasystem, based on the Štokavian dialect. The language is used by Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region of Sandžak (in Serbia and Montenegro) and elsewhere. It is based on the Western variant of the Shtokavian dialect and uses both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets,[citation needed] although Latin is used to the almost total exclusion of Cyrillic. The spoken language may not differ at all from the Serbian and Croatian spoken by the Bosniaks' Serb and Croat neighbours. The name Bosnian language is the commonly accepted name among Bosniak linguists, and the name used by the ISO-639 standard.
Brahui
Is mainly spoken in Balochistan, Pakistan, although also in Afghanistan and Iran by the Brahui. It reportedly has about two million speakers in Pakistan (1998), and a tenth that number elsewhere. In Pakistan it is mainly spoken in the Kalat region of Balochistan. Although it is a Dravidian language, it has been heavily influenced by the Iranian languages spoken in the area such as Balochi. Brahui is generally considered to be a remnant of a formerly more widespread Dravidian language family that was reduced during the Indo-Aryan migration. It is also sometimes speculated that Brahui might be a direct legacy of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Breton
(Breton: Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany (Breizh) and Loire-Atlantique (historically part of Brittany) in France.
British Sign Language
Is the sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK). BSL is the first or preferred language of nearly 250,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the UK. It is a language of space and movement using the hands, body, face and head. Many thousands of hearing people also use BSL.
Bua
Is spoken by some 7,708 people (as of 1993) north of the Chari River around Korbol and Gabil; it is the largest member of the small Bua subgroup of the Mbum-Day subgroup of the Adamawa languages. It is mutually comprehensible with Fanian.
Buginese
(Locally Basa Ugi, elsewhere also Bahasa Bugis, Bugis, Bugi, De') is the language spoken by about four million people mainly in the southern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Bukusu
(Native name: Lubukusu) is a Bantu language spoken by the Bukusu people of western Kenya. It is one of the related languages of the Luhya people. The language is, however, more closely related to the Gisu and Masaaba languages of Eastern Uganda, and is mutually intelligible with those two languages.
Bulgarian
Is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages. Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from other Slavic languages, such as the elimination of noun declension, the development of a suffixed definite article (see Balkan linguistic union), the lack of a verb infinitive, and the retention and further development of the proto-Slavic verb system. There are various verb forms to express nonwitnessed, retold, and doubtful action.
Burmese
Is the official language of Myanmar. Although the government officially recognises the language as Myanmar, most continue to refer to the language as Burmese. It is the mother tongue of the Bamar, Rakhine, and other related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar. Burmese is a member of the Tibeto-Burman languages, which is a subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. It is spoken by 32 million as a first language, and as a second language by minorities in Myanmar. Burmese is a tonal and analytic language. The language utilises the Burmese script, which derives from the Mon script and ultimately from the Brahmi script.
Burushaski
Is a language isolate spoken by some 50,000-60,000 Burusho people in the Hunza, Nagir, Yasin, and parts of the Gilgit valleys in northern Pakistan. Other names for the language are Kanjut (Kunjoot), Khaguna, Werchikwar, Boorishki, Brushas (Brushias). Calvert Watkins, editor of the Indo-European etymologies in the American Heritage dictionaries, suggested that the word *abel (apple), the only fruit tree reconstructed for Proto-Indo-European, may have been borrowed from a language ancestral to Burushaski. Today Burushaski contains numerous loanwords from Urdu and a few from neighbouring Dardic languages such as Khowar and Shina, but the original vocabulary remains largely intact. The Dardic languages also contain large numbers of loan words from Burushaski.
Buryat
Is a Mongolic language spoken by the Buryats. It is considered a macrolanguage. The individual languages within this macrolanguage are:
* China Buriat (65,000 speakers by Ethnologue).
* Mongolia Buriat (64,900).
* Russia Buriat (318,000).
Russia Buriat is official language in Buryat Republic.
Is a southern Dravidian language (Tamil-Kannada branch) spoken by approximately 250,000 people (the Badagas) in the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India. It is known for its retroflex vowels.
Badeshi
Is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by over 10,000 people in upper reaches of Bishigram Valley (Chail), east of Madyan, Swat, Kohistan in Northern Areas of Pakistan. Badeshi people of Bishigram Valley and Tirat Valley are total around 1,500 in numbers. The figures of Pooran Chakesar, Alai, and Mansehra towns is not available. Badeshi people stopped using their native language completely few generations ago. In Bishigram Valley, they only speak Torwali and in Tirat Valley they speak Pashto.
Balinese
Is the language spoken by people in the island of Bali, Indonesia. It is spoken by 3.8 million people, approximately 2.1% of Indonesia's population. It is spoken in Bali, in Lombok and in Java. Balinese is part of the Austronesian language family, and is closely related to the Sasak language and languages on western Sumbawa.
Balochi
(Also Baluchi, Baloci or Baluci) is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, a region in western Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui.
Balti
Is a language spoken in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Baltistan - before independence - was part of Ladakh province. The language is a sub-dialect of Ladakhi and an archaic dialect of the Tibetan language. Many of the consonants that are silent in most modern Tibetan dialects are pronounced in Balti.
Bambara
Also known as Bamanankan in the language itself, is a language spoken in Mali by as many as six million people (including second language users). The differences between Bambara and Dioula are minimal. Dioula is a language spoken or understood, by fewer numbers of people, in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Gambia. The Bambara language is primarily spoken by members of the Bambara ethnic group, numbering about 270,000 people, but serves also as an interethnic language of Mali.
Banyumasan
In modern language classification, the Banyumasan language is usually considered a dialect of Javanese. The Banyumasan language is mainly spoken in the three areas of the island of Java: the Banyumasan region, located in westernmost Central Java Province and surrounding the Slamet mountain and Serayu river; a neighboring area inside West Java Province; and northern region of Banten Province.
The Banyumasan language belongs to the Sundic sub-branch of the Western Malayo-Polynesian (also called Hesperonesian) branch of the Malayo-Polynesian subfamily of the Austronesian super family.
Basaa
(Also spelled Bassa, Basa, Bissa) is a Bantu language spoken in Cameroon. It is spoken by about 230,000 people in Centre and Littoral provinces.
Bashkir
Is a Turkic language. The 1989 population census showed over 1,047,000 native speakers of the Bashkir language living in the USSR. Additional 26,737 claimed Bashkir to be their secondary language. Approximately 300,000 Bashkirs said that Tatar was their native language. Speakers of the Bashkir language mostly live in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, as well as in neighboring Tatarstan and Udmurtia. Substantial number of the speakers also live in Perm Krai and in Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Sverdlovsk, and Kurgan Oblasts. Large Bashkir minority groups also live in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Bats
(Also Batsi, Batsbi, Batsb or Batsaw) is the language of the Bats people, a Caucasian minority group, and is part of the Nakh family of Caucasian languages. It had 2,500 to 3,000 speakers in 1975. There is only one dialect. It exists only as a spoken language, as the Bats people use Georgian as their written language. The language is not mutually intelligible with either Chechen or Ingush, the other two members of the Nakh family.
Bavarian
Or Austro-Bavarian is an Upper Germanic language. Like standard German, Austro-Bavarian is a High Germanic language, but they are not the same. However, Austro-Bavarian and Standard German have influenced each other and the vast majority of Austro-Bavarian speakers speak Standard German as well. Austro-Bavarian is also used to refer to the dialect group which includes the Austro-Bavarian dialect discussed here, as well as the Cimbrian, Hutterite German, and Mócheno dialects of German.
Beja
(Also called Bedawi, Bedauye, To Bedawie) is an Afro-Asiatic language of the southern coast of the Red Sea, spoken by about two million nomads in parts of Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea. It is usually seen as Cushitic, but several scholars, notably Robert Hetzron (1980), have regarded it as an independent branch of Afro-Asiatic.
Belarusian
Is the language of the Belarusian people. It is one of the three East Slavic languages and is spoken in and around Belarus. It shares some vocabulary with the languages of the neighboring Slavic nations, most notably with Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian. It is also known as "Belarusan", "Byelorussian", or "Belorussian". The word "Byelorussian" is an adjective derived from the transliteration of the Russian name of the country (Byelorussia). It was in predominant use in English earlier. The adjectives "Belarusian" and "Belarusan" and many other forms emerged in the 1990s by English-speaking people to denote something or somebody of or pertaining to present-day name of Belarus, its people and the language they speak, whereas in Russian and Belarusian no new forms of the adjective appeared in those days.
Berta
Is spoken in Sudan and Ethiopia, and is generally classified as a branch of Nilo-Saharan. It has the typical word order Subject Verb Object. It is a tonal language. It has significantly influenced some of the Eastern Jebel languages. The Arabic name "Beni-Shangul" (as in the Ethiopian province of Benishangul-Gumaz) derives from a Berta expression (with bele "mountain" misanalyzed as Arabic beni "sons".)
Bemba
Also known as Chibemba and Ichibemba, is a Bantu language that is spoken primarily in Zambia by the Bemba people (called "Ba-Bemba" in Zambia). It is also spoken in surrounding countries. Bemba and its dialects are spoken and understood by a sizable percentage of the population of Zambia. Over three million people are estimated to be native Bemba speakers in Zambia alone, with others using Bemba as a second language. Bemba is used as a lingua franca in Zambian cities and, according to Ethnologue, it "has higher social status than other languages except English" within Zambia. Bemba is also spoken, to a lesser extent, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Botswana.
Bangla
Or Bengali is an Indo-Aryan language of East South Asia, evolved from Sanskrit and Prakrit. The traditional English rendering is "Bengali", but increasingly, the rendering "Bangla" is gaining currency in English. With nearly 200 million native speakers, Bangla is one of the most widely spoken languages of the world (it is ranked between four and seven based on the number of speakers). Bangla is the second most commonly spoken language in India (after Hindi-Urdu). Along with Assamese, it is geographically the most eastern of the Indo-European languages.
Bezhta
(Also known as Kapucha) belongs to the Tsezic group of the North Caucasian language family. It is a language spoken by about 3000 people in southern Dagestan, Russia. Bezhta can be further divided into three dialects — Bezhta, Tljadali and Hochar-Hota — which are spoken in various villages in the region. Its closest linguistic relatives are Hunzib, Tsez, Khvarshi and Hinukh. It is also related to the Avar language, but the two are not mutually intelligible. Bezhta is an unwritten language, but various attempts have been made to develop an official orthography for the language. The Bezhta people use Avar as literary language. The first book ever printed in Bezhta was the Gospel of Luke.
Beothuk
Was the language spoken by the Beothuk indigenous people of Newfoundland. As the Beothuk are extinct and few written accounts of their language exist, little is known about it. It is sometimes assumed to be part of the neighboring Algonquian language family, but there is insufficient evidence to draw any strong conclusions, and this theory has not gained general acceptance. The few words of the language which are known came from captives such as Demasduwit and Shanawdithit.
Berber languages
(Or Tamazight) are a group of closely related languages mainly spoken in Morocco and Algeria. A very sparse population extends into the whole Sahara and the northern part of the Sahel. They belong to the Afro-Asiatic languages phylum. There is a strong movement among Berbers to unify the closely related northern Berber languages into a single standard, Tamazight.
Among the Berber languages are Tarifit or Riffi (northern Morocco), Kabyle (Algeria) and Tachelhit (central Morocco). Tamazight has been a written language, on and off, for almost 3000 years; however, this tradition has been frequently disrupted by various invasions. It was first written in the Tifinagh alphabet, still used by the Tuareg; the oldest dated inscription is from about 200 BC. Later between about 1000 AD and 1500 AD, it was written in the Arabic alphabet (particularly by the Shilha of Morocco); in this century, it is often written in the Latin alphabet, especially among the Kabyle. A variant of the Tifinagh alphabet was recently made official in Morocco, while the Latin alphabet is official in Algeria, Mali, and Niger; however, both Tifinagh and Arabic are still widely used in Mali and Niger, while Latin and Arabic are still widely used in Morocco.
Bété languages
Are spoken in south-eastern Côte d'Ivoire. There are many dialects but they can be grouped as follows:
Western: Bété of Gagnoa and Kouya. Eastern: Bété of Guiberoua, Bété of Daloa and Godié. They belong to the Kru language family.
Bhili
Is a Central Indo-Aryan language spoken in west-central India, in the region east of Ahmadabad. Other names for the language include Bhagoria, Bhil, Bhilbari, Bhilboli, Bhilla, Lengotia, and Vil. Bhili is a member of the Bhil language family, which are related to Gujarati and the Rajasthani languages. The language is written using a variation of the Devanagari script.
Bhojpuri
Is a popular regional language spoken in northeastern India in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, as well as an adjoining area of southern plains of Nepal. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius and is often said to be the only Indian language to be spoken on all continents.
Bhojpuri shares vocabulary with Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu and other Indo-Aryan languages of northern India. Bhojpuri and several closely related languages, including Maithili and Magahi, are together known as the Bihari languages. They are part of the Eastern Zone group of Indo-Aryan languages which includes Bengali and Oriya. There are numerous dialects of Bhojpuri, including three or four in eastern Uttar Pradesh alone.
Biafran
Or Igbo is a language spoken in Nigeria by around 18 million speakers (the Igbo), especially in the southeastern region once identified as Biafra. The language was used by John Goldsmith as an example to justify going away from the classical linear model of phonology as laid out in The Sound Pattern of English. It is written in the Roman script. Igbo is a tonal language, like Yoruba and Chinese. Most Igbo people prefer that the language be spelled Igbo rather than Ibo.
Bihari
Is a name given to a group of Indo-Aryan languages spoken in Bihar and neighboring states in India. The Bihari group consists of:
Angika (30,000,000 speakers). Written in Anga, Kaithi and Devanagari scripts.
Bhojpuri (26,254,000 speakers). Written in the Kaithi and Devanagari scripts.
Kudmali (37,000 speakers).
Magahi (11,362,000 speakers).
Maithili (7,500,00 speakers). Written in the Maithili and Devanagari scripts.
Panchpargania (274,000 speakers).
Sadri (1,965,000 speakers).
Surajpuri (273,000 speakers).
Vajjika (500,000 speakers).
Barzani Jewish Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Jewish Aramaic language, often called Neo-Aramaic or Judeo-Aramaic. It was originally spoken in three villages near Aqra in Iraqi Kurdistan. The native name of the language is Lishanid Janan, which means 'our language', and is similar to names used by other Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialects (Lishan Didan, Lishanid Noshan).
Bikol
Or Bicolano is an Austronesian language used in the Philippines particularly on the Bicol Peninsula on the island of Luzon.
Bikya
(Also known as Furu) is a language of the Niger-Congo family that is spoken in Cameroon. It is unknown if this language is still extant. In 1986 four surviving speakers were identified, although only one (a man in his seventies) spoke the language fluently. Bikya is probably best know for the work of English linguist Dr. David Dalby who filmed an 87 year old African woman, who spoke Bikya as her native tongue. All records indicate that she was the last fluent speaker of the tongue. The archival footage was shot to perserve the language before it was lost forever.
Blackfoot
Is the name of any of the Algonquian languages spoken by the Blackfoot tribe of Native Americans, who currently live in the northwestern plains of North America. Like the other Algonquian languages, Blackfoot is typologically polysynthetic. Whorf hypothesized that it was oligosynthetic, but mainstream linguistics has rejected this. Of all the Algonquian languages, Blackfoot is often said to have diverged most drastically from Proto-Algonquian. It is significantly different both phonologically and, especially, grammatically from the other languages in the family.
Boholano
Is a dialect of Cebuano that is spoken on the island of Bohol in the Philippines, although it is sometimes described as a separate language. Boholano, especially the dialects used in Central Bohol, can be distinguished from other Cebuano dialects by a few phonetic changes. The "y" sound in Cebuano becomes "j" ("iya" in Cebuano becomes "ija") and the "k" sound sometimes becomes "h" ("ako" in Cebuano becomes "aho"). The dialects used in the coastal areas of Bohol though, including Tagbilaran City, are almost indistinguishable from other Cebuano-speaking areas.
Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. Originally, Bohtan Neo-Aramaic was spoken on the Plain of Bohtan in Sirnak Province of southeastern Turkey, but it is now spoken mostly around the village of Garbadani, near Rustavi in Georgia. Before the First World War, there were around 30,000 speakers of Bohtan Neo-Aramaic on the Plain of Bohtan, around the town of Cizre in Turkey's Sirnak Province. Mostly Assyrian Christians, their language was a northern dialect of Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, but already somewhat more conservative than the standard Alqosh dialect. With the turmoil that hit eastern Turkey at the end of the war, many Christian peoples were forced from their homes. A decimated population travelled from Bohtan and eventually resettled in Garbadani in southeastern Georgia, 530 km from their original home. Many of the speakers of Bohtan Neo-Aramaic are over sixty year of age. The younger generations tend to use Georgian or Russian instead. The latest study of the language was carried out by Samuel Ethan Fox in 1999, showing that Bohtan Neo-Aramaic has retained many conservative features of Chaldean and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic which are not present in the standard Alqosh and Urmia dialects, but has also developed new features that are not present in other dialects.
Bolaang Mongondow
Is spoken in the district (Kabupaten) of Bolaang Mongondow in North Sulawesi (Celebes), Indonesia. The most interesting character is that they have the l alphabet but cannot pronounce it, so they would say a bit like r instead.
Bolgar
(Also Bolgar), also Proto-Bulgarian is the language of the Bulgars, now extinct, whose classification is unclear. There is variation of suppositions about its origins whether it is a Turkic language, or that it links to the Iranian language group. It was used in Great Bulgaria, and later in Volga Bulgaria and in Danubian Bulgaria. The language became extinct in Danubian Bulgaria in the 9th century as the Bulgar nobility became gradually Slavicized through intermarriages with the Slavic majority there.
The language remained, however, in use by the population of Volga Bulgaria until the 13th or the 14th century when it adopted a number of words and constructions from the Kypchak language. The language spoken by the present-day Volga Tatars represents a mixture of Bolgar and Kypchak. The Chuvash group of the Volga Bolgars kept their language and it evolved into the modern Chuvash language.
The Old Tatar language also absorbed elements of the Bolgar language, because it appeared before the extinction of Bolgar.
Inscirptions of Proto-Bulgarian are found in Pliska in Greek alphabet, because of the khans and kings of Bulgaria frequently used Greek in their court. These iscriptione are found along with inscriptions in Greek.
Bonan
Is the Mongolic language of the Bonan ethnic group of China.
Bosnian
Is one of the standard versions of the Central-South Slavic diasystem, based on the Štokavian dialect. The language is used by Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region of Sandžak (in Serbia and Montenegro) and elsewhere. It is based on the Western variant of the Shtokavian dialect and uses both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets,[citation needed] although Latin is used to the almost total exclusion of Cyrillic. The spoken language may not differ at all from the Serbian and Croatian spoken by the Bosniaks' Serb and Croat neighbours. The name Bosnian language is the commonly accepted name among Bosniak linguists, and the name used by the ISO-639 standard.
Brahui
Is mainly spoken in Balochistan, Pakistan, although also in Afghanistan and Iran by the Brahui. It reportedly has about two million speakers in Pakistan (1998), and a tenth that number elsewhere. In Pakistan it is mainly spoken in the Kalat region of Balochistan. Although it is a Dravidian language, it has been heavily influenced by the Iranian languages spoken in the area such as Balochi. Brahui is generally considered to be a remnant of a formerly more widespread Dravidian language family that was reduced during the Indo-Aryan migration. It is also sometimes speculated that Brahui might be a direct legacy of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Breton
(Breton: Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany (Breizh) and Loire-Atlantique (historically part of Brittany) in France.
British Sign Language
Is the sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK). BSL is the first or preferred language of nearly 250,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the UK. It is a language of space and movement using the hands, body, face and head. Many thousands of hearing people also use BSL.
Bua
Is spoken by some 7,708 people (as of 1993) north of the Chari River around Korbol and Gabil; it is the largest member of the small Bua subgroup of the Mbum-Day subgroup of the Adamawa languages. It is mutually comprehensible with Fanian.
Buginese
(Locally Basa Ugi, elsewhere also Bahasa Bugis, Bugis, Bugi, De') is the language spoken by about four million people mainly in the southern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Bukusu
(Native name: Lubukusu) is a Bantu language spoken by the Bukusu people of western Kenya. It is one of the related languages of the Luhya people. The language is, however, more closely related to the Gisu and Masaaba languages of Eastern Uganda, and is mutually intelligible with those two languages.
Bulgarian
Is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages. Bulgarian demonstrates several linguistic innovations that set it apart from other Slavic languages, such as the elimination of noun declension, the development of a suffixed definite article (see Balkan linguistic union), the lack of a verb infinitive, and the retention and further development of the proto-Slavic verb system. There are various verb forms to express nonwitnessed, retold, and doubtful action.
Burmese
Is the official language of Myanmar. Although the government officially recognises the language as Myanmar, most continue to refer to the language as Burmese. It is the mother tongue of the Bamar, Rakhine, and other related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar. Burmese is a member of the Tibeto-Burman languages, which is a subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. It is spoken by 32 million as a first language, and as a second language by minorities in Myanmar. Burmese is a tonal and analytic language. The language utilises the Burmese script, which derives from the Mon script and ultimately from the Brahmi script.
Burushaski
Is a language isolate spoken by some 50,000-60,000 Burusho people in the Hunza, Nagir, Yasin, and parts of the Gilgit valleys in northern Pakistan. Other names for the language are Kanjut (Kunjoot), Khaguna, Werchikwar, Boorishki, Brushas (Brushias). Calvert Watkins, editor of the Indo-European etymologies in the American Heritage dictionaries, suggested that the word *abel (apple), the only fruit tree reconstructed for Proto-Indo-European, may have been borrowed from a language ancestral to Burushaski. Today Burushaski contains numerous loanwords from Urdu and a few from neighbouring Dardic languages such as Khowar and Shina, but the original vocabulary remains largely intact. The Dardic languages also contain large numbers of loan words from Burushaski.
Buryat
Is a Mongolic language spoken by the Buryats. It is considered a macrolanguage. The individual languages within this macrolanguage are:
* China Buriat (65,000 speakers by Ethnologue).
* Mongolia Buriat (64,900).
* Russia Buriat (318,000).
Russia Buriat is official language in Buryat Republic.
Friday, February 12, 2010
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Aari
A language of Ethiopia (North central Omo Region, southern tip of Ethiopian plateau, near the Hamer-Banna.). Population: 158,857 (1998 census). 129,350 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 155,002 (1989 census). Alternate names: Ari, Ara, Aro, Aarai, "Shankilla", "Shankillinya", "Shankilligna"
Aariya
A language of India. Region: Madhya Pradesh, Chhatarpur, Datia, Panna, Rewa, Satna, Shahdol, Sidhi, Tikamgarh districts.
Aasáx
A language of Tanzania: Northern Tanzania in the central Maasai Steppe. Landenai, Ndovu Okutu, Lolbeni villages, and Lemelebo, Landrobo, Naitomani, and Kilili districts are reported to have speakers. Alternate names: Asax, Asá, Aasá, Assa, Asak, "Ndorobo", "Dorobo", Lamanik, Il Konono. Language use: Reported in 1999 to still be spoken in the central Massai Steppe. It became linguistically extinct in the eastern Maasai Steppe in 1976. They are dependent on the Maasai and became absorbed into it and nearby Bantu groups. Speakers use Maasai with the Maasai, on whom they are economically dependent.
Abadi
A language of Papua New Guinea: Central Province, north of Galley Reach. Alternate names: Gabadi, Kabadi. Dialects: Lexical similarity 53% with Toura (closest). Language use: All ages. Positive language attitude. Many in younger generation use Tok Pisin or English.
Abaga
A language of Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands Province, Goroka District. Population: 5 (1994 SIL). Ethnic population: 1,200 (1975 SIL). Language use: Speakers also use Kamano or Benabena.
Abai Sungai
A language of Malaysia (Sabah): Lower reaches of the Kinabatangan River. Language use: 40% to 60% of the ethnic group speaks Abai Sungai. Used in the home. About 30% to 50% of the children speak it. Neutral language attitude.
Abanyom
Language of the Ekoid subfamily of Niger-Congo. It is spoken by the Abanyom people in the Cross River State region of Nigeria, numbering about 12,500. A member of the Southern Bantoid group, Abanyom is fairly closely related to the Bantu languages. It is tonal and has a typical Niger-Congo noun class system.
Abar
A language of Cameroon: North West Province, Menchum Division, Wum Subdivision, centered around village of Missong, including villages of Munken and Abar. Alternate names: Mijong, Missong.
Abau
A language of Papua New Guinea: Sandaun Province, Green River District, Sepik and Green rivers. Not in Papua, Indonesia. Alternate names: Green River.
Abaza
Language of the Caucasus mountains in the Russian autonomous republic of Karachay-Cherkessia by the Abazins. It consists of two dialects, the Ashkherewa dialect and the T'ap'anta dialect, which is the literary standard.
Abé
A language of Côte d'Ivoire: Southern Department, Subprefecture of Agboville (except Krobou Canton) and Abbe Canton of Tiassale Subprefecture. 70 villages. Alternate names: Abbé, Abbey, Abi. Dialects: Tioffo, Morie, Abbey-Ve, Kos (Khos).
Abidji
A language of Côte d'Ivoire: Department of Abidjan, Subprefecture of Sikensi (12 villages), and a few villages in Subprefecture of Dabou. Alternate name: Abiji. Dialects: Enyembe, Ogbru. Language use: Speakers also use French, Jula, Baoule, or Adioukrou.
Abinomn
A language of Indonesia (Papua): Lakes Plain area, from the mouth of the Baso River just east of Dabra at the Idenburg River to its headwaters in the Foya Mountains, Jayapura Kabupaten, Mamberamo Hulu Kecamatan. Alternate names: Avinomen, "Baso", Foya, Foja. Dialects: Close to Warembori.
Abishira
An extinct language of Peru: Puerto Elvira on Lake Vacacocha on the Napo River. Alternate names: Abiquira, Auishiri, Agouisiri, Avirxiri, Abigira, Ixignor, Vacacocha, Tequraca. Language use: Official language.
Abkhaz
Is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken in Abkhazia and Turkey by the Abkhazians. Abkhaz has about 100,000 speakers in Abkhazia with up to 500,000 more living in Turkey. Georgian Constitution establishes Abkhaz as the second official language of Georgia (on the territory of Abkhazia).
Abnaki, Eastern
An extinct language of USA: Formerly near Bangor, Maine, 1 village (Penobscot). Alternate name: Abenaki. Dialects: Penobscot. Language use: The last speaker of Penobscot died in the 1990s. Other dialects also extinct.
Abnaki, Western
A language of Canada: Quebec on St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City. Alternate names: Abenaki, Abenaqui, St. Francis. Language use: Extinct in the USA. All speakers are older adults. Speakers also use French.
Abom
A language of Papua New Guinea: Western Province, a few older adult speakers in Tewara, Lewada, and Mutam villages. Dialects: Lexical similarity 14% with Bitur, 12% with Baramu, 11% with Makayam, 9% with Were, 4% with Idi and Agob. Language use: All speakers are older adults (2002). Middle-aged generation understand only rudiments. Children do not speak or understand Abom.
Abon
A language of Nigeria: Taraba State, Sardauna LGA, Abong town, east of Baissa. Alternate names: Abong, Abõ, Ba'ban.
Abron
A language of Ghana: Southwestern Ghana, northwest of Asante Twi. Also spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. Alternate names : Brong, Bron, Doma, Gyaman. Language development: Literacy rate in first language: below 1%. Literacy rate in second language: 25% to 50%.
Abu
A language of Papua New Guinea: East Sepik Province, Angoram District, 19 villages; Madang Province, Bogia District, 8 villages, western side of lower Ramu River. Alternate names: Adjora, Adjoria, Azao. Dialects: Abu, Auwa, Sabu. Auwa may be a different language.
Abua
A language of Nigeria: Rivers State, Degema and Ahoada LGAs. Alternate names: Abuan. Dialects: Central Abuan, Emughan, Otapha, Okpeden. The central dialect is understood by all others. Odual is the most closely related language. Lexical similarity 70% with Odual.
Abui
A language of Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara): Central and western Alor in the Lesser Sundas. Alternate names: Barue, "Barawahing", Namatalaki. Dialects: Atimelang, Kobola, Alakaman. Much dialect diversity. The Alakaman dialect may be a dialect of Kamang (Woisika). May be more than one language.
Abujmaria
Is a Dravidian language spoken in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh provinces in India. It is closely related to Telugu. Abujmaria speakers are a sub-group of the Gondi people, the largest tribal group in India.
Abun
A language of Indonesia (Papua): North coast and interior of central Bird's Head, north and south of Tamberau ranges. Sorong Kabupaten, Ayamaru, Sausapor, and Moraid kecamatans. About 20 villages. Alternate names : Yimbun, A Nden, Manif, Karon. Dialects: Abun Tat (Karon Pantai), Abun Ji (Madik), Abun Je.
Abung
A language of Indonesia (Sumatra), region south. Dialects: Jabung, Menggala (Northeast Lampung), Kota Bumi (Northwest Lampung). Many differences in vocabulary and phonology with Pesisir. Menggala has 72% lexical similarity with Kalianda, a dialect of Southern Pesisir. Lexical similarity 77% among dialects.
Abure
A language of Côte d'Ivoire, region: Southern Department, Subprefecture of Bonoua, some in Subprefecture of Grand Bassam, many in Abidjan. Alternate names: Abouré, Abule, Akaplass, Abonwa. Dialects: Closest to Anyin. Also close to Baule and Nzema. Language use: Many speakers use Anyin.
Abureni
A language of Nigeria, region: Bayelsa State, four towns: Brass LGA, Agrisaba (Obo-Emeke); Ogbia LGA, Idema; Nembe LGA, Okoroba; Ogbia LGA, Opume, which is politically part of Oloibiri. Alternate names: Mini.
Acehnese
(Also Achinese, Achehnese) or Aceh (formerly Atjeh) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia.
Achagua
A language of Colombia, region: Rio Meta near Puerto Gaitan. Not in Venezuela. Alternate names: Ajagua, Xagua. Dialects: Close to Piapoco. Language use: Used in the home. Speakers are trilingual in Achagua, Spanish, and Piapoco.
Achang
A language of China, region: Dehong Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture and Baoshan District, western Yunnan Province, along the Myanmar border, Longchuan, Lingbe, and Luxi counties. Also spoken in Myanmar. Alternate names: Ngochang, Achung, Atsang, Ach'ang, Acang, Ahchan, Ngacang, Ngatsang, Ngachang, Ngac'ang, Ngo Chang, Mönghsa, Maingtha. Dialects: Longchuan, Lianghe, Luxi. The 3 dialects are reported to not be inherently intelligible to one another's speakers. Longchuan differs more from the other dialects, and has more Dai loanwords. Lianghe and Luxi use many Chinese loanwords. There are also Burmese loanwords. Related to Phun, Maru, Lashi, Zaiwa. Language use: Speakers are mainly adults. The Longchuan dialect is stable, but speakers of other dialects are shifting to Chinese. Many Han people in Longchuan County use Achang in informal situations. All domains. Spoken Chinese and Dai are in common use as second languages. Written Chinese is also in use.
Aché
A language of Paraguay, region: Eastern, Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Chopa Pou, Cerro Moroti, and Puerto Barra reservations, and Tupa Renda. Alternate names: "Guaiaqui", "Guayakí", "Guoyagui", Guayaki-Ache, Axe. Dialects: Reported to be four dialects, one of which is nearly extinct. Language use: Speakers are becoming bilingual in Paraguayan Guaraní.
Acheron
A language of Sudan, region: Northern Sudan, Kordofan Province, southern Nuba Hills. Alternate names: Garme. Dialects: Eastern Acheron, Western Acheron. Not a dialect of Moro. Language use: Speakers also use Sudanese Arabic.
Achi', Cubulco
A language of Guatemala, region: Central area west of Rabinal, Baja Verapaz Department. Language development: Literacy rate in first language: 1% to 5%. Literacy rate in second language: 11%. Taught in primary schools. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1984.
Achi', Rabinal
A language of Guatemala, region: Central Rabinal area, Baja Verapaz Department. Alternate names: Rabinal K'iche'. Dialects: Closest linguistically to Cubulco Achi'. Language use: All ages. Possibly 20% of speakers can discuss more than common topics in Spanish.
Acholi
A language of Uganda, region: North central Acholi District. Also spoken in Sudan. Alternate names: Acoli, Atscholi, Shuli, Gang, Lwo, Lwoo, Akoli, Acooli, Log Acoli, Dok Acoli. Dialects: Labwor, Nyakwai, Dhopaluo (Chopi, Chope).
Achterhoeks
Language of Netherlands, region: Northeastern, Gelderland Province. Alternate names: Achterhoek, Aachterhoeks. Language use: Official language. Speakers also use Dutch.
Achuar-Shiwiar
A language of Peru, region: Morona, Macusari, Tigre, Huasaga, and Corrientes rivers. Also spoken in Ecuador. Alternate names: Achuar, Achual, Achuara, Achuale, Jivaro, Maina. Dialects: Different from Shuar (Jivaro) of Ecuador. Language use: Official language. Bilingual level estimates for Spanish: 0 90%, 1 6%, 2 3%, 3 1%, 4 0%, 5 0%.
Achumawi
A language of USA, region: Northeastern California. Alternate names: Achomawi, Pitt River. Dialects: Originally there were nine dialects.
Acipa, Eastern
A language of Nigeria, region: Niger State, Kontagora LGA; Kaduna State, Birnin Gwari LGA. Towns include Randeggi and Bobi. Alternate names: Acipanci, Achipa, Sagamuk. Dialects: Boroma (Taboroma). Lexical similarity 83% between Randeggi and Bobi; 52% with Shama; 47% to 50% with Kamuku; 42% to 44% with Hungworo; 15% to 20% with Western Acipa.
Acipa, Western
A language of Nigeria, region: Niger State, Kontagora LGA; Kebbi State, Sakaba LGA. Towns include Kumbashi, Kakihum, and Karisen. Alternate names: Acipanci, Achipa, Sagamuk. Dialects: Cep (Tochipo, Tacep, Western Acipanci). Morphological evidence suggests its affiliation with the Kamuku language cluster. Lexical similarity 89% to 95% among the dialects; 15% to 20% with Eastern Acipa; 18% with Hungworo; 16% to 17% with Shama; 15% to 17% with Kamuku.
Acroá
An extinct language of Brazil, of the Bahia area. Alternate names: Coroá.
Adabe
A language of East Timor, region: Atauro Island, north of Dili on Timor Island. Alternate names: Ataura, Atauru, Atauro, Raklu-Un, Raklu Un. Dialects: Munaseli Pandai. Reported to be different from Galoli dialects on Atauro. No relationship to Kolana.
Adamorobe Sign
Is an indigenous sign language used in Adamorobe, an Akan village in eastern Ghana. Its users are about 300 deaf and 900 hearing people (Nyst). Ethnologue reports a total of 3,400 signers, including hearing users.
Adang
A language of Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara), region: Northwestern (Bird's Head) Alor Island in the Lesser Sundas. Alternate names: Alor. Dialects: Aimoli. On the basis of linguistic differences and social identity, it is considered a separate language from Kabola.
Adangbe
A language of Ghana, region: Border area with Togo directly east of Ho. Agotime are mainly in Ghana. Volta Region. Ghana towns are Kpoeta, Apegame, and others. Also spoken in Togo. Alternate names: Dangbe, Adantonwi, Agotime, Adan. Dialects: Close to Igo.
Adap
A language of Bhutan, region: South central, between Damphu and Shemgang, Ada village, Wangdue Phodrang District. Dialects: Lexical similarity 77% with Dzongkha, 62% to 65% with Bumthangkha, 41% with Tshangla.
Adele
Is spoken in eastern Ghana and as well in Togo. It is a minority language and has about 21000 speakers. It belongs to the Ghana Togo Mountain languages (traditionally called the Togo-Remnant languages) and is counted to the Kwa languages family. The speakers themselves call the language Gidire.
Adhola
A language of Uganda, region: Eastern, Mbale District. Not in Kenya. Alternate names: Dhopadhola, Jopadhola, Ludama. Dialects: The most distinct of the Western Nilotic languages in Uganda.
Adi
A language of India, region: Arunachal Pradesh, East, West, and Upper Siang districts, Upper Subansiri and Dibang Valley districts; Assam, north hills of Assam Valley, between Bhutan and the Buruli River. Also spoken in China. Alternate names: Abhor, Abor, Boga'er Luoba, Lhoba, Luoba. Language use: Speakers also use Assamese, Hindi, or Nepali.
Adi, Galo
A language of India, region: Arunachal Pradesh, West Siang, East Siang, Dibang Valley (south), Lohit (east), Changlang (northeast), and some in Upper Subansiri (west) districts. Alternate names: Adi, Adi-Gallong, Adi-Galo, Gallong, Galong. Dialects: Reportedly intelligible with other Adi dialects but they are sociolinguistically distinct.
Adioukrou
A language of Côte d'Ivoire, region: Southern Department, Subprefecture of Dabou, in 49 villages. Alternate names: Adyukru, Adjukru, Adyoukrou, Ajukru.
Adonara
A language of Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara), region: Adonara Island, and eastern Solor Island, between Flores and Lembata. Alternate names: Nusa Tadon, Waiwerang, Vaiverang, Sagu. Dialects: West Adonara, East Adonara, East Solor.
Aduge
A language of Nigeria, region: Anambra State, Oyi LGA.
Adyghe
Is one of the two official languages of the Federal Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation, the other being Russian. It is spoken by the various tribes of the Adyghe nation: Shapsugh, Bzedugh, Abzekh, Kemirgoy, Hakuchi, and some others. The language referred to by its speakers as Adygebze or Ad?gabza, and alternatively spelled in English as Adygean, Adygeyan or Adygei. It is also known as Circassian.
Adynyamathanha
A language of Australia, region: South Australia, Flinders Ranges area, Nepabunna. Alternate names: Wailpi, Wailbi, Waljbi, Wipie, Ad'n'amadana, Anjimatana, Anjiwatana, Archualda, Benbakanjamata, Binbarnja, Gadjnjamada, Jandali, Kanjimata, Keydnjmarda, Mardala, Nimalda, Nuralda, Unyamootha, Umbertana. Dialects: Related to Guyani, Banggarla, Nugunu, and Narungga, which may be extinct.
Adzera
A language of Papua New Guinea, region: Morobe Province, Markham Valley, Kaiapit District, Leron River. Alternate names: Azera, Atzera, Acira. Dialects: Yarus, Amari, Azera, Ngarowapum, Tsumanggorun, Guruf-Ngariawang (Ngariawan), Sarasira (Sirasira), Sukurum. The dialects form a cluster.
Aekyom
A language of Papua New Guinea, region: Western Province, Kiunga area. Alternate names: Awin, Aiwin, Akium, West Awin. Dialects: North Awin, South Awin, East Awin.
Aer
A language of Pakistan, region: Lower Sindh, Jikrio Goth near Kunri around Deh 333, Hyderabad, and at Jamesabad. Others are reported to have migrated to India at Partition in 1947, living in the Kach Bhuj area in Gujarat. Dialects: Jikrio Goth Aer, Jamesabad Aer. Lexical similarity 78% with Katai Meghwar and Kachi Bhil, 75% to 77% with Rabari, 76% with Kachi Koli.
Afade
A language of Nigeria, region: Borno State, Ngala LGA, 12 rather dense villages. Also spoken in Cameroon. Alternate names: Affade, Afadeh, Afada, Kotoko, Mogari.
Afar
A language of Ethiopia, region: Eastern lowlands, Afar Region. May also be in Somalia. Also spoken in Djibouti, Eritrea. Alternate names: Afaraf, "Danakil", "Denkel", `Afar Af, Adal. Dialects: Northern Afar, Central Afar, Aussa, Baadu (Ba`adu). Related to Saho.
Afitti
A language of Sudan, region: Northern Sudan, Nuba Hills, eastern Jebel ed Dair. Main center is Sidra. Alternate names: Ditti, Unietti, Affitti, Dinik. Dialects: Not inherently intelligible with Ama. Lexical similarity 59% with Ama.
Afrikaans
Is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Agul
Or Lezgi, also called Lezgian, is a language spoken by the Lezgins who live in southern Dagestan (a republic of Russia) and northern Azerbaijan.
Aimaq
Is a dialect of the Persian language of Afghanistan spoken west of the Hazara, central northwest Afghanistan, eastern Iran, and Tajikistan.
Aini
Is a Turkic language spoken in western China known as Aini, variously spelled Aynu or Ainu, though it is unrelated to the Ainu language of Japan and Russia. It is a mixed language, having a mostly Turkic grammar but a mainly Iranian vocabulary. It is spoken by the Aini, a nomadic peoples.
Ainu
Is spoken by the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It was once spoken in the Kurile Islands, the northern part of Honshu, and the southern half of Sakhalin.
Akan
Are those languages belonging to the Kwa language family spoken in Ghana and the Côte d'Ivoire: Agona, Ahafo, Akan, Akyem, Andoh, Anyi, Asen, Attié, Baule, Brong, Chakosi, Dankyira, Guang, Kwahu, Nzema, Sefwi.
Akawaio
Is a Cariban language spoken mainly in Guyana, most commonly in the region of the Upper Mazaruni. Though many speakers don't live in villages, there are a number of population centers, notably Kamarang, Jawalla, Waramadong, and Kako. Some 6,000 people speak Akawaio. It is also spoken to a lesser extent in Venezuela.
Akkadian
Was a Semitic language (part of the greater Afro-Asiatic language family) spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly by the Assyrians and Babylonians. It used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated, non-Semitic language. The name of the language is derived from the city of Akkad, a major center of Mesopotamian civilization.
Aklanon
Is a Visayan language spoken in Aklan province in the Philippines.
Albanian
Is a language spoken by over 6 million people, primarily in Albania, Kosovo, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia but also in other parts of the Balkans, along the eastern coast of Italy and in Sicily, as well as by emigrant groups in Scandinavia, Germany, Greece, Italy, the UK, Egypt, Turkey, and the USA. The language forms its own distinct branch of the Indo-European language family.
Aleut
is a language of the Eskimo-Aleut language phylum. It is the tongue of the Aleut people living in the Aleutian, Pribilof, and Commander Islands. In 1995 there were 305 speakers of Aleut.
Algonquin
(Or Algonkin) is an Algonquian language closely related to Ojibwe, although many consider it to be instead a particularly divergent dialect of Ojibwe. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario.
Alemán Coloniero
Spoken in Colonia Tovar, is a dialect that belongs to the Low Alemannic branch of German. It is spoken in Venezuela. The language, which like other Alemannic dialects is not intelligible with Standard German, is spoken by descendants of Germans from the Black Forest region of Southern Baden, who emigrated to Venezuela in 1843.
Alsatian
Is a Low Alemannic dialect spoken in Alsace, a region now in eastern France, and historically passing between French and German control many times. Though not readily intelligible to speakers of standard German, it is closely related to other nearby Alemannic dialects, such as Swiss German, Swabian, and Badisch with French influences. It is often confused with the Frankish language, a more distantly related German Western Franconian dialect. Both are called alsacien in French.
Altay
Is a language of the Turkic group of languages. It is an official language of Altai Republic, Russia. The language was called Oyrot prior to 1948. There were ca. 52,000 people speaking this language in 1989. Two dialects of the Altay language are northern (with the Tuba, Kumandy, and Chalkan varieties named after the main tribes) and southern (with the Altai proper and Telengit varieties).
Alutor
Is a language of Russia that belongs to the Chukchi-Koryak group of the Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages.
American Sign
(ASL, also Amslan obs., Ameslan obs.) is the dominant sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in parts of Mexico. Although the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a spoken and written language, British Sign Language (BSL) is quite different from ASL, and not mutually intelligible.
Amharic
Is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia. It is the second most spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic. It is the "official working" language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and thus has official status nationwide. It is also the official or working language of several of the states within the federal system, including Amhara and the multi-ethnic Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region. It has been the working language of government, the military, and of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church throughout modern times. Outside Ethiopia, Amharic is the language of some 2.7 million emigrants (notably in Egypt, Israel and Sweden), and is spoken in Eritrea by educated Eritreans of the preindependence generation and younger deportees from Ethiopia.
Amorite
is the term used for the early (North-)West Semitic language, spoken by the north Semitic Amorite tribes prominent in early Middle Eastern history. It is known exclusively from non-Akkadian proper names recorded by Akkadian scribes during periods of Amorite rule in Babylonia (end of the 3rd and beginning of the 1st millennium), notably from Mari, and to a lesser extent Alalakh, Harmal, and Khafaya. Occasionally such names are also found in early Egyptian texts; and one place-name — "Snir" (???????) for Mount Hermon — is known from the Bible (Deut. 3:9).
Anglo-Saxon
Also called Old-English is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. It is a West Germanic language and therefore is similar to Old Frisian and Old Saxon. It is also related to Old Norse (and by extension, to modern Icelandic).
Amdang
Is a language closely related to Fur spoken in Chad by about 5,000 people (as of 1983). It is mainly spoken in Chad north of Biltine, and sporadically elsewhere in Wadai. There are also small colonies of speakers in Darfur near Woda'a and Fafa, and in Kordofan in the Abu Daza district and at Magrur north of Bara. Most of the ethnic group now speaks Arabic.
Ammonite
Is the extinct Hebrew Canaanite language of the Ammonite people mentioned in the Bible, who used to live in modern-day Jordan, and after whom its capital Amman is named. Only fragments of their language survive - chiefly the 9th century BC Amman Citadel Inscription, the 7th-6th century BC Tell Siran bronze bottle, and a few ostraca. As far as can be determined from this small corpus, it was extremely similar to Biblical Hebrew, with some possible Aramaic influence.
Andalusian
Is a proposed term to classify the various romance lects spoken in the Andalusia region of Spain as a full language. While these variants are mostly considered dialects of Spanish, Andalusian nationalists and Andalusian cultural advocates consider the differences significant enough to warrant the label of "language".
Angaur
Is one of the official languages of Palau. In Angaur Island the languages Angaur and Japanese are official. It is a western Austronesian language.
Anlo Ewe
The Anlo Ewe form a subdivision of the Ewe people living on the coast of Ghana between the mouth of Volta River and the border of Togo. Their language (self-name Anlogbe) is a dialect of the Ewe language, itself part of the Gbe language cluster.
Ao
Is a Kuki-Chin-Naga language (of the Tibeto-Burman family) spoken by the Ao of Nagaland in northeast India. Gordon (2005) estimates that there are 141,000 speakers. Missionary grammars from the late 19th century exist. A grammatical description is Gowda (1975). Coupe (2003) is one of the few acoustic studies published on a Kuki-Chin-Naga language (only three exist). Coupe also has a reference grammar in progress.
Apachean
Also Southern Athabaskan is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the North American Southwest (including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Sonora) with two outliers in Oklahoma and Texas. These languages are spoken by various groups of Apache and Navajo peoples. Western Apaches call their language Nnee biyáti’ or Ndee biyáti’. Navajos call their language Diné bizaad.
Arabic
The Arabic language, or simply Arabic, is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. It is spoken throughout the Arab world and is widely studied and known throughout the Islamic world. Arabic has been a literary language since at least the 6th century and is the liturgical language of Islam.
Aragonese
Is a Romance language now spoken by some 10,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is also colloquially known as fabla (literally, "speech").
Aramaic
Is a Semitic language with a 3,000-year history. It has been the language of administration of empires and the language of divine worship. It is the original language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra, and is the main language of the Talmud. Aramaic is believed to have been one of the languages spoken by Jesus, and it is still spoken today as a first language by numerous small communities. Aramaic belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Within that diverse family, it belongs to the Semitic subfamily. Aramaic is a part of the Northwest Semitic group of languages, which also includes the Canaanite languages (including Hebrew).
Arawakan Languages
(Also Arahuacan, Arawakanas, Arahuacano, Maipurean, Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúrean) are a hypothetical indigenous language family of South America and the Caribbean. Originally the name Arawak belonged exclusively to a powerful tribe in Guyana and Surinam. The tribe became allies of the Spanish because they traditionally were enemies of the Carib groups with whom the Spanish were at war. There are older forms of the Arawak language still spoken in Surinam.
Argobba
Is an Ethiopic language that spoken in an area north-east of Addis Ababa. It belongs to the South-Ethio Semitic subgroup together with Amharic and the Gurage languages. Writing in the mid-1960s, Edward Ullendorff noted that it "is disappearing rapidly in favour of Amharic, and only a few hundred elderly people are still able to speak it. The language is spoken in a number of pockets and has at least four regional variations (dialects): Harar (extinct), Aliyu Amba, Showa Robit and Shonke.
Armenian
Is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people in the Armenian Republic and also used by the Armenian Diaspora. It constitutes an independent branch of the Indo-European language family, though many Indo-Europeanists believe it forms a subgroup with the Greek and Indo-Iranian families (see Clackson 1994 for extensive discussion).
Arpitan
Franco-Provençal (Francoprovençal) or Arpitan, is a Romance language with several dialects in a linguistic sub-group separate from Langue d'Oïl and Langue d'Oc. The name Franco-Provençal was given to the dialect group in the 19th century because it shared features of French and Provençal without belonging to either. The modern name Arpitan has achieved some currency for the language in recent years. Today, the largest number of Franco-Provençal speakers reside in the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region of Italy. The language also is spoken in alpine valleys in the Province of Turin, two isolated towns in the Province of Foggia, and rural areas of the Suisse-Romande region of Switzerland. It is classified as a regional language of France and constitutes one of the three great Romance languages of France although its use is low.
Arvanitic
Or Arvanitika, is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece. Arvanitic is sometimes also described as Graeco-Albanian or similarly, although today such designations are considered offensive by many Arvanites themselves, who identify nationally and ethnically as Greeks and not Albanians (GHM 1995). Arvanitic is today an endangered language, as its speakers have been shifting to the use of Greek and most younger members of the community no longer speak it fluently.
Ashkenazi Hebrew
Is a descendant of Biblical Hebrew favored for liturgical use by Ashkenazi Jewish practice. Its phonology was influenced by languages with which it came into contact, such as Yiddish and various Slavic languages. It survives today as a separate religious dialect even alongside Modern Hebrew in Israel.Although Modern Hebrew was based on Sephardi Hebrew, the language as spoken in Israel is essentially Sephardi Hebrew utilizing Mishnaic spelling, constrained to Ashkenazi Hebrew phonology, including the elimination of pharyngeal articulation and the conversion of /r/ from an alveolar flap to a voiced uvular fricative or trill.
Ashkun
is a language of Afghanistan in the region of Pech Valley around Wama, northwest of Asadabad in Kunar province. It is classified as member of the Nuristani sub-family of the Indo-Iranian languages.
Assamese
is the language spoken by some of the natives of the state of Assam in northeast India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Small pockets of Assamese speakers can be found in Bhutan and Bangladesh. Immigrants from Assam have carried the language with them to other parts of the world. The eastern most of Indo-European languages, it is spoken by over 20 million people. The word Assamese is an English one, built on the same principle as Cingalese, Canarese, etc. It is based on the English word Assam by which the tract consisting of the Brahmaputra valley is known. But the people themselves call their state Ôxôm and their language Ôxômiya.
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. Assyrian Neo Aramaic is not to be confused with Assyrian Akkadian, or the Old Aramaic dialect that was adopted as a lingua franca in Assyria in the 8th century BC. Although this latter Aramaic is also an Aramaic language, it is incomprehensible to speakers of the modern language. Originally, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic was spoken in the area between Lake Urmia, north-western Iran, and Siirt, south-eastern Turkey, but it is now the language of a worldwide diaspora. Most speakers are members of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Athabaskan
Or Athabascan (also Athapascan or Athapaskan) is the name of a large group of distantly related Native American peoples, also known as the Athabasca Indians or Athapaskes, located in two main Southern and Northern groups in western North America, and of their language family. The Athabaskan family is the largest family in North America in terms of number of languages and the number of speakers (the Uto-Aztecan family which extends into Mexico has many more speakers). In terms of territory, only the Algic language family covers a larger area.
Ateso
(Also known as Iteso or Teso) is a Nilo-Saharan language, spoken by the Iteso ethnic group in Uganda and Kenya. As of the 1991 census around 1 million people in Uganda spoke Ateso. An estimated 279,000 people in Kenya also speak it. Its SIL code is TEO.
Asi
The Asi language is spoken in towns on Tablas Island as well as the islands of Banton, Simara, and Maestre de Campo. These islands are part of the Romblon province of the Philippines.
Astur-Leonese
Is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, spoken in the Spanish provinces of Asturias (where it is called Asturian, asturianu, or Bable), León, Zamora and Salamanca (where it is called Leonese, llïonés), Extremadura (where is called Extremaduran, extremeñu). The language was once considered an informal dialect (basilect) of Spanish, but now it is considered a separate language. In Asturias it is protected under the Autonomous Status legislation, and is an optional language at schools. In Portugal, the related Mirandese language is officially recognized.
Auslan
Is the sign language of the Australian Deaf community. The term Auslan is a portmanteau of "Australian sign language", coined by Trevor Johnston in the early 1980s, although the language itself is much older. Auslan is related to British Sign Language (BSL) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL); the three have descended from the same parent language, BANZSL. Auslan has also been influenced by Irish Sign Language (ISL). Like other sign languages, Auslan has a grammar and vocabulary quite distinct from English. Its invention cannot be attributed to any individual; rather, it developed naturally like spoken languages.
Avar
The modern Avar language "language of the mountains" belongs to the Avar-Andi-Tsez subgroup of the Alarodian Northeast-Caucasian (or Nakh-Dagestani) language family.
Avestan
Is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the hymns of the Zoroastrian holy book, the Avesta. Iranian languages are part of the Indo-Iranian Language group which includes the Indo-Aryan languages such as Sanskrit. The Indo-Iranian language group is the major eastern branch of the Indo-European languages. Along with Old Persian, Avestan is one of the two oldest Iranian languages of which we have evidence. The structure of the language and its sound system testifies to its status as a member of the Northeastern Iranian branch.
Awadhi
Is an Indian language, often considered a dialect of Hindi, spoken in the Awadh (Oudh) region of Uttar Pradesh. Its speakers are also found in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Nepal. It is the dialect in which the Raamcharitmaanas of Tulsidaas and other important works of Hindi literature are written. It is spoken by at least 20,000,000 people.
Aymara
Is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over a million speakers, and it is one of the official languages of Bolivia and Peru. It is also spoken in Chile and Argentina. Many linguists believe that Aymara is related to its more widely-spoken neighbour, Quechua. This claim, however, is disputed — although there are indeed similarities, critics say that these may simply be areal features resulting from prolonged interaction between the two languages. The Aymara language is an inflected language, and has a subject-object-verb word order.
Azerbaijani
Also called Azeri, Azari, Azeri Turkish, or Azerbaijani Turkish, is the official language of Republic of Azerbaijan. It is called Azerbaycan dili in Azerbaijani. Iranian Azerbaijanis often call it Turki. Some dialects of the language are spoken in many parts of Iran (but most notably in the northwestern areas, known as Iranian Azerbaijan), where it is the most dominant language and lingua franca for minority languages to the area such as Kurdish, Armenian and Taleshi. Iran is home for the majority of Azeri speakers in the world. The language is also spoken in Russia's Republic of Dagestan, south-eastern Georgia, northern Iraq, and eastern Turkey. There are approximately 23 to 30 million native Azerbaijani speakers (Circa 16 to 23 million in Iran and 7 million in Azerbaijan Republic and 800,000 on other smaller communities). It is a Turkic language of Oghuz branch, closely related to Turkish and also historically influenced by Persian and Arabic languages.
A language of Ethiopia (North central Omo Region, southern tip of Ethiopian plateau, near the Hamer-Banna.). Population: 158,857 (1998 census). 129,350 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 155,002 (1989 census). Alternate names: Ari, Ara, Aro, Aarai, "Shankilla", "Shankillinya", "Shankilligna"
Aariya
A language of India. Region: Madhya Pradesh, Chhatarpur, Datia, Panna, Rewa, Satna, Shahdol, Sidhi, Tikamgarh districts.
Aasáx
A language of Tanzania: Northern Tanzania in the central Maasai Steppe. Landenai, Ndovu Okutu, Lolbeni villages, and Lemelebo, Landrobo, Naitomani, and Kilili districts are reported to have speakers. Alternate names: Asax, Asá, Aasá, Assa, Asak, "Ndorobo", "Dorobo", Lamanik, Il Konono. Language use: Reported in 1999 to still be spoken in the central Massai Steppe. It became linguistically extinct in the eastern Maasai Steppe in 1976. They are dependent on the Maasai and became absorbed into it and nearby Bantu groups. Speakers use Maasai with the Maasai, on whom they are economically dependent.
Abadi
A language of Papua New Guinea: Central Province, north of Galley Reach. Alternate names: Gabadi, Kabadi. Dialects: Lexical similarity 53% with Toura (closest). Language use: All ages. Positive language attitude. Many in younger generation use Tok Pisin or English.
Abaga
A language of Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands Province, Goroka District. Population: 5 (1994 SIL). Ethnic population: 1,200 (1975 SIL). Language use: Speakers also use Kamano or Benabena.
Abai Sungai
A language of Malaysia (Sabah): Lower reaches of the Kinabatangan River. Language use: 40% to 60% of the ethnic group speaks Abai Sungai. Used in the home. About 30% to 50% of the children speak it. Neutral language attitude.
Abanyom
Language of the Ekoid subfamily of Niger-Congo. It is spoken by the Abanyom people in the Cross River State region of Nigeria, numbering about 12,500. A member of the Southern Bantoid group, Abanyom is fairly closely related to the Bantu languages. It is tonal and has a typical Niger-Congo noun class system.
Abar
A language of Cameroon: North West Province, Menchum Division, Wum Subdivision, centered around village of Missong, including villages of Munken and Abar. Alternate names: Mijong, Missong.
Abau
A language of Papua New Guinea: Sandaun Province, Green River District, Sepik and Green rivers. Not in Papua, Indonesia. Alternate names: Green River.
Abaza
Language of the Caucasus mountains in the Russian autonomous republic of Karachay-Cherkessia by the Abazins. It consists of two dialects, the Ashkherewa dialect and the T'ap'anta dialect, which is the literary standard.
Abé
A language of Côte d'Ivoire: Southern Department, Subprefecture of Agboville (except Krobou Canton) and Abbe Canton of Tiassale Subprefecture. 70 villages. Alternate names: Abbé, Abbey, Abi. Dialects: Tioffo, Morie, Abbey-Ve, Kos (Khos).
Abidji
A language of Côte d'Ivoire: Department of Abidjan, Subprefecture of Sikensi (12 villages), and a few villages in Subprefecture of Dabou. Alternate name: Abiji. Dialects: Enyembe, Ogbru. Language use: Speakers also use French, Jula, Baoule, or Adioukrou.
Abinomn
A language of Indonesia (Papua): Lakes Plain area, from the mouth of the Baso River just east of Dabra at the Idenburg River to its headwaters in the Foya Mountains, Jayapura Kabupaten, Mamberamo Hulu Kecamatan. Alternate names: Avinomen, "Baso", Foya, Foja. Dialects: Close to Warembori.
Abishira
An extinct language of Peru: Puerto Elvira on Lake Vacacocha on the Napo River. Alternate names: Abiquira, Auishiri, Agouisiri, Avirxiri, Abigira, Ixignor, Vacacocha, Tequraca. Language use: Official language.
Abkhaz
Is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken in Abkhazia and Turkey by the Abkhazians. Abkhaz has about 100,000 speakers in Abkhazia with up to 500,000 more living in Turkey. Georgian Constitution establishes Abkhaz as the second official language of Georgia (on the territory of Abkhazia).
Abnaki, Eastern
An extinct language of USA: Formerly near Bangor, Maine, 1 village (Penobscot). Alternate name: Abenaki. Dialects: Penobscot. Language use: The last speaker of Penobscot died in the 1990s. Other dialects also extinct.
Abnaki, Western
A language of Canada: Quebec on St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City. Alternate names: Abenaki, Abenaqui, St. Francis. Language use: Extinct in the USA. All speakers are older adults. Speakers also use French.
Abom
A language of Papua New Guinea: Western Province, a few older adult speakers in Tewara, Lewada, and Mutam villages. Dialects: Lexical similarity 14% with Bitur, 12% with Baramu, 11% with Makayam, 9% with Were, 4% with Idi and Agob. Language use: All speakers are older adults (2002). Middle-aged generation understand only rudiments. Children do not speak or understand Abom.
Abon
A language of Nigeria: Taraba State, Sardauna LGA, Abong town, east of Baissa. Alternate names: Abong, Abõ, Ba'ban.
Abron
A language of Ghana: Southwestern Ghana, northwest of Asante Twi. Also spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. Alternate names : Brong, Bron, Doma, Gyaman. Language development: Literacy rate in first language: below 1%. Literacy rate in second language: 25% to 50%.
Abu
A language of Papua New Guinea: East Sepik Province, Angoram District, 19 villages; Madang Province, Bogia District, 8 villages, western side of lower Ramu River. Alternate names: Adjora, Adjoria, Azao. Dialects: Abu, Auwa, Sabu. Auwa may be a different language.
Abua
A language of Nigeria: Rivers State, Degema and Ahoada LGAs. Alternate names: Abuan. Dialects: Central Abuan, Emughan, Otapha, Okpeden. The central dialect is understood by all others. Odual is the most closely related language. Lexical similarity 70% with Odual.
Abui
A language of Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara): Central and western Alor in the Lesser Sundas. Alternate names: Barue, "Barawahing", Namatalaki. Dialects: Atimelang, Kobola, Alakaman. Much dialect diversity. The Alakaman dialect may be a dialect of Kamang (Woisika). May be more than one language.
Abujmaria
Is a Dravidian language spoken in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh provinces in India. It is closely related to Telugu. Abujmaria speakers are a sub-group of the Gondi people, the largest tribal group in India.
Abun
A language of Indonesia (Papua): North coast and interior of central Bird's Head, north and south of Tamberau ranges. Sorong Kabupaten, Ayamaru, Sausapor, and Moraid kecamatans. About 20 villages. Alternate names : Yimbun, A Nden, Manif, Karon. Dialects: Abun Tat (Karon Pantai), Abun Ji (Madik), Abun Je.
Abung
A language of Indonesia (Sumatra), region south. Dialects: Jabung, Menggala (Northeast Lampung), Kota Bumi (Northwest Lampung). Many differences in vocabulary and phonology with Pesisir. Menggala has 72% lexical similarity with Kalianda, a dialect of Southern Pesisir. Lexical similarity 77% among dialects.
Abure
A language of Côte d'Ivoire, region: Southern Department, Subprefecture of Bonoua, some in Subprefecture of Grand Bassam, many in Abidjan. Alternate names: Abouré, Abule, Akaplass, Abonwa. Dialects: Closest to Anyin. Also close to Baule and Nzema. Language use: Many speakers use Anyin.
Abureni
A language of Nigeria, region: Bayelsa State, four towns: Brass LGA, Agrisaba (Obo-Emeke); Ogbia LGA, Idema; Nembe LGA, Okoroba; Ogbia LGA, Opume, which is politically part of Oloibiri. Alternate names: Mini.
Acehnese
(Also Achinese, Achehnese) or Aceh (formerly Atjeh) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia.
Achagua
A language of Colombia, region: Rio Meta near Puerto Gaitan. Not in Venezuela. Alternate names: Ajagua, Xagua. Dialects: Close to Piapoco. Language use: Used in the home. Speakers are trilingual in Achagua, Spanish, and Piapoco.
Achang
A language of China, region: Dehong Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture and Baoshan District, western Yunnan Province, along the Myanmar border, Longchuan, Lingbe, and Luxi counties. Also spoken in Myanmar. Alternate names: Ngochang, Achung, Atsang, Ach'ang, Acang, Ahchan, Ngacang, Ngatsang, Ngachang, Ngac'ang, Ngo Chang, Mönghsa, Maingtha. Dialects: Longchuan, Lianghe, Luxi. The 3 dialects are reported to not be inherently intelligible to one another's speakers. Longchuan differs more from the other dialects, and has more Dai loanwords. Lianghe and Luxi use many Chinese loanwords. There are also Burmese loanwords. Related to Phun, Maru, Lashi, Zaiwa. Language use: Speakers are mainly adults. The Longchuan dialect is stable, but speakers of other dialects are shifting to Chinese. Many Han people in Longchuan County use Achang in informal situations. All domains. Spoken Chinese and Dai are in common use as second languages. Written Chinese is also in use.
Aché
A language of Paraguay, region: Eastern, Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Chopa Pou, Cerro Moroti, and Puerto Barra reservations, and Tupa Renda. Alternate names: "Guaiaqui", "Guayakí", "Guoyagui", Guayaki-Ache, Axe. Dialects: Reported to be four dialects, one of which is nearly extinct. Language use: Speakers are becoming bilingual in Paraguayan Guaraní.
Acheron
A language of Sudan, region: Northern Sudan, Kordofan Province, southern Nuba Hills. Alternate names: Garme. Dialects: Eastern Acheron, Western Acheron. Not a dialect of Moro. Language use: Speakers also use Sudanese Arabic.
Achi', Cubulco
A language of Guatemala, region: Central area west of Rabinal, Baja Verapaz Department. Language development: Literacy rate in first language: 1% to 5%. Literacy rate in second language: 11%. Taught in primary schools. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1984.
Achi', Rabinal
A language of Guatemala, region: Central Rabinal area, Baja Verapaz Department. Alternate names: Rabinal K'iche'. Dialects: Closest linguistically to Cubulco Achi'. Language use: All ages. Possibly 20% of speakers can discuss more than common topics in Spanish.
Acholi
A language of Uganda, region: North central Acholi District. Also spoken in Sudan. Alternate names: Acoli, Atscholi, Shuli, Gang, Lwo, Lwoo, Akoli, Acooli, Log Acoli, Dok Acoli. Dialects: Labwor, Nyakwai, Dhopaluo (Chopi, Chope).
Achterhoeks
Language of Netherlands, region: Northeastern, Gelderland Province. Alternate names: Achterhoek, Aachterhoeks. Language use: Official language. Speakers also use Dutch.
Achuar-Shiwiar
A language of Peru, region: Morona, Macusari, Tigre, Huasaga, and Corrientes rivers. Also spoken in Ecuador. Alternate names: Achuar, Achual, Achuara, Achuale, Jivaro, Maina. Dialects: Different from Shuar (Jivaro) of Ecuador. Language use: Official language. Bilingual level estimates for Spanish: 0 90%, 1 6%, 2 3%, 3 1%, 4 0%, 5 0%.
Achumawi
A language of USA, region: Northeastern California. Alternate names: Achomawi, Pitt River. Dialects: Originally there were nine dialects.
Acipa, Eastern
A language of Nigeria, region: Niger State, Kontagora LGA; Kaduna State, Birnin Gwari LGA. Towns include Randeggi and Bobi. Alternate names: Acipanci, Achipa, Sagamuk. Dialects: Boroma (Taboroma). Lexical similarity 83% between Randeggi and Bobi; 52% with Shama; 47% to 50% with Kamuku; 42% to 44% with Hungworo; 15% to 20% with Western Acipa.
Acipa, Western
A language of Nigeria, region: Niger State, Kontagora LGA; Kebbi State, Sakaba LGA. Towns include Kumbashi, Kakihum, and Karisen. Alternate names: Acipanci, Achipa, Sagamuk. Dialects: Cep (Tochipo, Tacep, Western Acipanci). Morphological evidence suggests its affiliation with the Kamuku language cluster. Lexical similarity 89% to 95% among the dialects; 15% to 20% with Eastern Acipa; 18% with Hungworo; 16% to 17% with Shama; 15% to 17% with Kamuku.
Acroá
An extinct language of Brazil, of the Bahia area. Alternate names: Coroá.
Adabe
A language of East Timor, region: Atauro Island, north of Dili on Timor Island. Alternate names: Ataura, Atauru, Atauro, Raklu-Un, Raklu Un. Dialects: Munaseli Pandai. Reported to be different from Galoli dialects on Atauro. No relationship to Kolana.
Adamorobe Sign
Is an indigenous sign language used in Adamorobe, an Akan village in eastern Ghana. Its users are about 300 deaf and 900 hearing people (Nyst). Ethnologue reports a total of 3,400 signers, including hearing users.
Adang
A language of Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara), region: Northwestern (Bird's Head) Alor Island in the Lesser Sundas. Alternate names: Alor. Dialects: Aimoli. On the basis of linguistic differences and social identity, it is considered a separate language from Kabola.
Adangbe
A language of Ghana, region: Border area with Togo directly east of Ho. Agotime are mainly in Ghana. Volta Region. Ghana towns are Kpoeta, Apegame, and others. Also spoken in Togo. Alternate names: Dangbe, Adantonwi, Agotime, Adan. Dialects: Close to Igo.
Adap
A language of Bhutan, region: South central, between Damphu and Shemgang, Ada village, Wangdue Phodrang District. Dialects: Lexical similarity 77% with Dzongkha, 62% to 65% with Bumthangkha, 41% with Tshangla.
Adele
Is spoken in eastern Ghana and as well in Togo. It is a minority language and has about 21000 speakers. It belongs to the Ghana Togo Mountain languages (traditionally called the Togo-Remnant languages) and is counted to the Kwa languages family. The speakers themselves call the language Gidire.
Adhola
A language of Uganda, region: Eastern, Mbale District. Not in Kenya. Alternate names: Dhopadhola, Jopadhola, Ludama. Dialects: The most distinct of the Western Nilotic languages in Uganda.
Adi
A language of India, region: Arunachal Pradesh, East, West, and Upper Siang districts, Upper Subansiri and Dibang Valley districts; Assam, north hills of Assam Valley, between Bhutan and the Buruli River. Also spoken in China. Alternate names: Abhor, Abor, Boga'er Luoba, Lhoba, Luoba. Language use: Speakers also use Assamese, Hindi, or Nepali.
Adi, Galo
A language of India, region: Arunachal Pradesh, West Siang, East Siang, Dibang Valley (south), Lohit (east), Changlang (northeast), and some in Upper Subansiri (west) districts. Alternate names: Adi, Adi-Gallong, Adi-Galo, Gallong, Galong. Dialects: Reportedly intelligible with other Adi dialects but they are sociolinguistically distinct.
Adioukrou
A language of Côte d'Ivoire, region: Southern Department, Subprefecture of Dabou, in 49 villages. Alternate names: Adyukru, Adjukru, Adyoukrou, Ajukru.
Adonara
A language of Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara), region: Adonara Island, and eastern Solor Island, between Flores and Lembata. Alternate names: Nusa Tadon, Waiwerang, Vaiverang, Sagu. Dialects: West Adonara, East Adonara, East Solor.
Aduge
A language of Nigeria, region: Anambra State, Oyi LGA.
Adyghe
Is one of the two official languages of the Federal Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation, the other being Russian. It is spoken by the various tribes of the Adyghe nation: Shapsugh, Bzedugh, Abzekh, Kemirgoy, Hakuchi, and some others. The language referred to by its speakers as Adygebze or Ad?gabza, and alternatively spelled in English as Adygean, Adygeyan or Adygei. It is also known as Circassian.
Adynyamathanha
A language of Australia, region: South Australia, Flinders Ranges area, Nepabunna. Alternate names: Wailpi, Wailbi, Waljbi, Wipie, Ad'n'amadana, Anjimatana, Anjiwatana, Archualda, Benbakanjamata, Binbarnja, Gadjnjamada, Jandali, Kanjimata, Keydnjmarda, Mardala, Nimalda, Nuralda, Unyamootha, Umbertana. Dialects: Related to Guyani, Banggarla, Nugunu, and Narungga, which may be extinct.
Adzera
A language of Papua New Guinea, region: Morobe Province, Markham Valley, Kaiapit District, Leron River. Alternate names: Azera, Atzera, Acira. Dialects: Yarus, Amari, Azera, Ngarowapum, Tsumanggorun, Guruf-Ngariawang (Ngariawan), Sarasira (Sirasira), Sukurum. The dialects form a cluster.
Aekyom
A language of Papua New Guinea, region: Western Province, Kiunga area. Alternate names: Awin, Aiwin, Akium, West Awin. Dialects: North Awin, South Awin, East Awin.
Aer
A language of Pakistan, region: Lower Sindh, Jikrio Goth near Kunri around Deh 333, Hyderabad, and at Jamesabad. Others are reported to have migrated to India at Partition in 1947, living in the Kach Bhuj area in Gujarat. Dialects: Jikrio Goth Aer, Jamesabad Aer. Lexical similarity 78% with Katai Meghwar and Kachi Bhil, 75% to 77% with Rabari, 76% with Kachi Koli.
Afade
A language of Nigeria, region: Borno State, Ngala LGA, 12 rather dense villages. Also spoken in Cameroon. Alternate names: Affade, Afadeh, Afada, Kotoko, Mogari.
Afar
A language of Ethiopia, region: Eastern lowlands, Afar Region. May also be in Somalia. Also spoken in Djibouti, Eritrea. Alternate names: Afaraf, "Danakil", "Denkel", `Afar Af, Adal. Dialects: Northern Afar, Central Afar, Aussa, Baadu (Ba`adu). Related to Saho.
Afitti
A language of Sudan, region: Northern Sudan, Nuba Hills, eastern Jebel ed Dair. Main center is Sidra. Alternate names: Ditti, Unietti, Affitti, Dinik. Dialects: Not inherently intelligible with Ama. Lexical similarity 59% with Ama.
Afrikaans
Is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Agul
Or Lezgi, also called Lezgian, is a language spoken by the Lezgins who live in southern Dagestan (a republic of Russia) and northern Azerbaijan.
Aimaq
Is a dialect of the Persian language of Afghanistan spoken west of the Hazara, central northwest Afghanistan, eastern Iran, and Tajikistan.
Aini
Is a Turkic language spoken in western China known as Aini, variously spelled Aynu or Ainu, though it is unrelated to the Ainu language of Japan and Russia. It is a mixed language, having a mostly Turkic grammar but a mainly Iranian vocabulary. It is spoken by the Aini, a nomadic peoples.
Ainu
Is spoken by the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It was once spoken in the Kurile Islands, the northern part of Honshu, and the southern half of Sakhalin.
Akan
Are those languages belonging to the Kwa language family spoken in Ghana and the Côte d'Ivoire: Agona, Ahafo, Akan, Akyem, Andoh, Anyi, Asen, Attié, Baule, Brong, Chakosi, Dankyira, Guang, Kwahu, Nzema, Sefwi.
Akawaio
Is a Cariban language spoken mainly in Guyana, most commonly in the region of the Upper Mazaruni. Though many speakers don't live in villages, there are a number of population centers, notably Kamarang, Jawalla, Waramadong, and Kako. Some 6,000 people speak Akawaio. It is also spoken to a lesser extent in Venezuela.
Akkadian
Was a Semitic language (part of the greater Afro-Asiatic language family) spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly by the Assyrians and Babylonians. It used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated, non-Semitic language. The name of the language is derived from the city of Akkad, a major center of Mesopotamian civilization.
Aklanon
Is a Visayan language spoken in Aklan province in the Philippines.
Albanian
Is a language spoken by over 6 million people, primarily in Albania, Kosovo, Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia but also in other parts of the Balkans, along the eastern coast of Italy and in Sicily, as well as by emigrant groups in Scandinavia, Germany, Greece, Italy, the UK, Egypt, Turkey, and the USA. The language forms its own distinct branch of the Indo-European language family.
Aleut
is a language of the Eskimo-Aleut language phylum. It is the tongue of the Aleut people living in the Aleutian, Pribilof, and Commander Islands. In 1995 there were 305 speakers of Aleut.
Algonquin
(Or Algonkin) is an Algonquian language closely related to Ojibwe, although many consider it to be instead a particularly divergent dialect of Ojibwe. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario.
Alemán Coloniero
Spoken in Colonia Tovar, is a dialect that belongs to the Low Alemannic branch of German. It is spoken in Venezuela. The language, which like other Alemannic dialects is not intelligible with Standard German, is spoken by descendants of Germans from the Black Forest region of Southern Baden, who emigrated to Venezuela in 1843.
Alsatian
Is a Low Alemannic dialect spoken in Alsace, a region now in eastern France, and historically passing between French and German control many times. Though not readily intelligible to speakers of standard German, it is closely related to other nearby Alemannic dialects, such as Swiss German, Swabian, and Badisch with French influences. It is often confused with the Frankish language, a more distantly related German Western Franconian dialect. Both are called alsacien in French.
Altay
Is a language of the Turkic group of languages. It is an official language of Altai Republic, Russia. The language was called Oyrot prior to 1948. There were ca. 52,000 people speaking this language in 1989. Two dialects of the Altay language are northern (with the Tuba, Kumandy, and Chalkan varieties named after the main tribes) and southern (with the Altai proper and Telengit varieties).
Alutor
Is a language of Russia that belongs to the Chukchi-Koryak group of the Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages.
American Sign
(ASL, also Amslan obs., Ameslan obs.) is the dominant sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in parts of Mexico. Although the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a spoken and written language, British Sign Language (BSL) is quite different from ASL, and not mutually intelligible.
Amharic
Is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia. It is the second most spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic. It is the "official working" language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and thus has official status nationwide. It is also the official or working language of several of the states within the federal system, including Amhara and the multi-ethnic Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region. It has been the working language of government, the military, and of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church throughout modern times. Outside Ethiopia, Amharic is the language of some 2.7 million emigrants (notably in Egypt, Israel and Sweden), and is spoken in Eritrea by educated Eritreans of the preindependence generation and younger deportees from Ethiopia.
Amorite
is the term used for the early (North-)West Semitic language, spoken by the north Semitic Amorite tribes prominent in early Middle Eastern history. It is known exclusively from non-Akkadian proper names recorded by Akkadian scribes during periods of Amorite rule in Babylonia (end of the 3rd and beginning of the 1st millennium), notably from Mari, and to a lesser extent Alalakh, Harmal, and Khafaya. Occasionally such names are also found in early Egyptian texts; and one place-name — "Snir" (???????) for Mount Hermon — is known from the Bible (Deut. 3:9).
Anglo-Saxon
Also called Old-English is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. It is a West Germanic language and therefore is similar to Old Frisian and Old Saxon. It is also related to Old Norse (and by extension, to modern Icelandic).
Amdang
Is a language closely related to Fur spoken in Chad by about 5,000 people (as of 1983). It is mainly spoken in Chad north of Biltine, and sporadically elsewhere in Wadai. There are also small colonies of speakers in Darfur near Woda'a and Fafa, and in Kordofan in the Abu Daza district and at Magrur north of Bara. Most of the ethnic group now speaks Arabic.
Ammonite
Is the extinct Hebrew Canaanite language of the Ammonite people mentioned in the Bible, who used to live in modern-day Jordan, and after whom its capital Amman is named. Only fragments of their language survive - chiefly the 9th century BC Amman Citadel Inscription, the 7th-6th century BC Tell Siran bronze bottle, and a few ostraca. As far as can be determined from this small corpus, it was extremely similar to Biblical Hebrew, with some possible Aramaic influence.
Andalusian
Is a proposed term to classify the various romance lects spoken in the Andalusia region of Spain as a full language. While these variants are mostly considered dialects of Spanish, Andalusian nationalists and Andalusian cultural advocates consider the differences significant enough to warrant the label of "language".
Angaur
Is one of the official languages of Palau. In Angaur Island the languages Angaur and Japanese are official. It is a western Austronesian language.
Anlo Ewe
The Anlo Ewe form a subdivision of the Ewe people living on the coast of Ghana between the mouth of Volta River and the border of Togo. Their language (self-name Anlogbe) is a dialect of the Ewe language, itself part of the Gbe language cluster.
Ao
Is a Kuki-Chin-Naga language (of the Tibeto-Burman family) spoken by the Ao of Nagaland in northeast India. Gordon (2005) estimates that there are 141,000 speakers. Missionary grammars from the late 19th century exist. A grammatical description is Gowda (1975). Coupe (2003) is one of the few acoustic studies published on a Kuki-Chin-Naga language (only three exist). Coupe also has a reference grammar in progress.
Apachean
Also Southern Athabaskan is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the North American Southwest (including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Sonora) with two outliers in Oklahoma and Texas. These languages are spoken by various groups of Apache and Navajo peoples. Western Apaches call their language Nnee biyáti’ or Ndee biyáti’. Navajos call their language Diné bizaad.
Arabic
The Arabic language, or simply Arabic, is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. It is spoken throughout the Arab world and is widely studied and known throughout the Islamic world. Arabic has been a literary language since at least the 6th century and is the liturgical language of Islam.
Aragonese
Is a Romance language now spoken by some 10,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is also colloquially known as fabla (literally, "speech").
Aramaic
Is a Semitic language with a 3,000-year history. It has been the language of administration of empires and the language of divine worship. It is the original language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra, and is the main language of the Talmud. Aramaic is believed to have been one of the languages spoken by Jesus, and it is still spoken today as a first language by numerous small communities. Aramaic belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Within that diverse family, it belongs to the Semitic subfamily. Aramaic is a part of the Northwest Semitic group of languages, which also includes the Canaanite languages (including Hebrew).
Arawakan Languages
(Also Arahuacan, Arawakanas, Arahuacano, Maipurean, Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúrean) are a hypothetical indigenous language family of South America and the Caribbean. Originally the name Arawak belonged exclusively to a powerful tribe in Guyana and Surinam. The tribe became allies of the Spanish because they traditionally were enemies of the Carib groups with whom the Spanish were at war. There are older forms of the Arawak language still spoken in Surinam.
Argobba
Is an Ethiopic language that spoken in an area north-east of Addis Ababa. It belongs to the South-Ethio Semitic subgroup together with Amharic and the Gurage languages. Writing in the mid-1960s, Edward Ullendorff noted that it "is disappearing rapidly in favour of Amharic, and only a few hundred elderly people are still able to speak it. The language is spoken in a number of pockets and has at least four regional variations (dialects): Harar (extinct), Aliyu Amba, Showa Robit and Shonke.
Armenian
Is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people in the Armenian Republic and also used by the Armenian Diaspora. It constitutes an independent branch of the Indo-European language family, though many Indo-Europeanists believe it forms a subgroup with the Greek and Indo-Iranian families (see Clackson 1994 for extensive discussion).
Arpitan
Franco-Provençal (Francoprovençal) or Arpitan, is a Romance language with several dialects in a linguistic sub-group separate from Langue d'Oïl and Langue d'Oc. The name Franco-Provençal was given to the dialect group in the 19th century because it shared features of French and Provençal without belonging to either. The modern name Arpitan has achieved some currency for the language in recent years. Today, the largest number of Franco-Provençal speakers reside in the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region of Italy. The language also is spoken in alpine valleys in the Province of Turin, two isolated towns in the Province of Foggia, and rural areas of the Suisse-Romande region of Switzerland. It is classified as a regional language of France and constitutes one of the three great Romance languages of France although its use is low.
Arvanitic
Or Arvanitika, is the variety of Albanian traditionally spoken by the Arvanites, a population group in Greece. Arvanitic is sometimes also described as Graeco-Albanian or similarly, although today such designations are considered offensive by many Arvanites themselves, who identify nationally and ethnically as Greeks and not Albanians (GHM 1995). Arvanitic is today an endangered language, as its speakers have been shifting to the use of Greek and most younger members of the community no longer speak it fluently.
Ashkenazi Hebrew
Is a descendant of Biblical Hebrew favored for liturgical use by Ashkenazi Jewish practice. Its phonology was influenced by languages with which it came into contact, such as Yiddish and various Slavic languages. It survives today as a separate religious dialect even alongside Modern Hebrew in Israel.Although Modern Hebrew was based on Sephardi Hebrew, the language as spoken in Israel is essentially Sephardi Hebrew utilizing Mishnaic spelling, constrained to Ashkenazi Hebrew phonology, including the elimination of pharyngeal articulation and the conversion of /r/ from an alveolar flap to a voiced uvular fricative or trill.
Ashkun
is a language of Afghanistan in the region of Pech Valley around Wama, northwest of Asadabad in Kunar province. It is classified as member of the Nuristani sub-family of the Indo-Iranian languages.
Assamese
is the language spoken by some of the natives of the state of Assam in northeast India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Small pockets of Assamese speakers can be found in Bhutan and Bangladesh. Immigrants from Assam have carried the language with them to other parts of the world. The eastern most of Indo-European languages, it is spoken by over 20 million people. The word Assamese is an English one, built on the same principle as Cingalese, Canarese, etc. It is based on the English word Assam by which the tract consisting of the Brahmaputra valley is known. But the people themselves call their state Ôxôm and their language Ôxômiya.
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. Assyrian Neo Aramaic is not to be confused with Assyrian Akkadian, or the Old Aramaic dialect that was adopted as a lingua franca in Assyria in the 8th century BC. Although this latter Aramaic is also an Aramaic language, it is incomprehensible to speakers of the modern language. Originally, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic was spoken in the area between Lake Urmia, north-western Iran, and Siirt, south-eastern Turkey, but it is now the language of a worldwide diaspora. Most speakers are members of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Athabaskan
Or Athabascan (also Athapascan or Athapaskan) is the name of a large group of distantly related Native American peoples, also known as the Athabasca Indians or Athapaskes, located in two main Southern and Northern groups in western North America, and of their language family. The Athabaskan family is the largest family in North America in terms of number of languages and the number of speakers (the Uto-Aztecan family which extends into Mexico has many more speakers). In terms of territory, only the Algic language family covers a larger area.
Ateso
(Also known as Iteso or Teso) is a Nilo-Saharan language, spoken by the Iteso ethnic group in Uganda and Kenya. As of the 1991 census around 1 million people in Uganda spoke Ateso. An estimated 279,000 people in Kenya also speak it. Its SIL code is TEO.
Asi
The Asi language is spoken in towns on Tablas Island as well as the islands of Banton, Simara, and Maestre de Campo. These islands are part of the Romblon province of the Philippines.
Astur-Leonese
Is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, spoken in the Spanish provinces of Asturias (where it is called Asturian, asturianu, or Bable), León, Zamora and Salamanca (where it is called Leonese, llïonés), Extremadura (where is called Extremaduran, extremeñu). The language was once considered an informal dialect (basilect) of Spanish, but now it is considered a separate language. In Asturias it is protected under the Autonomous Status legislation, and is an optional language at schools. In Portugal, the related Mirandese language is officially recognized.
Auslan
Is the sign language of the Australian Deaf community. The term Auslan is a portmanteau of "Australian sign language", coined by Trevor Johnston in the early 1980s, although the language itself is much older. Auslan is related to British Sign Language (BSL) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL); the three have descended from the same parent language, BANZSL. Auslan has also been influenced by Irish Sign Language (ISL). Like other sign languages, Auslan has a grammar and vocabulary quite distinct from English. Its invention cannot be attributed to any individual; rather, it developed naturally like spoken languages.
Avar
The modern Avar language "language of the mountains" belongs to the Avar-Andi-Tsez subgroup of the Alarodian Northeast-Caucasian (or Nakh-Dagestani) language family.
Avestan
Is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the hymns of the Zoroastrian holy book, the Avesta. Iranian languages are part of the Indo-Iranian Language group which includes the Indo-Aryan languages such as Sanskrit. The Indo-Iranian language group is the major eastern branch of the Indo-European languages. Along with Old Persian, Avestan is one of the two oldest Iranian languages of which we have evidence. The structure of the language and its sound system testifies to its status as a member of the Northeastern Iranian branch.
Awadhi
Is an Indian language, often considered a dialect of Hindi, spoken in the Awadh (Oudh) region of Uttar Pradesh. Its speakers are also found in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Nepal. It is the dialect in which the Raamcharitmaanas of Tulsidaas and other important works of Hindi literature are written. It is spoken by at least 20,000,000 people.
Aymara
Is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over a million speakers, and it is one of the official languages of Bolivia and Peru. It is also spoken in Chile and Argentina. Many linguists believe that Aymara is related to its more widely-spoken neighbour, Quechua. This claim, however, is disputed — although there are indeed similarities, critics say that these may simply be areal features resulting from prolonged interaction between the two languages. The Aymara language is an inflected language, and has a subject-object-verb word order.
Azerbaijani
Also called Azeri, Azari, Azeri Turkish, or Azerbaijani Turkish, is the official language of Republic of Azerbaijan. It is called Azerbaycan dili in Azerbaijani. Iranian Azerbaijanis often call it Turki. Some dialects of the language are spoken in many parts of Iran (but most notably in the northwestern areas, known as Iranian Azerbaijan), where it is the most dominant language and lingua franca for minority languages to the area such as Kurdish, Armenian and Taleshi. Iran is home for the majority of Azeri speakers in the world. The language is also spoken in Russia's Republic of Dagestan, south-eastern Georgia, northern Iraq, and eastern Turkey. There are approximately 23 to 30 million native Azerbaijani speakers (Circa 16 to 23 million in Iran and 7 million in Azerbaijan Republic and 800,000 on other smaller communities). It is a Turkic language of Oghuz branch, closely related to Turkish and also historically influenced by Persian and Arabic languages.
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