10 Interesting facts about Languages

1. How many languages are there in the world?

According to the Ethnologue, there are more than 7,000 living languages spoken today around the world. Source

2. Most linguistically diverse continent

Asia has the largest number living languages (2301), followed by Africa with 2138. Source

3. Which countries speak the most languages?

Papua New Guinea has the most number of spoken languages (841), followed by Indonesia (710), Nigeria (526) and India (455). Source

4. Shortest alphabet in the world

Language with the shortest alphabet in the world is Rotokas with only 12 letters. Rotokas is spoken by approximately 4,000 people in the island of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea. Source

5. Longest alphabet in the world

The language with the most letters in the world is Khmer (Cambodian), with 74 (including some without any current use). It is the official language of Cambodia. Source

6. World's Languages in danger

According to the UNESCO’s atlas, more than 2,400 languages in danger of extinction. One of the world's 7000 distinct languages disappears every 14 day, at twice the extinction rate of endangered mammals and birds. Source 1 Source 2

7. Last two speakers of dying language refuse to talk to each other

Ayapaneco is an indigenous Mexican language that is in danger of dying because the remaining two speakers refuse to speak to each other. Source

8. Only three men speak this language in the world

 Only three old men are left in the world who can speak the Badeshi language from Pakistan. Source

9. Language of twins

Cryptophasia is a phenomenon of a language developed by twins that only the two children could understand. Source

10. Whistled language

Ayapaneco is an indigenous Mexican language that is in danger of dying because the remaining two speakers refuse to speak to each other. Source