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Languages are vanishing fast — one every two weeks. These extinct languages aren’t just words lost, but entire cultures, histories, and worldviews erased.
As language extinction accelerates, we’re facing a global crisis in linguistic diversity. So, how many are we losing, and why? In this article, we dive into the causes, stats, and what’s at stake if we don’t act.
What is language extinction?
Language extinction occurs when a language no longer has any living speakers. It means that the language is no longer used for daily communication, storytelling, education, or cultural rituals. Over time, if a language stops being passed from one generation to the next, it will ultimately disappear entirely. This is known as language death.
Languages can become extinct for many reasons: colonisation, forced assimilation, migration, globalisation, and a preference for dominant languages. Often, the final stages of a language’s life involve only a handful of elderly speakers, with younger generations shifting to more widely spoken languages.
What is the importance of studying languages?
Studying languages, especially those at risk of disappearing, plays a vital role in preserving cultural diversity, historical knowledge, and human connection. Every language carries unique ways of seeing the world, from how people understand time and space to how they express emotion and community.
Beyond academic value, studying languages strengthens identity within communities. For many Indigenous groups, revitalising a nearly extinct language is an act of resilience and empowerment. It reconnects younger generations with their heritage and reinforces the importance of multilingualism in a globalised world.
In the face of rising numbers of extinct languages, language study becomes more than education. It also becomes preservation, resistance, and renewal.
Understanding Extinct Languages
As we explore the growing number of extinct languages around the world, 3,193 languages are endangered today. It’s important to understand how and why languages disappear.
The process is complex, often rooted in historical, political, and economic reasons that reshape how people communicate. Below, we break down the key reasons behind language extinction, the stages of endangerment, and the defining traits of at-risk languages.
Reasons for language extinction
Globalisation and cultural assimilation
Currently, the dominant languages such as English, Spanish, Mandarin, and French often replace local tongues. Children are encouraged to speak languages with perceived economic or educational advantages, while traditional languages are left behind.
Over time, these shifts contribute to language extinction as younger generations stop learning or using their ancestral languages.
Economic factors
Speaking a minority language offers little economic benefit. Parents may stop teaching it to their children to help them succeed in the job market. Urban migration also plays a role, as rural speakers move to cities where the dominant language is required for employment and integration.
Political and social influences
Language suppression can be a tool of control. Throughout history, colonialism and state policies have banned or discouraged Indigenous languages.
Some governments have promoted monolingual national identities, marginalising minority tongues and accelerating their decline. Social stigma and discrimination against speakers of certain languages also pressure communities to abandon their linguistic heritage.
The process of language endangerment and extinct languages
Language extinction doesn’t happen overnight. It typically happens over several generations, moving through distinct stages of endangerment before a language disappears completely.
Stages of endangerment
UNESCO categorises language endangerment into five main stages:
- Vulnerable – still spoken by children but restricted to certain contexts
- Definitely endangered – children no longer learn the language at home
- Severely endangered – only spoken by the oldest generations
- Critically endangered – spoken by very few elderly individuals, infrequently
- Extinct – no living speakers remain
Characteristics of endangered languages
Endangered languages often exhibit a range of social, cultural, and linguistic vulnerabilities that signal their risk of disappearing.
These characteristics make it easier to identify at-risk languages and understand the urgency of preservation efforts. Common features include:
- A small and ageing speaker base
- Limited or no written form
- Use is restricted to informal or private settings
- Absence from education, media, or government communication
- A lack of digital resources or modern vocabulary
Current Statistics on Extinct Languages
Understanding the scale of language extinction helps illustrate the urgency of preserving the world’s linguistic diversity. Each year, languages vanish, taking with them cultural knowledge, traditions, and unique worldviews.
Below, we explore the current state of the world’s languages, how many are going extinct, and how these numbers have evolved.
Overview of the number of languages spoken worldwide
There are approximately 7,000 languages spoken across the globe. These languages are distributed unevenly: some countries, like Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, include hundreds of native tongues, while others have only a few.
However, this impressive diversity is under severe threat. More than 40% of these languages are considered endangered.
Current estimates of languages that become extinct annually
Experts estimate that one language dies every two weeks, amounting to roughly 25–30 extinct languages each year. This figure, while alarming, is likely conservative, as some languages fade away without formal documentation or academic recognition.
If the current trend continues unchecked, linguists predict that 50–90% of the world’s languages could become extinct by the end of the 21st century. Many of these endangered languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers, and some are spoken by just a handful of older individuals.
Historical context of language extinction rates
Historically, language extinction has always been part of human evolution. Languages naturally change, merge, or die out over centuries. However, the rate of extinction has drastically increased in the modern era, largely due to colonisation, forced assimilation, globalisation, and digital dominance of a few major languages.
During the colonial period, especially in the Americas, Africa, and Australia, many Indigenous languages were deliberately suppressed through policies aimed at cultural erasure. This legacy continues to affect minority languages today, many of which never recovered from these historical injustices.
In contrast to the gradual and organic language shifts of the past, today’s extinct languages often result from rapid sociopolitical change, technology-driven communication, and economic pressures.
Factors Affecting Language Survival
While the threat of language extinction is significant, there are also organisations, such as ourselves, working to preserve and revitalise endangered languages.
The survival of a language depends on more than just speaker numbers; education systems, community engagement, and modern technology all play pivotal roles in determining whether a language thrives or disappears.
Below, we explore the key factors that influence whether a language will survive or become another entry in the list of extinct languages.
Role of education and policy in language preservation
Education is one of the most influential tools in preserving endangered languages. When children are taught their native language in schools, especially alongside a national or global language, the chances of survival increase dramatically. Bilingual education models have proven successful in countries such as New Zealand (with Māori), Wales (with Welsh), and Paraguay (with Guaraní).
Official recognition of minority languages, funding for language education programmes, and the inclusion of local languages in media and public signage all contribute to preservation. Conversely, when governments ignore or suppress minority languages, it accelerates language extinction.
Community involvement and activism
Language survival depends on the will and initiative of its speakers to keep it alive. Grassroots movements, community-led teaching programmes, cultural festivals, and storytelling traditions are all crucial forms of activism.
In many Indigenous communities, elders and language keepers lead efforts to pass on oral traditions, build language nests for children, and create resources for intergenerational learning. When communities take ownership of their language revival, it leads to stronger cultural resilience and long-term impact.
Technological advancements and their impact on language learning and preservation
Technology can be a double-edged sword. While the dominance of major languages online can marginalise minority ones, digital tools have also opened new frontiers for language preservation. Mobile apps, online courses, AI-powered translators, and digital dictionaries make it easier than ever to learn endangered languages.
Social media platforms allow speakers to connect, share content, and build online communities in their native language. Projects like Wikipedia in Indigenous languages, YouTube channels, podcasts, and language-learning software are revitalising interest.
Open-source archives and collaborative platforms have also empowered linguists and native speakers to record, store, and share materials that may otherwise be lost forever.