Number of languages

Tomasz Kamusella

doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00002-8

Number of languages

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

Abstract

The concern with establishing the number of the world’s extant languages appeared in Europe during the 18th century. In the 20th century, anthropological research drove this exercise, alongside the need to deal with an increase in publications produced in a variety of non-European languages across the decolonized states. Meanwhile, during the past two centuries, the counting of languages was underpinned with the millenarist program of translating the Bible into all the world’s languages. The end of the Cold War heralded the rise of the internet. Only the languages that are officially ‘counted’ (enumerated and supplied with standardized codes) feature in cyberspace.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	International encyclopedia of language and linguistics
Editors	Petar Milin, Hilary Nesi
Place of Publication	Amsterdam
Publisher	Elsevier
Number of pages	6
Edition	3rd
ISBN (Print)	9780323955041
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00002-8
Publication status	Published - 2025

Keywords

Languages
Concept of a language
Concept of Einzelsprache
Counting languages
History of linguistics
Cyberspace

Access to Document

10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00002-8

Cite this

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KW - Concept of Einzelsprache

KW - Counting languages

KW - History of linguistics

KW - Cyberspace

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ER -

Number of languages

Abstract

Keywords

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