Nearly 44% of World’s Languages Face Extinction, Threatening Cultural Knowledge

Some languages around the world are spoken by only a small number of people.

Researchers say nearly 44% of the world’s approximately 7,164 languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers.

If these languages disappear, people may also lose stories, traditions, and knowledge about their environment.

IIT Jodhpur researchers visit communities to record their languages and cultural practices.

They are studying the Bhil community in Rajasthan and how its language connects to desert living.

They are also studying Mundari in Jharkhand because it has an unusual number system.

Another project looks at Tamil-speaking families living in Switzerland.

These families use Tamil at home while Swiss German and French are common outside the home.

The researchers hope their work will help explain how languages change and how communities can preserve them.