Global Study Finds Linguistic Diversity Plummets from Tens of Thousands to 7,500 Languages

Researchers using mathematical modeling, anthropology, linguistics and demography estimate that humanity once spoke between 30,000 and 75,000 distinct languages during a “golden age” roughly 12,000 years ago. Today, roughly 7,500 languages are in use, with English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic and French the most widespread.

The decline is linked to language replacement driven by the expansion of large empires in antiquity and later European colonialism. Claire Bowern, a professor of linguistics and anthropology at Yale University, said languages “carry knowledge, associations and memories” and provide scientists with valuable information about past societies and the human mind. Study lead author Damian Blasi called the findings a reminder that “humanity inhabited a vastly more diverse cultural world until just a few thousand years ago.” The research was published in the journal Science.