4,694
languages shown
Endangerment status
Threatened — children still learn it, but its future is uncertain.
Shifting — parents speak it but are not passing it on.
Moribund — only grandparents speak it fluently.
Nearly Extinct — a handful of elderly speakers remain.
What does this mean?
How likely a language is to stop being spoken within a generation — based on whether children are still learning it at home, not how many speakers exist.
Threatened — children still learn it, but its future is uncertain.
Shifting — parents speak it but are not passing it on.
Moribund — only grandparents speak it fluently.
Nearly Extinct — a handful of elderly speakers remain.
1,694
1,963
524
513
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Official status reflects formal legal recognition (national or regional). Curated from constitutional and statutory sources — may not capture all cases.
ThreatenedShiftingMoribundNearly Extinct
Documentation
A language can be nearly extinct but well-documented (linguists got there in time), or have thousands of speakers but almost no written record.
Well documented — a full grammar exists.
Partially documented — grammar sketch or texts only.
Undocumented — wordlist or less. Racing against time.
What does this mean?
How thoroughly a language has been recorded by linguists — grammars, dictionaries, audio, written texts.
A language can be nearly extinct but well-documented (linguists got there in time), or have thousands of speakers but almost no written record.
Well documented — a full grammar exists.
Partially documented — grammar sketch or texts only.
Undocumented — wordlist or less. Racing against time.
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By region
Southeastern Asia
883
Melanesia
603
Southern Asia
442
South America
427
Central America
372
Western Africa
334
Eastern Asia
302
Middle Africa
290
Northern America
194
Australia and New Zealand
162
Data source
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Click any dot on the map to explore a language in detail.