Study Reveals Thousands of Languages Disappeared Before European Colonization
Study Reveals Thousands of Languages Disappeared Before European Colonization
A collection of examples of ancient languages, including: a print of the San Andrés cylindrical seal, a bird «3 Jaguar» in Olmec hieroglyphics, an inscription in the Lemnian language, another in Tartessian, an Urartian text, a Rhaetic inscription on bronze: the large Sanzeno alphabet. (Wikimedia Commons)
A new study has revealed that linguistic diversity reached a forgotten golden age between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago, at a time when tens of thousands of languages around the world are believed to have coexisted side by side.
This golden age was followed by a dramatic decline that began long before European colonial expansion, as countless local languages disappeared with the growth of major states and empires. Today, around 7,500 spoken and signed languages are used in the world, according to the study published in the journal Science.
A historical linguist at Yale University says there is no direct evidence for the number of languages until very recently, and the very sparse records from ancient times cannot be relied upon, making it impossible to determine the exact number of lost languages.
The research team started with data from 171 hunter-gatherer and mobile fishing communities and used their typical population sizes to estimate the number of ethno-linguistic groups that might have existed around 12,000 years ago, at the beginning of the Holocene epoch, when the world population was between 4.4 and 7 million people.
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The models produced an estimate centered around 4,500 to 6,200 languages. They explained that the researchers’ extensive knowledge of relationships between languages and communities enabled them to build a simulation model of language diversity over time, and that running this model thousands of times provided estimates of how languages evolved and split over the past twelve thousand years.
Peak then rapid collapse
The strongest evidence, they indicate, is the timing of this decline itself, which aligns with what is known from the historical record despite its scattered and incomplete nature. There are documented examples of ancient language shift and the replacement of local languages by more widely spoken regional languages, suggesting the decline is linked to the expansion of early states and empires.
The co-author of the study, an evolutionary anthropologist at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, explains that this historical loss complicates conclusions built on the assumption that common features across most languages reflect preferences of the human mind.
He adds that the decline in linguistic diversity happened so recently and so fundamentally that the most common features worldwide may be a result of this historical bottleneck, rather than a true reflection of what the human mind «prefers». This practically means that relying on «naturalness» or commonness as scientific evidence for our understanding of language is not reliable.
Languages threatened even today
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San Andrés
San Andrés is a Colombian island located in the Caribbean Sea, renowned for its spectacular beaches and crystal-clear waters. Its history includes Spanish, English, and African influences, and in the past, it was an important center of trade and piracy. Today, it is part of the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, and is a popular tourist destination.
Olmec
The Olmec culture is an ancient pre-Columbian civilization from Mesoamerica, in the Gulf of Mexico region, considered the «mother culture» of Mesoamerican civilizations. It flourished between approximately 1500 and 400 BC, known for its massive stone head sculptures and its influence on the Aztecs and Maya. Archaeological sites such as San Lorenzo and La Venta reveal a complex society with ceremonial centers and incipient writing systems.
Lemnian
Lemnian refers to the island of Lemnos in the northern Aegean Sea, Greece. It was famous in antiquity for the cult of the great gods and for its connection to various myths. The Lemnian language is an extinct language known from a few inscriptions, believed to be related to Etruscan.
Tartessian
Tartessos was an ancient civilization and legendary kingdom located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the present-day region of Andalusia, Spain. Flourishing around the first millennium BC, it was known for its wealth in precious metals such as silver and gold, and for its close trade relations with the Phoenicians and Greeks. Although the exact location of its capital remains unknown, Tartessos is often associated with the mythical city of Tarshish mentioned in biblical texts.
Urartian
Urartu (Ararat or the ancient Kingdom of Ararat) was an ancient kingdom that flourished in the Armenian Highlands (modern-day eastern Turkey) between the 9th and 6th centuries BC. Known for its elaborate stone fortifications and advanced irrigation system, it was an important cultural and commercial center before merging with neighboring kingdoms. Today, its ruins, such as the Van Fortress, bear witness to the grandeur of this ancient civilization.
Rhaetic
Rhaetian refers to the ancient people and language of the Rhaetian region, which spanned parts of the eastern Alps, in areas now belonging to Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Germany. The Rhaetian language is a pre-Roman, probably Tyrsenian, language known from a few inscriptions. The Rhaetian people were known for their skill in metalworking.
Sanzeno
Sanzeno is a town and municipality in the province of Trento, in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of northern Italy. It is known for the Sanzeno alphabet and archaeological sites related to the Rhaetian culture.
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is a free digital repository for images and multimedia, managed by the Wikimedia Foundation. It was established on September 7, 2004, with the goal of providing visual and audio content that can be freely used in all Wikimedia projects. The site hosts over 100 million media files, making it one of the largest free databases of educational and cultural content on the internet.
Yale University
Yale University is one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the United States, founded in 1701 in New Haven, Connecticut. Initially called the Collegiate School, it was renamed Yale College in 1718 after merchant Elihu Yale donated a significant sum of money and books to the university. Throughout its history, Yale has played an essential role in shaping American and international leaders, recognized for its academic excellence and impressive architecture.
Holocene epoch
The Holocene epoch is the current geological period, which began approximately 11,700 years ago, after the last ice age. This interval is marked by global warming, the development of human civilizations, and major environmental transformations, including the emergence of agriculture and the first permanent settlements.
Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies
The Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) is a prestigious institution based in Catalonia, Spain, established in 2001 by the Government of Catalonia. Its main objective is to attract top international researchers and promote excellence in scientific and humanistic fields. Through its programs, ICREA contributes significantly to the advancement of knowledge and the consolidation of Catalonia’s position as a hub for advanced research.
