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Languages decline due to colonization
A recent scientific study reveals that the number of languages spoken by humans peaked around three thousand years ago, when tens of thousands of languages were in use. Since then, the number has significantly declined due to the expansion of empires and major nations that imposed their languages on various peoples, leading to the disappearance of thousands of languages over time. The study shows that after the last Ice Age, approximately 12,000 years ago, humans used between 4,500 and 6,200 languages. The number of languages increased with population growth, reaching its peak about three thousand years ago. Since then, the count has begun to decrease for the past two thousand years, coinciding with the expansion of empires and political entities that integrated small communities and mandated the use of official languages. Currently, it is estimated that around 7,500 languages are spoken worldwide, of which approximately 3,300 are endangered with extinction. Over 400 languages have already disappeared in the last fifty years due to colonization, persecution, and economic factors. The study clarifies that many languages vanished because they were tied to expanding and spreading peoples, not necessarily because they were superior, especially as reliance on global languages like English and Spanish increases.
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