- Armenian (Eastern,
Western, Grabar)**
An
Indo-European language forming its own group. The official language
of Armenia, spoken also in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. Grabar,
the old literary Armenian language is now used exclusively as the
language of the clergy. The modern literary language has two main
varieties — Eastern (Yerevan), spoken in Armenia, and Western,
spoken in the Near East and in Western Europe. The mother tongue
for some 7 million people.
- Avar
An
Avar-Andi-Dido (Dagestanian) language. Spoken in Russia (Dagestan)
and Azerbaijan. The mother tongue for some 600 thousand
people.
- Aymara
A
Quechumaran language (one of the languages of South American
Indians). One of the three official languages of Bolivia. The
mother tongue for some 2.2 million Aymara Indians living in Peru
and Bolivia. Most Aymara speakers speak also Quechua and Spanish.
Some scientists prefer to treat Aymara not as a single language
with some 10 dialects but as an Aymara language group.
- Azeri (Cyrillic alphabet), Azeri (Latin
alphabet)
A Turkic
language. The official language of Azerbaijan. The mother tongue
for some 14-20 million people in Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and
Georgia.
- Bashkir**
A
Turkic language. Spoken in Russia (Bashkiriya and nearby regions).
The mother tongue for some 1 million people.
- Basque
An
isolate language. The mother tongue for some 600 thousand people in
Spain and France.
- Belarusian
An
East Slavic language. The official language of Byelorussia. The
mother tongue for some 10.2 million people.
- Bemba
A Bantu
language. The mother tongue for some 5 million people in Zambia,
Zaire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and
Tanzania.
-
- Breton
A
Brythonic (Celtic) language. The mother tongue for some 1 million
Bretons in France.
- Bugotu
An
Oceanic language (member of Malayo-Polynesian branch of
Austronesian languages) spoken in the South-East Solomon
Islands.
- Bulgarian**
A
South Slavic language. The official language of Bulgaria. The
mother tongue for some 9 million people.
- Buryat
A
Mongolian language. Spoken in Russia (Buryatia). The mother tongue
for some 422 thousand people.
- Catalan**
A
Romance language (Ibero-Romance subgroup). The mother tongue for
some 8 million people in Spain (Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic
Islands), France (Roussillon, East Pyrenees), Andorra, and
Sardinia. One of the official languages of the above-stated Spanish
provinces and Andorra.
- Cebuano
A
Philippinean (Austronesian) language. Spoken in the central
Philippines. Usually considered to be a group of closely related
languages (Bisayan). The mother tongue for some 24 million
people.
- Chamorro
An
Austronesian language spoken in Western Micronesia, particularly on
the island of Guam. The mother tongue for some 78 thousand
people.
- Chechen
A Nakh
(Caucasian) language. The mother tongue for some 1 million people
in Russia (Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan).
- Chinese Simplified, Chinese
Traditional
A
Sino-Tibetan language. The official language of the People's
Republic of China, Taiwan, and one of the official languages of the
Republic of Singapore. The mother tongue for over 1 billion
people.
- Chukchee
A
Luorawetlan language spoken in Russia (Chukchee and Koryak
Regions). The mother tongue for some 10 thousand people.
- Chuvash
A
Turkic language spoken in Russia (Chuvashiya). The mother tongue
for some 2 million people.
- Corsican
Usually considered to be a dialect of Italian, spoken on the island
of Corsica. The mother tongue for some 341 thousand people.
- Crimean
Tatar
A
Turkic language spoken in Ukraine (the Crimea). The mother tongue
for some 700 thousand people.
- Croatian**
A
South Slavic language. Considered to be the same language as
Serbian (forming the single Serbo-Croatian language, the only
difference being in the spelling system used — Cyrillic
alphabet for Serbian and Latin alphabet for Croatian) until the
emergence of an independent Croatia. The official language of
Croatia. The mother tongue for some 5 million people.
- Crow
A Siouan
language spoken in Montana, USA. The mother tongue for less than 10
thousand people.
- Czech**
A West
Slavic language. The official language of the Czech Republic,
spoken also in Slovakia. The mother tongue for some 12 million
people.
- Dakota
A Siouan
language spoken in the Northern USA (South Dakota, Montana). The
mother tongue for some 20 thousand people.
- Danish**
A
Germanic (Scandinavian) language. The official language of Denmark,
spoken also in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The mother tongue
for some 5.5 million people.
- Dargwa
A
Dagestanian language. Spoken in Russia (Dagestan). The mother
tongue for some 360 thousand people.
- Dungan
A
Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and
Uzbekistan. The mother tongue for some 50 thousand people.
- Dutch (Netherlands and
Belgium)**
A
Germanic language. The official language of the Netherlands and
Belgium. The mother tongue for some 20 million people.
- English**
A
Germanic language. A major international language. A UN language.
The official language of the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland
(together with Irish), Australia, New Zealand, India (with
temporary status) and 15 African states including the Republic of
South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and some others. The mother
tongue for some 508 million people. Spoken by some 1 billion people
worldwide.
- Eskimo (Cyrillic alphabet), Eskimo
(Latin alphabet)
An
Eskimo-Aleut language. Spoken in the South-East of the Chukchee
Peninsula (Russia), Alaska and nearby regions (USA), the Arctic
regions of Canada, and in Greenland. The mother tongue for some 100
thousand people.
- Estonian**
A
Finno-Ugric (Baltic-Finnic) language. The official language of
Estonia. The mother tongue for some 1.1 million people.
- Even
A
Manchu-Tungus language spoken in Russia (Okhotsk, Yakutia, and
Magadan Region). The mother tongue for some 5 thousand
people.
- Evenki
A
Manchu-Tungus language spoken in China, Russia (from the Yenisey to
Sakhalin), Mongolia. The mother tongue for some 30 thousand people
(in Russia for some 10 thousand).
- Faroese
A
Germanic (Scandinavian) language. The official language of the
Faroe Islands (autonomous Danish possession), spoken also in some
other regions of Denmark. The mother tongue for some 47 thousand
people.
- Fijian
An
Austronesian language spoken in Fiji. The mother tongue for some
350 thousand people.
- Finnish**
A
Finno-Ugric (Baltic-Finnic) language. The official language of
Finland, spoken also in Russia (Karelia and St. Petersburg Region)
and Sweden. The mother tongue for some 6 million people.
- French**
A
Romance language. A UN language. The official language of France,
Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Monaco, Andorra, Canada, Haiti,
and a number of African states: Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso,
Gabon, Guinea, Zaire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Congo-Brazzaville, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tchad, Burundi,
Rwanda, the Central African Republic, Madagascar, Cameroon,
Seychelles, Comoros, Djibouti, Vanuatu (Oceania). The mother tongue
for more than 128 million people.
- Frisian
A
Germanic language spoken in Noord-Holland and Friesland (the
Netherlands), North Frisian Islands, the island of Helgoland, and
Saterland (Germany). The mother tongue for some 730 thousand
people.
- Friulian
A
Romance language. Usually considered to be a Rhaeto-Romance
language. Spoken in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy). The mother
tongue for some 700 thousand people.
- Gagauz
A Turkic
language spoken in Southern Moldavia. The mother tongue for some
180 thousand people.
- Galician
A
Romance language frequently referred to as a dialect of Spanish or
Portuguese, spoken in Spain (Galicia). The mother tongue for some 4
million people.
- Ganda
A Bantu
language spoken in Uganda. The mother tongue for some 4 million
people.
- German (new and old
spelling)**
A
Germanic language. The official language of Germany, Austria, and
Liechtenstein and one of the official languages of Switzerland,
Luxemburg, and Belgium. The mother tongue for some 128 million
people.
- German
(Luxemburg)
One of the official languages of Luxemburg (also called
Luxembourgian). Usually considered to be a Moselle-Franconian
dialect of German.
- Greek**
An
Indo-European language forming its own group. The official language
of Greece and Cyprus. The mother tongue for some 12 million
people.
- Guarani
A
Tupian language spoken in Paraguay and nearby regions of Brazil,
Argentina, and Bolivia. The mother tongue for some 5 million
Guarani Indians.
- Hani
A
Sino-Tibetan (Lolo-Burmish) language spoken in China, North
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Also called Akha. The mother
tongue for some 1 million people.
- Hausa
A
Afro-Asiatic language. Spoken in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Ghana,
Benin, and Togo. The mother tongue for some 40 million
people.
- Hawaiian
An
Austronesian (Polynesian) language spoken in Hawaii. The mother
tongue for some 20 thousand people.
- Hebrew**
A
Semitic language. The official language of Israel. Also spoken in
some Jewish communities of the diaspora. The mother tongue for some
8 million people.
- Hungarian**
An
Ugric (Uralic) language. The official language of Hungary, spoken
also in nearby counties, including Serbia, Austria, Slovakia,
Romania, and Ukraine. The mother tongue for some 14.5 million
people.
- Icelandic
A
Germanic (Scandinavian) language. The official language of Iceland.
The mother tongue for some 250 thousand people.
- Indonesian**
An
Austronesian language called Malay (some scientists consider it to
be a dialect of Malay) before 1945. The official language of
Indonesia under the name Bahasa Indonesia, used also for
international communication. The mother tongue for some 160 million
people.
- Ingush
A Nakh
language spoken in Ingushetia. The mother tongue for some 200
thousand people.
- Irish
A Celtic
language. The first official language of Ireland. The mother tongue
for less than 260 thousand people.
- Italian**
A
Romance language. The official language of Italy. The mother tongue
for some 70 million people.
- Japanese
The
official language of Japan (130 million speakers). There also some
speakers of Japanese in the USA (about 1 million speakers in
Hawaii), Brazil, Peru, China, Canada, Argentine, Mexico, and some
other countries. Links of Japanese with other languages have been a
matter of scholarly debate. Currently most linguists link Japanese
to the Altaic languages.
- Jingpo
A
Tibeto-Burman language spoken in South China and Myanmar. The
mother tongue for some 600 thousand people.
- Kabardian
An
Abkhazo-Adyghian (Caucasian) language spoken in Kabardino-Balkaria,
Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia (Mozdok), and Adyghea and the
neighboring areas of the Krasnodar and Stavropol Regions. The
mother tongue for some 300 thousand people.
- Kalmyk
A
Mongolian language spoken in Russia (Kalmykia). The mother tongue
for some 140 thousand people.
- Karachay-Balkar
A Turkic language (some scientists prefer to consider this language
to be made up of two separate but closely related Karachay and
Balkar languages) spoken in Russia (Kabardino-Balkaria,
Karachay-Cherkessia). The mother tongue for some 200 thousand
people.
- Karakalpak
A
Turkic language spoken in Karakalpakiya (Uzbekistan). The mother
tongue for some 410 thousand people.
- Kasub
Usually
considered a dialect of Polish, spoken in Poland.
- Kawa
A Kadai
language (considered to be related both to Thai and Austronesian
languages) spoken in China. The mother tongue for less than 50
thousand people.
- Kazakh
A Turkic
language. The official language of Kazakhstan. The mother tongue
for some 8 million people.
- Khakass
A Turkic
language spoken in Russia (Khakasiya). The mother tongue for some
60 thousand people.
- Khanty
An Ugric
language spoken in Russia (Tyumen and Tomsk Regions). The mother
tongue for some 15 thousand people.
- Kikuyu
A Bantu
language spoken in central Kenya. The mother tongue for some 6
million people.
- Kirghiz
A Turkic
language. The official language of Kyrgyzstan, spoken also in
China. The mother tongue for some 2.6 million people.
- Kongo
A Bantu
language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Congo-Brazzaville, and Angola. The mother tongue for some 10
million people.
- Korean, Korean (Hangul)
Presumably an Altaic language. Spoken throughout the Korean
Peninsula and in China, Japan, USA, Russia and countries of Central
Asia. The mother tongue for some 80 million people.
- Koryak
A
Luorawetlan language spoken in Russia (Koryak Region). The mother
tongue for some 5 thousand people.
- Kpelle
A Mande
(Niger-Congo) language spoken in Guinea and Liberia. The mother
tongue for less than 1 million people.
- Kumyk
A Turkic
language spoken in Russia (Dagestan). The mother tongue for some
282 thousand people.
- Kurdish
A West
Iranian language. The second official language of Iraq. Spoken in
Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and CIS states (Kurdish diaspora). The
mother tongue for some 20 million people.
- Lak
A
Dagestanian language spoken in Russia (Dagestan). The mother tongue
for some 100 thousand people.
- Latin**
An Italic
language. The official language of Vatican and of classical Roman
literature.
- Latvian**
A
Baltic language. The official language of Latvia. The mother tongue
for some 2 million people.
- Lezgi
A
Dagestanian language spoken in Russia (Dagestan) and Azerbaijan.
The mother tongue for some 450 thousand people.
- Lithuanian**
A
Baltic language. The official language of Lithuania. The mother
tongue for some 4 million people.
- Luba
A Bantu
language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mother
tongue for some 6 million people.
- Macedonian
A
South Slavic language. The official language of Macedonia. The
mother tongue for some 2 million people.
- Malagasy
An
Austronesian language. The official language of Madagascar. The
mother tongue for some 10 million people.
- Malay
An
Austronesian language. The official language of Malaysia. The
mother tongue for some 20 million people.
- Malinke
A Mande
(Niger-Congo) language. Spoken in Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Liberia,
and Sierra Leone. The mother tongue for some 4 million
people.
- Maltese
A
Semitic language. The official language of Malta. The mother tongue
for some 400 thousand people.
- Mansi
An Ugric
language spoken in Russia (West Siberia). The mother tongue for
some 4 thousand people.
- Maori
A
Polynesian language spoken in New Zealand. The mother tongue for
some 300 thousand people.
- Mari
A common
name for two closely related languages – Plain Mari and
Mountain Mari. Spoken in Russia (Mari El, Tatariya). A Finno-Ugric
(Uralic) language. The mother tongue for some 600 thousand
people.
- Maya
A Maya
language spoken in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. The mother
tongue for some 1 million Indians.
- Miao
A Myao-Yao
language spoken in China, Vietnam, and parts of in Laos and
Thailand. The mother tongue for some 8 million people.
- Minangkabau
An
Austronesian language spoken on Sumatra (central and Western
regions). The mother tongue for some 6.5 million people.
- Mohawk
An
Iroquoian language spoken in the North-East USA and nearby regions
of Canada (around Ontario and Erie lakes). The mother tongue for
some 10 thousand people.
- Moldavian
A
Romance language. The official language of Moldavia. Usually
considered to be a variety of Romanian. The mother tongue for some
3 million people.
- Mongol
A
Mongolian language. The official language of Mongolia, spoken also
in China (Inner Mongolia). The mother tongue for some 5 million
people.
- Mordvin
A
common name for two closely related languages: Moksha-Mordvin and
Erzya-Mordvin. A Volga-Finnic (Uralic) language. Spoken in Russia
(Mordvinia). The mother tongue for some 1 million people.
- Nahuatl
An
Aztec-Tanoan language. Spoken in Mexico. The mother tongue for some
1 million people.
- Nenets
A
Samoyedic (Uralic) language spoken in Russia (Yamalo-Nenets and
Dolgano-Nenets Regions). The mother tongue for some 25 thousand
people.
- Nivkh
An
isolated language spoken in Russia (Sakhalin and Amur Region). The
mother tongue for some 1 thousand people.
- Nogay
A Turkic
language spoken in Russia (Karachay-Cherkessia and Krasnodar
Region). The mother tongue for some 55 thousand people.
- Norwegian (Nynorsk and
Bokmal)**
A
Germanic (Scandinavian) language. The official language of Norway.
The literary language exists in two forms — Nynorsk and Bokmal
(the latter is closer to Danish). The mother tongue for some 5
million people.
- Nyanja
A Bantu
language. The official language of Malawi, spoken also in Zambia,
Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The mother tongue for some 7 million
people.
- Polish**
A West
Slavic language. The official language of Poland. The mother tongue
for some 44 million people.
- Portuguese (Portugal
and Brazil)**
A
Romance language. The official language of Portugal, Brazil,
Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome and
Principe. The mother tongue for some 191 million people.
- Ojibway
An
Algonkian language spoken in the USA and Canada. The mother tongue
for several thousand Indians.
- Ossetian
An
East Iranian language. Spoken in Russia (North Ossetia) and Georgia
(South Ossetia). The mother tongue for some 600 thousand
people.
- Papiamento
A
Spanish-based creole language. Spoken on Aruba, Bonaire, and the
Curacao Islands. The mother tongue for less than 1 million
people.
- Provencal
A
Romance language spoken in South France and in the Italian Alps.
The mother tongue for some 2-10 million people.
- Quechua
A
Quechumaran language. One of the official languages of Peru and
Bolivia, spoken also in Ecuador, North Colombia, Chile, and
Argentina. The mother tongue for 7-13 million Indians.
- Rhaeto-Romance
A
Romance language. One of the official languages of Switzerland. The
mother tongue for some 40 thousand people (Graubünden
canton).
- Romanian**
A
Romance language. The official language of Romania. The mother
tongue for some 26 million people.
- Romany
An
Indian language spoken by the Gypsy diaspora throughout the world.
The mother tongue for 1-5 million people.
- Rundi
A Bantu
language. One of the official languages of Burundi, spoken also in
Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mother
tongue for some 7 million people.
- Russian**
An East
Slavic language. The official language of the Russian Federation,
spoken also in all CIS and Baltic states. The mother tongue for
some 277 million people.
- Russian (old spelling)
The Russian language that uses an old spelling
system (as spelt before the revolution of 1917).
- Rwanda
A Bantu
language. One of the official languages of Rwanda, spoken also in
Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and
Tanzania. The mother tongue for some 12 million people.
- Sami (Lappish)
A
Finno-Ugric language spoken in North Norway, Sweden, Finland, and
Russia (Kola Peninsula). The mother tongue for some 50 thousand
people.
- Samoan
A
Polynesian language. One of the official languages of Western
Samoa. The mother tongue for some 430 thousand people.
- Scottish Gaelic
A Celtic
language spoken in Scotland, the Hebrides, and in Nova Scotia
(Canada). The mother tongue for less than 100 thousand
people.
- Selkup
A
Samoyedic (Uralic) language spoken in Russia (Krasnoyarsk and Tomsk
Regions). The mother tongue for some 2 thousand people.
- Serbian (Cyrillic alphabet), Serbian
(Latin alphabet)
A South
Slavic language (see also Croatian). The official language of
Serbia and Montenegro. The mother tongue for some 20 million
people.
- Shona
A Bantu
language spoken in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, and the Republic
of South Africa. The mother tongue for some 8 million people.
- Slovak**
A West
Slavic language. The official language of Slovakia, spoken also in
nearby regions of Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine. The mother tongue
for some 5.6 million people.
- Slovenian**
A
South Slavic language. The official language of Slovenia, spoken
also in nearby regions of Austria and Italy. The mother tongue for
some 2 million people.
- Somali
An
Afro-Asiatic (Cushitic) language. The official language of Somali,
spoken also in Jibuti, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The mother tongue for
some 9 million people.
- Sorbian
A West
Slavic language. Usually considered to be made up of two
languages — Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian. Spoken in Germany
(Saxony). The mother tongue for some 100 thousand people.
- Sotho
A Bantu
language. One of the official languages of Lesotho, spoken also in
the Republic of South Africa. The mother tongue for some 8 million
people.
- Spanish**
A
Romance language. The official language of Spain, all Latin
American countries (save Brazil) and Equatorial Guinea. A UN
language. The mother tongue for some 325 million people.
- Sunda
An
Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia (Western Java). The
mother tongue for some 27 million people.
- Swahili
A Bantu
language. A main language of international communication (a
commercial lingua franca) in central and East Africa (particularly
in Tanzania and Kenya). The official language of Uganda. The mother
tongue for 10-50 million people.
- Swazi
A Bantu
language. The official language of Swaziland, spoken also in the
North-East of the Republic of South Africa. The mother tongue for
some 2 million people.
- Swedish**
A
Germanic (Scandinavian) language. The official language of Sweden
and Finland. The mother tongue for some 10 million people.
- Tabasaran
A
Dagestanian language spoken in Russia (Dagestan). The mother tongue
for some 75 thousand people.
- Tagalog
A
Philippinean (Austronesian) language. The official language of the
Philippines. The mother tongue for some 57 million people.
- Tahitian
A
Polynesian (Austronesian) language. The official language of French
Polynesia, spoken also in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The mother
tongue for some 117 thousand people.
- Tajik
An
Iranian language. The official language of Tajikistan, spoken also
in Uzbekistan. The mother tongue for some 4.5 million people.
- Tatar**
A Turkic
language. Spoken in Russia (Tatarstan, Bashkir, Chuvashiya, Mari
El, and some other areas). The mother tongue for some 7 million
people.
- Thai**
A South
East Thai language. The official language of Thailand. The mother
tongue for some 30 million people.
- Tok Pisin
An English-based creole language. The official language of Papua
New Guinea. The mother tongue for some 3 million people.
- Tongan
A
Polynesian (Austronesian) language. The official language of Tonga,
spoken also in New Zealand, Fiji, and Western Samoa. The mother
tongue for some 120 thousand people.
- Tswana
A Bantu
language. Spoken in Botswana and the Republic of South Africa. One
of the official languages of Botswana. The mother tongue for some 4
million people.
- Tun
A Thai
language spoken in south China. The mother tongue for some 700
thousand people.
- Turkish**
A
Turkic language. The official language of Turkey and Cyprus, spoken
also in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Iran, and Iraq. The mother
tongue for some 61 million people.
- Turkmen
(Cyrillic alphabet), Turkmen (Latin
alphabet)
A
Turkic language. The official language of Turkmenistan. The mother
tongue for some 6.5 million people.
- Tuvinian
A Turkic
language spoken in Russia (Tuva). The mother tongue for some 240
thousand people.
- Udmurt
A
Permian language spoken in Russia (Udmurtia and Kirovsk Region).
The mother tongue for some 550 thousand people.
- Uighur (Cyrillic alphabet), Uighur
(Latin alphabet)
A Turkic
language spoken by Uighurs in the Uighur Autonomous Region of
Sinkiang of North-Western China and in portions of Uzbekistan,
Kazakstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The mother tongue for some 7 million
people.
- Ukrainian**
An
East Slavic language. The official language of Ukraine, spoken also
in Russia and Byelorussia. The mother tongue for some 47 million
people.
- Uzbek (Cyrillic alphabet), Uzbek (Latin
alphabet)
A Turkic
language. The official language of Uzbekistan, spoken also in China
and Afghanistan. The mother tongue for some 31 million
people.
- Vietnamese**
An
Austro-Asiatic language. The official language of Vietnam. Also
spoken in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, France,
Germany, the USA, and Canada. The mother tongue for over 75 million
people.
For
details, see Languages and Their
Fonts.