The Classification of
Languages of the World
Just like animals and plants that can be classified into
several level of groups, languages do the same. Thousands of languages in the
world can be grouped into several groups based on genetics, diffusion, lexicostatistics
or other relationships. As the result, many languages have been classified and
below I give you the classification.
(NB : The red-coloured are the name of the languages, others
are language groups)
A. Afroasiatic Languages
1.
Ancient Egyptian and
Coptic
2.
Berber Languages
3.
Chadic Languages : Hausa
4.
Cushitic Languages : Highland
east cushitic languages, Oromo, Somali
5.
Omotic Languages : Wolaitta
6.
Semitic Languages :
a.
Eblaite
b.
Central
: Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, Jewish languages, Maltese, Phoenician, Syriac, Ugaritic
c.
Eastern
: Akkadian
d.
Southern
: Ethiopian semitic languages, Amharic, Tigrinya
B. Altaic Languages
1.
Mongolic Languages
2.
Tungusic Languages : Evenki
3.
Turkic Languages : Azerbaijanian,
Bashkir, Chuvash, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Uyghur, Uzbek,
Yakut
C. Australian Languages
1.
Mirndi
: Wambaya
2.
Pama-Nyungan
: Arrernte, Gamilaraay, Guugu Yimithirr, Jiwarli,
Kalkutungu, Kaytetye, Morrobalama, Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara, Warlpiri
3.
Southern
Daly : Nang’gi
4.
Tangkic
: Kayardild
5.
Tiwi
D. Austroasiatic Languages
1.
Mon-Khmer Languages :
a.
Eastern
: Khmer
b.
Northern :
Khasi, Vietnamese, Wa
c.
Southern :
Mon
2.
Munda Languages : Santali
E. Austronesian Languages
1.
Formosan Languages
2.
Malayo-Polynesian Languages :
a.
Central
: Flores languages, Malukan languages
b.
Oceanic :
Fijian, Maori, Tahitian, Tamambo, Vures
c.
Western :
Balinese, Bikol, Cebuano, Hawaiian, Hiligaynon,
Ilocano, Javanese, Kapampangan, Madurese, Malagasy, Malay, Minangnese, Niuean, North
Philippine languages, Riau Indonesian, Samar-Leyte, South
Philippine languages, Tagalog
F. Caucasian Languages
1.
Abkhaz
2.
Georgian
3.
Lak
G. Chukotko-Kamchatkan Languages
H. Dravidian Languages
1.
Brahui
2.
Gondi
3.
Kannada
4.
Kurukh
5.
Malayalam
6.
Tamil
7.
Telugu
8.
Toda
I.
Hmong-Mien
Languages
J.
Indo-European
Languages (my interest !!)
1.
Albanian
2.
Anatolian languages : Hittite
3.
Balto-Slavic Languages :
a.
Baltic
Languages : Latvian, Lithuanian
b.
Slavic Languages : Belorussian,
Bulgarian, Church Slavonic, Czech. Macedonian, Old Church Slavonic, Polish,
Russian, Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian linguistic complex, Slovak, Slovene, Sorbian,
Ukrainian
4.
Celtic : Breton,
Cornish, Goidelic languages, Pictish, Scots
Gaelic, Welsh
5.
Germanic :
a.
West Germanic : Afrikaans,
Dutch, English (old, middle, early modern, later modern, present day, world
Englishes, African-American vernacular, variation in nonnative varieties),
Frisian, German, Luxembourgish, Scots, Yiddish
b.
East Germanic : Gothic
c.
North Germanic : Danish,
Norse and Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish
6.
Hellenic
: Ancient Greek, Modern Greek
7.
Indo-Iranian :
a.
Indo-Aryan Languages : Assamese,
Bengali, Dardic, Kashmiri, Dhivehi, Domari, Gujarati, Hindi, Hindustani,
Lahnda, Marathi, Nepali, Nuristani languages, Pali, Punjabi, Romani, Sansrit,
Sindhi, Sinhala, Urdu
b.
Iranian Languages : Avestan,
Bactrian, Balochi, Chorasmian, Khotanese, Kurdish, Ossetic, Pahlavi, Pashto,
Persian (Old, Modern), Sogdian, Tajik Persian
8.
Italic : Latin
9.
Romance Languages : Catalan,
French, Galician, Italian, Jerriais, Occitan, Portuguese, Rhaeto Romance,
Romanian, Spanish
10.
Tocharian
K. Khoesaan Languages
L. Niger-Congo Languages
1.
Adamawa-Ubangi
2.
Atlantic
Congo Languages : Fulfulde, Ijo, Wolof
3.
Benue-Congo Languages :
a.
Efik
b.
Mambila
c.
Bantu Languages : Gikuyu,
Kinyarwanda, Luganda, Nyanja, Shona, Southern Bantu languages, Swahili, Xhosa, Zulu
d.
Dogon
e.
Gur Languages
f.
Kru Languages
g.
Kwa Languages : Akan,
Ewe, Yoruba
h.
Kordofanian Languages
i.
Mande Languages
M. Nilo-Saharan Languages
1.
Dinka
2.
Kanuri
3.
Luo
4.
Songhay Languages
N. North-and-Middle American Languages
1.
Algonquian and Ritwan Languages : Cree, Michif
2.
Caddoan Languages
3.
Chibchan
4.
Chimakuan Languages
5.
Eskimo-Aleut : Inupiaq,
West Greenlandic
6.
Hokan Languages : Pomoan languages
7.
Iroquoian Languages : Oneida
8.
Keres
9.
Mayan Languages
10.
Misumalpan
11.
Mixe-Zoquean Languages
12.
Muskogean Languages : Creek
13.
Na-Dene Languages : Navajo
14.
Native American Languages : native languages of
north america (vairations in)
15.
Oto-Mangean Languages : Chinantec
(phonology), Zapotecan
16.
Salishan Languages
17.
Siouan Languages : Crow,
Lakota, Omaha-Ponca
18.
Tanoan Languages
19.
Totonacan Languages
20.
Uto-Aztecan Languages : Cupenyo,
Hopi, Nahuatl, Tohono O’odham
21.
Wakashan : Nuuchahnulth
O. Papuan Languages
1.
Central Solomon Languages
2.
Manambu
3.
Skou Languages
4.
Torricelli Languages
5.
Trans New Guinea Languages : Madang languages
6.
West Papuan Languages
P. Pidgins and Creoles
1.
Bislama
2.
Cape Verdean Creole
3.
Fanagalo
4.
Franglais
5.
Gullah
6.
Hawaiian Creol English
7.
Hiri Motu, Krio
8.
Louisiana Creole
9.
Mobilian Jargon
10.
Palenquero
11.
Papiamentu
12.
Russenorsk
13.
Sango
14.
Tok Pisin
15.
Tsotsi Taal
16.
Yanito
Q. Sign Languages
R. Sino-Tibetan Languages
1.
Sinitic Languages
: Chinese
2.
Tibeto-Burman
Languages : Burmese, Karen languages, Tibetan
S. South American Languages
1.
Andean Languages : Aymara,
Quechua
2.
Arawak Languages : Tariana
3.
Caribian Languages
4.
Choco Languages
5.
Macro-Je
6.
Mapudungan
7.
Panoan Languages
8.
Tucanoan Languages
9.
Tupian Languages : Guarani
T. Tai Kadai Languages
1.
Lao
2.
Thai
U. Uralic Languuages
1.
Estonian
2.
Finnish
3.
Hungarian
4.
Nenets
5.
Saami
V. Isolated Languages / Languages of disputed
affiliation
1.
Ainu
2.
Basque
3.
Burushaski
4.
Elamite
5.
Etruscan
6.
Hurrian
7.
Japanese
8.
Ket
9.
Korean
10.
Nivkh
11.
Ryukyuan
12.
Sumerian
13.
Yukaghir
W. Artificial Languages
1.
Esperanto
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