Category Archives: Rare Languages

Our series “Rare Languages” delves into the many unique and endangered languages around the world. We will shed light on the rich linguistic diversity of our planet, and highlight efforts to preserve these precious languages.

Rare Languages #7: Dzongkha

By | April 2, 2023

Nestled in the Himalayan Mountains lies the small, landlocked country of Bhutan, where the national language is Dzongkha. With around 250,000 speakers, Dzongkha is not one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Dzongkha is the official language of Bhutan and is also spoken in India, primarily in the neighboring state of Sikkim. Dzongkha is the… Read More »

Rare Languages #6: Basque

By | March 26, 2023

The Basque language, also known as Euskara, is a unique language that is spoken in a region of Europe that straddles the border between France and Spain. It is one of the few surviving pre-Indo-European languages in Europe and has a rich and complex history. Basque is a language isolate, which means that it is not related to… Read More »

Rare Languages #5: Khoekhoegowab

By | March 19, 2023

Khoekhoegowab, also known as Khoekhoe language or Nama, is a language spoken by the Khoikhoi people in Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana. It is one of the few languages in the world that uses clicks as part of its phonetic system, which has made it a source of curiosity for linguists and language enthusiasts alike. In this article,… Read More »

Rare Languages #4: Samoan

By | March 12, 2023

Samoan is a Polynesian language spoken by about 500,000 people, primarily in the independent country of Samoa and the U.S. territory of American Samoa. It is also spoken by Samoan communities in other parts of the world, including New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Samoan is an official language of Samoa and American Samoa, and it has… Read More »

Rare Languages #3: Lower Sorbian and Upper Sorbian

By | March 5, 2023

The Sorbian language is an endangered Slavic language spoken in Germany, particularly in the region of Lusatia. Lusatia (in German: Lausitz) is a historical region located in eastern Germany and western Poland. There are two main varieties of Sorbian, Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian, both of which are mutually intelligible. Despite being similar, these two languages have distinct… Read More »

Rare Languages #2: Papiamentu

By | February 26, 2023

In our first article of this series, we explored a very old language in Quechua. In this article, we will shift gears and provide information about a relatively new language: Papiamentu. Spoken by just over 300,000 people, Papiamentu (or Papiamento) is a unique creole language that originated on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. A… Read More »

Rare Languages #1: Quechua

By | February 25, 2023

Welcome to our series on “Rare Languages”! In this series, we will explore some of the lesser-known languages of the world, their unique features, and their importance in cultural heritage. Our first article takes us to the language of Quechua. Join us on this journey to discover the beauty and complexity of rare languages. Quechua is a fascinating… Read More »