African endangered languages-Kxoe-N|uu–Ik (excluding Ethiopia) Preserving at risk languages in Africa.
Sixteen Endangered Languages in Ethiopia (2025) Ethiopia is home to a rich diversity of languages, with over 80 spoken across the country. However, many are endangered due to social, political,…
Ethiopia’s Linguistic Treasure Trove: The Hidden Languages at Risk Introduction Ethiopia stands as one of the most linguistically diverse nations in Africa, boasting over 80 languages. From Semitic languages…
As of January 2025, numerous languages worldwide are classified as endangered, meaning they are at risk of falling out of use as their speakers die out or shift to speaking…
How the first writing systems shaped human language From Pictures to Phonetic Writing: Early writing systems, like cuneiform and hieroglyphs, started with pictures that represented objects or actions. Over time,…
The Importance of Cuneiform and Hieroglyphs to Languages Standardization and Communication: Cuneiform helped standardize the Sumerian language and was adopted by other cultures, such as the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians,…
Hieroglyphs The word hieroglyph comes from the Greek words hieros(meaning "sacred") and glypho (meaning "to carve"). So, hieroglyphs means "sacred carvings." These symbols were picture-like images, often of animals or…
Cuneiform: The First Written Script (Mesopotamia)Origins of Cuneiform. Cuneiform, developed around 3,200 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), is one of the earliest known systems of writing. It was created…
The Evolution of the Universe: From the Big Bang to Now The Big Bang (~13.8 billion years ago) The universe began as a tiny, super-hot point that exploded, creating space,…
What are Proto-languages? (The Roots of Language Families) Definition: Proto-languages are hypothetical, reconstructed languages that are theorized to have existed as ancestors of modern or historical language families. They have…
What is the Abjad system in symbol languages? The Abjad system is a type of writing system in which symbols or letters primarily represent consonants, leaving the reader to supply…
What are ideographic languages in symbol language? Definition: Ideographic languages use writing systems where symbols represent meanings or concepts rather than sounds. Characteristics: A single symbol can represent a word,…
What are phonographic languages in symbol language? Definition: Phonographic languages use writing systems that primarily represent the sounds of spoken language, such as phonemes or syllables. Characteristics: The script corresponds…
What are symbol languages? How it shaped communication Symbol languages are attested languages that use written scripts to represent sounds, meanings, or a combination of both. They include: 1. Natural…
What is a syntagm in semiotics? In semiotics (the study of signs and symbols and their use in communication), a syntagm refers to the combination of signs or linguistic elements…
What is the ancient human-made Japanese Kana script?(2) Significance Japanese Kana System: Represents the syllabic sounds of the Japanese language. Complements kanji, which conveys meaning rather than sound. Combined with…
What is the ancient human-made Japanese Kana script?(1) Japanese kana, including hiragana and katakana, are examples of derived scripts with a clear historical lineage. Here's an overview: Created By: Japanese…
What is the modern human-made Quoc Ngu script?(2) Key Features Represents all sounds in the Vietnamese language using Latin letters. Incorporates diacritics to mark tones (e.g., á, à , ả, ã,…
What is the modern human-made Quoc Ngu script?(1) Developed By: Portuguese missionaries, most notably Francisco de Pina (early 17th century), and later refined by Alexandre de Rhodes, a French Jesuit…
What is the ancient human-made Ge’ez script? Attributed To: Aksumite scribes (traditionally linked to King Ezana of Axum). Date: 4th century AD (formalized). Details: Developed from the South Arabian script…