This article is missing citations or needs footnotes. Please help add inline citations to guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (November 2008) Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics), a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, primarily to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language. The Ethnologue contains statistics for 7,358 languages in the 16th edition, released in 2009 (up from 6,912 in the 15th edition, released 2005 and 6,809 in the 14th edition, released 2000) and gives the number of speakers, location, dialects, linguistic affiliations, availability of the Bible and so forth. It is currently the most comprehensive existing language inventory, along with the Linguasphere Observatory Register. However, some information is dated.

What counts as a language depends on socio-linguistic evaluation: see Dialect. As the preface says, "Not all scholars share the same set of criteria for what constitutes a 'language' and what features define a 'dialect.'" In 1984, the Ethnologue released a three-letter coding system, called a SIL code, to identify each language that it describes. This set of codes significantly exceeded the scope of previous standards, e.g., ISO 639-1. The 14th edition, published in 2000, included 7148 language codes which generally did not match the ISO 639-2 codes. In 2002 the Ethnologue was asked to work with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to integrate its codes into a draft international standard. The Ethnologue now uses this standard, called ISO 639-3. The 15th edition which was published in 2005 includes 7299 codes. A 16th edition was released in the Summer of 2009.

In addition to choosing a primary name for the language, it also gives some of the names by which a language is called by its speakers, by the government, by foreigners and by neighbors, as well as how it has been named and referenced historically, regardless of which designation is considered official, politically correct or offensive or by whom. William Bright, then editor of Language: Journal of the Linguistic Society of America, wrote that it "is indispensable for any reference shelf on the languages of the world" (1986:698). Contents 1 Language families 2 See also 3 Notes 4 References 5 External links // Language families Following are the language families listed in the Ethnologue language family index of the 16th edition. The first column gives the Ethnologue name for the group, followed by the location by continent and Ethnologue's count of the number of languages in the family. In addition to language families, Ethnologue lists 1 artificial language, 82 creoles, 17 pidgins, 130 Deaf sign languages, 23 mixed languages, 50 language isolates, and 73 unclassified languages. Family Continent Count Afroasiatic Africa/Asia 374 Alacalufan South America 2 Algic North America 44 Altaic Europe/Asia 66 Amto-Musan Australasia 2 Andamanese Asia 13 Arafundi Australasia 3 Arai-Kwomtari Australasia 10 Arauan South America 5 Araucanian South America 2 Arawakan South America 59 Arutani-Sape South America 2 Australian Australasia 264 Austro-Asiatic Asia 169 Austronesian Asia/Australasia 1257 Aymaran South America 3 Barbacoan South America 7 Basque Europe 1 Bayono-Awbono Australasia 2 Border Australasia 15 Caddoan North America 5 Cahuapanan South America 2 Carib South America 31 Central Solomons Australasia 4 Chapacura-Wanham South America 5 Chibchan South America 21 Chimakuan North America 1 Choco South America 12 Chon South America 2 Chukotko-Kamchatkan Asia 5 Chumash North America 7 Coahuiltecan North America 1 Dravidian Asia 85 East Bird's Head-Sentani Australasia 8 East Geelvink Bay Australasia 11 East New Britain Australasia 7 Eastern Trans-Fly Australasia 4 Guahiban South America 5 Gulf North America 4 Harakmbet South America 2 Hibito-Cholon South America 2 Hmong-Mien Asia 38 Hokan North America 23 Huavean North America 4 Indo-European Europe/Asia 439 Iroquoian North America 9 Japonic Asia 12 Jivaroan South America 4 Kartvelian Asia 5 Katukinan South America 3 Kaure Australasia 4 Keres North America 2 Khoisan Africa 27 Kiowa Tanoan North America 6 Lakes Plain Australasia 20 Left May Australasia 2 Lower Mamberamo Australasia 2 Lule-Vilela South America 1 Macro-Ge South America 32 Mairasi Australasia 3 Maku South America 6 Mascoian South America 5 Mataco-Guaicuru South America 12 Mayan North America 69 Maybrat Australasia 2 Misumalpan North America 4 Mixe-Zoque North America 17 Mura South America 1 Muskogean North America 6 Na-Dené North America 46 Nambiquaran South America 7 Niger-Congo Africa 1532 Nilo-Saharan Africa 205 Nimboran Australasia 5 North Bougainville Australasia 4 North Brazil South America 1 North Caucasian Europe/Asia 34 Oto-Manguean North America 177 Panoan South America 28 Pauwasi Australasia 5 Peba-Yaguan South America 2 Penutian North America 33 Piawi Australasia 2 Quechuan South America 46 Ramu-Lower Sepik Australasia 32 Salishan North America 26 Salivan South America 3 Sepik Australasia 56 Sino-Tibetan Asia 449 Siouan North America 17 Sko Australasia 7 Somahai Australasia 2 South Bougainville Australasia 9 South-Central Papuan Australasia 22 Tacanan South America 6 Tai-Kadai Asia 92 Tarascan North America 2 Tequistlatecan North America 2 Tor-Kwerba Australasia 24 Torricelli Australasia 56 Totonacan North America 12 Trans–New Guinea Australasia 477 Tucanoan South America 25 Tupi South America 76 Uralic Europe/Asia 37 Uru-Chipaya South America 2 Uto-Aztecan North America 61 Wakashan North America 5 West Papuan Australasia 23 Witotoan South America 6 Yanomam South America 4 Yele-West New Britain Australasia 3 Yeniseian Asia 2 Yuat Australasia 6 Yukaghir Asia 2 Yuki North America 2 Zamucoan South America 2 Zaparoan South America 7 See also Ethnologue list of most-spoken languages Language Lists of languages List of language families Notes

References Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698. External links Web version of The Ethnologue Ethnologue - History Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen (Danmarks Radio) How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages (The New York Times)

References Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698. External links Web version of The Ethnologue Ethnologue - History Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen (Danmarks Radio) How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages (The New York Times)

References Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698. External links Web version of The Ethnologue Ethnologue - History Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen (Danmarks Radio) How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages (The New York Times)

References Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698. External links Web version of The Ethnologue Ethnologue - History Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen (Danmarks Radio) How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages (The New York Times)

References Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698. External links Web version of The Ethnologue Ethnologue - History Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen (Danmarks Radio) How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages (The New York Times)

References Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698. External links Web version of The Ethnologue Ethnologue - History Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen (Danmarks Radio) How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages (The New York Times)

References Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698. External links Web version of The Ethnologue Ethnologue - History Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen (Danmarks Radio) How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages (The New York Times)