Phrasebook

Unknown languages

Thousands of different languages exist worldwide. Linguists estimate that there are 6,000 to 7,000. However, the exact number is still unknown today. This is because there are still many undiscovered languages. These languages are mostly spoken in remote regions. One example of such a region is the Amazon. There are still many people living in isolation there. They have no contact with other cultures. Despite this, they all have their own language, of course. There are still unidentified languages in other parts of the world as well. We still do not know how many languages there are in Central Africa. New Guinea hasn't been thoroughly researched from a linguistic standpoint either. Whenever a new language is discovered, it's always a sensation. About two years ago scientists discovered Koro. Koro is spoken in the small villages of northern India. Only about 1,000 people speak this language. It is only spoken. Koro doesn't exist in written form. Researchers are puzzled by how Koro has survived for so long. Koro belongs to the Tibeto-Burmese language family. There are about 300 of these languages in all of Asia. But Koro isn't closely related to any of these languages. That means that it must have a history all of its own. Unfortunately, minor languages die out quickly. Occasionally a language disappears within a single generation. As a result, researchers often only have a little time to study them. But there is a little hope for Koro. It is to be documented in an audio dictionary...