This article is a list of language families. This list only includes primary language families that are accepted by the current academic consensus in the field of linguistics; for language families that are not accepted by the current academic consensus in the field of linguistics, see the article "List of proposed language families".

List of language families Spoken language families Traditional geographical classification (not implying genetic relationship)Legend

Family Languages Current speakersLocationAfroasiatic381499,294,669Africa, EurasiaAroid5438,100AfricaAtlantic–Congo1,410500,000,000AfricaBerta6380,000AfricaCentral Sudanic639,145,280AfricaDaju7261,000AfricaDizoid388,840AfricaDogon20630,820AfricaEastern Jebel4104,600AfricaFur2786,900AfricaGumuz3253,680AfricaHeiban10276,690AfricaIjaw93,221,650AfricaKadu6120,600AfricaKatla-Tima325,000AfricaKhoe-Kwadi14337,337AfricaKoman594,000AfricaKresh-Aja348,200AfricaKru383,800,000AfricaKuliak314,070AfricaKunama2181,000AfricaKxʼa5104,000AfricaMaban101,115,260AfricaMande7527,003,000AfricaNilotic5533,306,780AfricaNubian13842,050AfricaNyima2162,000AfricaRashad2126,000AfricaSaharan1010,940,500AfricaSonghay103,228,000AfricaSurmic11544,680AfricaTalodi8112,250AfricaTaman4128,800AfricaTa-Ne-Omotic237,383,320AfricaTemein214,400AfricaTuu92,500AfricaZande61,898,500AfricaIndo-European5863,237,999,904GlobalUralic4920,716,457EurasiaTyrsenian3 or 4extinctEurasiaTurkic35179,945,933EurasiaHurro-Urartian2extinctEurasiaNorthwest Caucasian41,655,000EurasiaNortheast Caucasian294,155,258EurasiaKartvelian44,850,000EurasiaDravidian84252,807,610EurasiaGreat Andamanese103EurasiaOngan2296EurasiaYeniseian6153EurasiaYukaghir4516EurasiaSino-Tibetan5141,385,995,195EurasiaMijiic229,500EurasiaHmong–Mien439,332,070EurasiaKra–Dai9581,549,828EurasiaAustroasiatic158116,323,040EurasiaAustronesian1,274325,862,510Africa, Eurasia, OceaniaTungusic1555,800EurasiaMongolic167,269,480EurasiaKoreanic277,269,890EurasiaNivkh2200EurasiaJaponic13129,240,180EurasiaAinu3extinct EurasiaChukotko-Kamchatkan76,875EurasiaTrans–New Guinea3763,678,184New GuineaTorricelli57114,565New GuineaSepik49263,404New GuineaLower Sepik613,070New GuineaTimor–Alor–Pantar23380,120Lesser Sunda IslandsLakes Plain208,455New GuineaYam197,677New GuineaAnim1732,898New GuineaBorder1517,080New GuineaNorth Halmahera15279,035HalmaheraAngan13103,739New GuineaGeelvink Bay108,005New GuineaSko105,665New GuineaSouth Bougainville968,700New GuineaBaining613,800New GuineaStrickland86,175New GuineaGoilalan647,330New GuineaKiwaia638,030New GuineaLeft May62,005New GuineaSouth Bird's Head68,200New GuineaEleman545,240New GuineaFoja Range2623,845New GuineaPauwasi53,880New GuineaWest Bird's Head520,090New GuineaYuat57,700New GuineaEastern Trans-Fly46,760New GuineaNorth Bougainville410,020New GuineaDemta–Sentani436,680New GuineaGogodala–Suki430,160New GuineaKikorian613,510New GuineaWalio4856New GuineaEast Bird's Head334,800New GuineaMairasi34,385New GuineaAmto–Musan2720New GuineaBaibai-Fas22,840New GuineaBulaka River3520New GuineaHatam-Mansim216,000New GuineaInanwatan–Duriankere21,130New GuineaKaure-Kosare2700New GuineaKonda-Yahadian21,000New GuineaSenu River31,510New GuineaLepki-Murkim-Kembra3840New GuineaNamla-Tofanma2280New GuineaPahoturi24,050New GuineaMadang–Upper Yuat112 142,080New GuineaSenagi22,960New GuineaTaulil-Butam22,000New GuineaRamu2964,730New GuineaTeberan–Pawaian437,100New GuineaYawa-Saweru210,300New GuineaCentral Solomon414,800New GuineaChimbu-Wahgi15613,400New GuineaEngan9606,930New GuineaPama–Nyungan25023,539AustraliaGunwinyguan51,314AustraliaWestern Daly321 AustraliaNyulnyulan394AustraliaWorrorran3108AustraliaMirndi3261AustraliaIwaidjan4491AustraliaMangarrayi-Maran410AustraliaManingrida41,434AustraliaTangkic473AustraliaJarrakan3130AustraliaBunuban2100AustraliaEastern Daly2extinctAustraliaGarrwan2130AustraliaLimilngan-Wulna223AustraliaMarrku-Wurrugu2extinctAustraliaNortheastern Tasmanian2extinctAustraliaNorthern Daly28AustraliaSoutheastern Tasmanian2extinctAustraliaWestern Tasmanian2extinctAustraliaNorthern Tasmanian2extinctAustraliaEskaleut10108,705North America, EurasiaNa-Dene46208,552North AmericaTsimshianic42,910North AmericaWakashan6710North AmericaSalishan251,969North AmericaChimakuan2extinctNorth AmericaChinookan4extinctNorth AmericaKalapuyan3extinctNorth AmericaCoosan2extinctNorth AmericaPlateau4125North AmericaShastan4extinctNorth AmericaComecrudan3extinctNorth AmericaYuki–Wappo2extinctNorth AmericaPomoan747North AmericaWintuan2extinctNorth AmericaPalaihnihan2extinctNorth AmericaMaiduan4extinctNorth AmericaUtian1318North AmericaChumashan6extinctNorth AmericaUto-Aztecan581,910,442North AmericaYuman–Cochimí123,710North AmericaSiouan1433,399North AmericaAlgic47214,768North AmericaTanoan–Kiowa66,000North AmericaCaddoan520North AmericaTotonacan12282,250North AmericaOto-Manguean1761,678,214North AmericaMixe–Zoque17153,612North AmericaTequistlatecan35,494North AmericaMuskogean615,640North AmericaMayan316,522,182North AmericaXincan5extinctNorth AmericaJicaquean2500North AmericaLencan2extinctNorth AmericaMisumalpan5709,000North AmericaIroquoian914,543North AmericaArawakan77699,709North America, South AmericaChibchan27306,267North America, South AmericaChocoan9114,600North America, South AmericaAndoque–Urequena2370South AmericaCariban4267,376North America, South AmericaBarbacoan624,800South AmericaChicham489,630South AmericaQuechuan457,768,820South AmericaAymaran42,808,740South AmericaUru–Chipaya21,200South AmericaHuarpean3extinctSouth AmericaAraucanian2262,000South AmericaChonan6extinctSouth AmericaAlacalufan310South AmericaGuajiboan539,290South AmericaNukak–Kakwa2610South AmericaOtomákoan2extinctSouth AmericaPiaroa–Saliban318,630South AmericaNadahup42,894South AmericaYanomaman431,670South AmericaTucanoan2330,308South AmericaBoran21,500South AmericaWitotoan717,478South AmericaPeba–Yaguan35,700South AmericaZaparoan390South AmericaHibito–Cholon2extinctSouth AmericaCahuapanan210,370South AmericaTicuna–Yuri248,580South AmericaPanoan3848,679South AmericaArawan65,870South AmericaHarákmbut–Katukinan43,310South AmericaTupian705,026,502South AmericaChapacuran42,019South AmericaNambikwaran61,068South AmericaBororoan31,392South AmericaKariri4extinctSouth AmericaZamucoan25,900South AmericaTacanan72,860South AmericaMascoian620,728South AmericaMatacoan760,280South AmericaGuaicuruan449,350South AmericaMacro-Jê2951,093South AmericaCharruan3extinctSouth AmericaPurian2extinctSouth AmericaPuquina4extinctSouth AmericaCañari–Puruhá2extinctSouth AmericaJirajaran3extinctSouth AmericaLule-Vilela2extinctSouth AmericaTimotean2extinctSouth AmericaTiniguan31South America

Sign language families

The family relationships of sign languages are not well established due to lagging linguistic research, and many are isolates (cf. Wittmann 1991).

Family Name Location Number of French Sign Europe, the Americas, Francophone Africa, parts of Asia Over 50 British Sign United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa 4–10 Arab Sign Much of the Arab World 6–10 Japanese Sign Japan, Korea, Taiwan 3 German Sign Germany, Poland, Israel 3 Swedish Sign Sweden, Finland, Portugal 3 Chinese Sign China (including Hong Kong and Macau) 2

Maps of several language families

See also

Index of language articles

Lists of languages List of proposed language families Unclassified language

References

External links Glottolog Ethnologue Comparative Swadesh list tables of various language families (from Wiktionary)

Bibliography Boas, Franz. (1911). Handbook of American Indian languages (Vol. 1). Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 40. Washington: Government Print Office (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology). Boas, Franz. (1922). Handbook of American Indian languages (Vol. 2). Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 40. Washington: Government Print Office (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology). Boas, Franz. (1933). Handbook of American Indian languages (Vol. 3). Native American legal materials collection, title 1227. Glückstadt: J.J. Augustin. Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. . Campbell, Lyle; & Mithun, Marianne (Eds.). (1979). The languages of native America: Historical and comparative assessment. Austin: University of Texas Press. Goddard, Ives (Ed.). (1996). Languages. Handbook of North American Indians (W. C. Sturtevant, General Ed.) (Vol. 17). Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution. . Goddard, Ives. (1999). Native languages and language families of North America (rev. and enlarged ed. with additions and corrections). [Map]. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press (Smithsonian Institution). (Updated version of the map in Goddard 1996). . Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (Ed.). (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the world (15th ed.). Dallas, TX: SIL International. . (Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com). Greenberg, Joseph H. (1966). The Languages of Africa (2nd ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University. Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (hbk); . Ross, Malcolm. (2005). Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages. In: Andrew Pawley, Robert Attenborough, Robin Hide and Jack Golson, eds, Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples Ruhlen, Merritt. (1987). A guide to the world's languages. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Sturtevant, William C. (Ed.). (1978–present). Handbook of North American Indians (Vol. 1–20). Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution. (Vols. 1–3, 16, 18–20 not yet published). Voegelin, C. F.; & Voegelin, F. M. (1977). Classification and index of the world's languages. New York: Elsevier. Wittmann, Henri (1991). "Classification linguistique des langues signées non vocalement." Revue québécoise de linguistique théorique et appliquée 10:1.215-88.