How many languages are extinct in Nigeria?

How many languages are extinct in Nigeria?

There are 27 languages close to extinction in Nigeria. Researchers have concluded that in less than one hundred years, almost half of the languages known today will be lost forever.

What are the top 10 endangered languages?

10 endangered languages that risk extinction

  • Hawaian – Critically endangered.
  • Potawatomi – Critically endangered.
  • Ume Saami – Critically endangered.
  • Tlicho (Dogrib) – Vulnerable.
  • Ainu (Hokkaido) – Critically endangered.
  • Mudburra – Severely endangered.
  • Chemehuevi – Critically endangered.
  • Kamang – Vulnerable.

Is Igbo language an endangered language?

According to UNESCO, of the nearly 7000 languages in the world, one dies every two weeks. More sobering when you realize that although Igbo isn’t dead yet, it is classified as an endangered language. One of the 3 major languages of Nigeria, with over 25 million native speakers, is an endangered language.

What languages are endangered?

Definitely endangered – children no longer learn the language as a ‘mother tongue’ in the home….UNESCO languages by degress of endangeredness.

Name in English Number of speakers Degree of endangerment
Mising 550000 Definitely endangered
Ossete 550000 Vulnerable
Mizo 529000 Vulnerable
Dargwa 503523 Vulnerable

How many languages will go extinct?

As many as half of the world’s 7,000 languages are expected to be extinct by the end of this century; it is estimated that one language dies out every 14 days. Endangered languages, much like endangered species of plants or animals, are on the brink of extinction.

How many languages are in Nigeria altogether?

There are over 527 native languages spoken in Nigeria….

Languages of Nigeria
Official English
Regional Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulfulde, Ijaw, Edo, Ibibio, Kupa, Kanuri, Tiv, Nupe, and others
Signed Nigerian Sign Language Hausa Sign Language Bura Sign Language

Which country has the most endangered languages?

A recent UNESCO report indicates that India has the largest number of endangered languages in the world. A matter of concern, besides the absolute numbers, is the distribution of these endangered languages across number of speakers.

Is Yoruba an endangered language?

This paper identifies that Yorùbá language which is widely spoken in the south-western Nigeria is largely endangered. In this paper, the researcher maintains that language extinction is real and Yorùbá is not safe from that threat as in few decades from now, the language might go into total extinction.

Which country speaks Igbo Apart from Nigeria?

Equatorial Guinea
Igbo is spoken in southern Nigeria, Kogi, Benue, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Haiti,Barbados, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, it also supplied a large chunk of words to the Jamaican Patois.

What are critically endangered languages?

8 Endangered Languages That Could Soon Disappear

  • Irish Gaelic. Irish Gaelic currently has over 40,000 estimated native speakers.
  • Krymchak. Also spelled Krimchak and known as Judeo-Crimean Tatar, this language is spoken by people in Crimea, a peninsula of Ukraine.
  • Okanagan-Colville.
  • Ts’ixa.
  • Ainu.
  • Rapa Nui.
  • Yagan.

Why are languages endangered?

Although languages have always become extinct throughout human history, they are currently dying at an accelerated rate because of globalization, imperialism, neocolonialism and linguicide (language killing).

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