preserving the world’s dying languages
Explore, learn, and contribute to the global effort to protect rare, ancient, and endangered languages.
The digital archive for endangered and extinct languages
A Global Community
The Language Project
Explore Languages
Discover detailed profiles of regional, endangered, and extinct languages from around the world.
Contribute Samples
Help preserve languages by submitting audio clips, texts, and stories from native speakers.
Learn and Research
Access articles, maps, and resources about language history and preservation efforts.
Support our Mission
Help grow our project and keep languages alive.
Global voices are at risk
Behind every endangered language is a community, a memory, a story. Language loss is cultural loss. These figures highlight the urgency.
7,000+
There are over 7,000 languages currently spoken around the world.
40%
Nearly 40% of the world’s languages are considered endangered. (UNESCO)
1
On average, one language disappears every 40 days. (UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger)
5,000+
The majority of languages in the world are only spoken, not written. (SIL International)