List of language families explained

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

Family	data-sort-type=number	Languages^[1]	data-sort-type=number	Current speakers^[2]	Location	Proposed parent family
Afroasiatic	381	499,294,669	Africa, Eurasia
Aroid	5	438,100	Africa	Afroasiatic
Atlantic–Congo	1,410	500,000,000	Africa
Central Sudanic	63	9,145,280	Africa
Daju	7	261,000	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Dizoid	3	88,840	Africa	Afroasiatic
Dogon	20	630,820	Africa	Niger–Congo
Eastern Jebel	4	104,600	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Fur	2	786,900	Africa
Gumuz	3	253,680	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Heiban	10	276,690	Africa	Niger–Congo
Ijaw	9	3,221,650	Africa	Niger–Congo
Kadu	6	120,600	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Katla-Tima	3	25,000	Africa	Niger–Congo
Khoe-Kwadi	14	337,337	Africa
Koman	5	94,000	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Kresh-Aja	3	48,200	Africa	Central Sudanic
Kru	38	3,800,000	Africa
Kuliak	3	14,070	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
	5	104,000	Africa
	10	1,115,260	Africa
Mande	75	27,003,000	Africa
Mao	4	24,300	Africa	Afroasiatic
Nilotic	55	33,306,780	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Nubian	13	842,050	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Nyima	2	162,000	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Rashad	2	126,000	Africa	Niger–Congo
Saharan	10	10,940,500	Africa
Songhay	10	3,228,000	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
Surmic	11	544,680	Africa
Talodi	8	112,250	Africa	Niger–Congo
Taman	4	128,800	Africa
Ta-Ne-Omotic	19	7,359,020	Africa	Afroasiatic
Temein	2	14,400	Africa	Nilo-Saharan
	9	2,500	Africa
Indo-European	586	3,237,999,904	Eurasia
Uralic	49	20,716,457	Eurasia
Turkic	35	179,945,933	Eurasia	Altaic (controversial)
Hurro-Urartian	2	extinct	Eurasia	Alarodian
Northwest Caucasian	4	1,655,000	Eurasia	North Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian	29^[3]	4,155,258	Eurasia	North Caucasian or Alarodian
Kartvelian	5	4,850,000	Eurasia
Dravidian	84	252,807,610	Eurasia
Great Andamanese	10	3	Eurasia
Ongan	2	296	Eurasia
Yeniseian	5	153	Eurasia	Dené–Yeniseian
Yukaghir	4	516	Eurasia
Sino-Tibetan	514	1,385,995,195	Eurasia
Hmong–Mien	43	9,332,070	Eurasia	Miao–Dai or Austric
Kra–Dai	95	81,549,828	Eurasia	Austro-Tai
Austroasiatic	158	116,323,040	Eurasia	Austric languages
Austronesian	1,274	325,862,510	Africa, Eurasia, Oceania	Austro-Tai
Tungusic	15	55,800	Eurasia	Altaic (controversial)
Mongolic	16	7,269,480	Eurasia	Altaic (controversial)
Koreanic	2	77,269,890	Eurasia	Altaic (controversial)
Nivkh	2	200	Eurasia	Nivkh–Kamchukotic
Japonic	13	129,240,180	Eurasia	Altaic (controversial)
Ainu	3	2	Eurasia	Altaic (controversial)
Chukotko-Kamchatkan	7	6,875	Eurasia	Nivkh–Kamchukotic
Trans–New Guinea	316	3,540,024	New Guinea
Torricelli	55	113,705	New Guinea
Sepik	36	162,704	New Guinea
Lower Sepik	6	13,070	New Guinea	Ramu–Lower Sepik languages
Timor–Alor–Pantar	23	380,120	New Guinea
Lakes Plain	20	8,455	New Guinea
Yam	19	7,677	New Guinea
Anim	17	32,898	New Guinea	Trans–New Guinea
Border	15	17,080	New Guinea
North Halmahera	15	279,035	New Guinea	West Papuan
Angan	13	103,739	New Guinea	Trans–New Guinea
Ndu	13	100,770	New Guinea	Sepik languages
Orya–Tor	13	8,345	New Guinea
Geelvink Bay	10	8,005	New Guinea
Sko	10	5,665	New Guinea
Dagan	9	18,555	New Guinea	Trans–New Guinea
South Bougainville	9	68,700	New Guinea
Kwerbic	8	7,000	New Guinea
Koiarian	8	25,690	New Guinea
Mailuan	8	11,700	New Guinea
Bosavi	7	14,105	New Guinea
Baining	6	13,800	New Guinea
East Strickland	6	3,780	New Guinea
Goilalan	6	47,330	New Guinea
Kiwaia	6	38,030	New Guinea
Left May	6	2,005	New Guinea	Left May – Kwomtari
	6	8,200	New Guinea
	5	45,240	New Guinea
	5	11,970	New Guinea
	5	8,500	New Guinea
	5	3,880	New Guinea
	5	20,090	New Guinea	West Papuan
	5	3,100	New Guinea
	5	7,700	New Guinea
	5	1,960	New Guinea
	4	6,760	New Guinea
	4	10,020	New Guinea
	4	36,680	New Guinea
	4	30,160	New Guinea
	4	6,210	New Guinea
	4	856	New Guinea
	3	34,800	New Guinea	West Papuan
	3	28,700	New Guinea
	3	14,500	New Guinea
	3	5,300	New Guinea
	3	2,240	New Guinea
	3	4,385	New Guinea
	3	6,840	New Guinea
	2	720	New Guinea
	2	2,840	New Guinea
	2	400	New Guinea
Bogia	2	860	New Guinea
	3	520	New Guinea
	2	2,395	New Guinea
	2	7,300	New Guinea
	2	16,000	New Guinea	West Papuan
	2	1,130	New Guinea
	2	700	New Guinea
	2	1,000	New Guinea
	3	1,510	New Guinea	Left May–Kwomtari or Kwomtari–Fas
Lepki-Murkim-Kembra	3	840	New Guinea
	2	3,350	New Guinea
	2	1,450	New Guinea
	2	280	New Guinea
	2	4,050	New Guinea
	2	2,600	New Guinea
	2	2,960	New Guinea
	2	2,200	New Guinea
	2	2,000	New Guinea
Ramu	24	52,760	New Guinea	Ramu–Lower Sepik
	2	15,800	New Guinea
Yawa-Saweru	2	10,300	New Guinea
	250	23,539	Australia
	5	1,314	Australia
	3	21	Australia
	3	94	Australia
	3	108	Australia
	3	261	Australia
	4	491	Australia	Arnhem
	4	10	Australia
	4	1,434	Australia	Arnhem
	4	73	Australia
	3	extinct	Australia	Arnhem
	3	130	Australia
	2	100	Australia
	2	extinct	Australia
	2	130	Australia
Limilngan-Wulna	2	23	Australia
	2	extinct	Australia
	3	50	Australia
	2	extinct	Australia
	2	8	Australia
	2	extinct	Australia
	2	1,980	Australia
	2	extinct	Australia
Eskaleut	10	108,705	North America, Eurasia
	46	208,552	North America
	2	13	North America
	4	2,910	North America	Penutian
	6	710	North America
	25	1,969	North America
	2	extinct	North America
	4	extinct	North America	Penutian
	3	extinct	North America	Penutian
	2	extinct	North America	Penutian
Sahaptian	4	125	North America	Penutian
	4	extinct	North America	Hokan
	2	extinct	North America
	7	47	North America	Hokan
	2	extinct	North America	Penutian
	2	10	North America
	4	3	North America	Penutian
	13	18	North America
	6	extinct	North America
	4	50	North America	Penutian
	58	1,910,442	North America
	12	3,710	North America	Hokan
Siouan	14	33,399	North America	Macro-Siouan
	47	214,768	North America
	2	10,670	North America
	6	6,000	North America	Aztec–Tanoan
	5	46	North America	Macro-Siouan
	12	282,250	North America	Totozoquean
	2	225,100	North America
	176	1,678,214	North America
	4	14,670	North America
	17	153,612	North America	Totozoquean
	3	5,494	North America	Hokan
	6	15,640	North America	Gulf
	31	6,522,182	North America
	(5)	extinct	North America	Macro-Chibchan
	2	500	North America	Hokan
	2	extinct	North America	Macro-Chibchan or Hokan
	5	709,000	North America	Macro-Chibchan
	9	14,543	North America	Macro-Siouan
	77	699,709	North America, South America	Macro-Arawakan
	27	306,267	North America, South America	Macro-Chibchan
Chocoan	9	114,600	North America, South America
Cariban	42	67,376	North America, South America
	6	24,800	South America
Chicham	4	89,630	South America
Quechuan	45	7,768,820	South America
Aymaran	4	2,808,740	South America
Uru–Chipaya	2	1,200	South America
Huarpean	3	extinct	South America
Araucanian	2	262,000	South America
Chonan	(6)	extinct	South America	Moseten–Chonan
Alacalufan	1	12	South America
Guajiboan	5	39,290	South America	Macro-Arawakan
Kakua-Nukak	2	610	South America	Macro-Puinavean
Otomákoan	2	extinct	South America	Macro-Otomákoan
Piaroa–Saliban	3	18,630	South America
Nadahup	4	2,894	South America	Macro-Puinavean
Yanomaman	4	31,670	South America
Tucanoan	23	30,308	South America
Boran	2	1,500	South America	Bora–Witoto
Witotoan	7	17,478	South America	Bora–Witoto
Peba–Yaguan	1	5,700	South America	Saparo–Yawan
Zaparoan	3	90	South America	Saparo–Yawan
Hibito–Cholon	2	extinct	South America
Cahuapanan	2	10,370	South America
Ticuna–Yuri	2	48,580	South America
Panoan	38	48,679	South America	Macro-Panoan
Arawan	6	5,870	South America
Katukinan	2	10	South America	Macro-Puinavean
Harákmbut	2	2,220	South America	Harákmbut–Katukinan or Macro-Otomákoan
Tupian	70	5,026,502	South America	Je–Tupi–Carib
Chapacuran	4	2,019	South America	Wamo–Chapakura
Nambikwaran	6	1,068	South America
Bororoan	3	1,392	South America	Macro-Jê
Chiquitano	2	4,670	South America	Macro-Jê
Zamucoan	2	5,900	South America
Tacanan		2,860	South America	Macro-Panoan languages
Mascoian	6	20,728	South America	Mataco–Guaicuru
Matacoan	7	60,280	South America	Mataco–Guaicuru
Guaicuruan	4	49,350	South America	Mataco–Guaicuru
Macro-Jê	29	51,093	South America	Je–Tupi–Carib
Charruan	3	extinct	South America	Mataco–Guaicuru
Kamakanan	4	extinct	South America	Macro-Jê
Purian	2	extinct	South America	Macro-Jê

Sign language families

See also: List of sign languages. The family relationships of sign languages are not well established due to a lagging in linguistic research, and many are isolates (cf. Wittmann 1991).^[4]

Family Name	Location	Number of
	Europe, the Americas, Francophone Africa, parts of Asia	Over 50
		4–10
		6–10
		3
		3
		3
	China (including Hong Kong and Macau)	2

See also

• • • Ethnologue#Language families
  • Index of language articles
    • Glottolog#Language families
• Language isolate#List of language isolates by continent
  • Lists of languages List of proposed language families

External links

• Glottolog
• Ethnologue
• MultiTree Project
• Comparative Swadesh list tables of various language families (from Wiktionary)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Glottolog 5.0 - . 2024-06-28 . glottolog.org.
2. Web site: What are the largest language families?. May 25, 2019. Ethnologue.
3. Web site: North Caucasian. Ethnologue. https://web.archive.org/web/20160702003822/http://www.ethnologue.com/subgroups/north-caucasian-1. July 2, 2016. July 17, 2016.
4. Wittmann. Henri. 1991. Classification linguistique des langues signées non vocalement. Revue québécoise de linguistique théorique et appliquée. 10. 1. 215–288. fr.