|
|
|
Focal Area: Status of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices
Headline Indictor: Status and trends of linguistic diversity and numbers of speakers of indigenous languages
Key Indicator Partner: 
Data available: Regional/national time series Development Status: Methodology under review
|
|
|
|
UNESCO started large-scale data collection and collation for this indicator in 2006. As of 2010, the dataset contains over 5000 entries on nearly 3,000 languages in 115 countries and territories. The data are extracted from 64 different sources and cover a significant area of the globe. However, there are still some regions that have not been surveyed, such as a number of Asian and African countries. Continuous efforts are made in order to gather more data, and the existing list of sources is by no means complete. Whenever possible, nationally produced sources such as language surveys and censuses were used to extract data on indigenous languages, which were stored and organized in UNESCO’s database titled ‘Linguistic Vitality Survey Application’. The database has three main types of population data concerning speakers of indigenous languages, ethnic groups and countries. The table below displays the existing data in terms of available time-series and types of sources regarding the numbers of speakers of indigenous languages: | 1 | Countries or territories with at least 1 data point, all sources mixed | 115 | | 2 | Countries or territories with 2 or more data points, all sources mixed | 60 | | 3 | Countries or territories with at least one official source-based data point (typically, a population census or a language survey | 55 | | 4 | Countries or territories with 2 or more data points from censuses | 16 | | 5 | Countries or territories with 3 or more data points from censuses | 11
|
|
|
|
|
Given the complexity of data collection on numbers of speakers of indigenous languages and the disparity among the methodologies used in different countries, the indicator will initially be applicable at the national level only. In the long term, however, building upon the guidelines on language data collection that UNESCO is currently developing, it will be possible to build up a global indicator on this matter.
|
|
|
|
Language Vitality and Endangerment Status.
Source: UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 2010
|
|
 |
| How to Interpret the Indicator
|
|
|
|
|
Indigenous languages are the vehicles of traditional knowledge about biodiversity and environment, and about sustainable management of natural resources. An increase in the number of extinct languages would represent an irrecoverable loss of biodiversity related knowledge which in turn may have negative implications for its maintenance and protection. Increases in the number of threatened languages (vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered) would indicate greater pressures upon languages which may lead to their extinction. A decline in the number of threatened languages would indicate language preservation which will help to safeguard biodiversity knowledge.
|
|
|
|
‘Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that languages spoken by fewer than 10,000 people (51% of the current 6,900 languages) have lost speakers over the past forty years and many of them are in danger of disappearing within this century. Languages of small indigenous groups living in biodiversity-rich areas are more likely to lose speakers over time compared to larger indigenous languages whose dynamics bear some similarities to that of majority and/ordominant languages such as English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish and French. Further analyses of the collected data is needed to account for ethnic group population trends, overall population trends, migration flows, linguistic policies at various levels, as well as changes in attitudes both among governmentsand the speakers of indigenous languages.‘
|
|
|
|
The Indicator has not been rolled out for national use yet, as its methodology is under review. For more information about the potential use of this indicator at the national level contact Anahit Minasyan at UNESCO ( A.Minasyan@unesco.org).
|
|
|
|
Further development of consistent and homogenous language data collection methodologies at the global scale will permit the international comparison of language data, which will facilitate the task of constructing an indicator on numbers of speakers of indigenous languages at the global scale. UNESCO will continue data collection and analyses in the coming years with a view to elaborating, testing and promoting at the international and national level a Linguistic Vitality Index. It is essential to advocate for a harmonization of language data collection methodologies across the world in order to constitute a usable global dataset and time-series on indigenous languages.
|
|
|
|