texasdude said:On a recent extended visit to India, I learned that three languages have no name, i.e. people who don't speak that language have no name for that language, they're not aware that there are languages like these. Is this highly unusual or pretty common in those parts of the world?
SW VandeCarr said:I would be surprised if such languages exist in India, except perhaps in the hill areas like the border regions of the state of Assam and perhaps a few other remote mountain districts. Almost any language/dialect can be identified in terms of membership of a language group and/or a specific location (village, valley, etc). It's not really important if the speakers don't have a specific name for their language or dialect. As recently as the 1960's there were isolated undocumented languages in New Guinea, the Amazon region of Brazil and few other places, but I doubt such instances exist today. Virtually every square meter of the land surface of the Earth has been mapped as far as I know. Do you know the specific locations of these so called languages with "no name?"
SW VandeCarr said:As recently as the 1960's there were isolated undocumented languages in New Guinea, the Amazon region of Brazil and few other places, but I doubt such instances exist today. =
texasdude said:Yes. And from my notes, these are four related languages, not three. All from Southern India. One is called Tenkichi, another is called Bangloori amchigal, a third is called Badgichi and the fourth is Konggnnyanchi. The locals call all of them "konkani" or "marathi" even though konkani in fact is spoken by people from Goa. The Goan konkani people are Christians from the old Portuguese colony whereas these four groups are Hindu from Southern India and completely different. Marathi is spoken by people from Maharashtra, which is in Western India, and they are a completely different group too.
SW VandeCarr said:Why do you call these groups "unnamed" when you refer to them by name? The link in another post has pictures of "uncontacted" groups. So I guess I'm a little confused by what you mean by "unnamed" and "uncontacted". There are isolated groups of undocumented people living all over the world including in the large cities of the USA and other countries.
The three languages that have no name are a group of endangered languages spoken by indigenous communities in different parts of the world. These languages have not been given an official name by linguists or researchers.
It is difficult to determine the exact number of languages that do not have a name, as it depends on how one defines "name." However, it is estimated that there are around 7,000 languages in the world, and a significant number of them are endangered or have not been fully documented, meaning they may not have an official name.
There are several reasons why some languages do not have a name. One reason is that they are spoken by small, isolated communities that have not had contact with outside linguists or researchers. Another reason is that these languages may be endangered and at risk of becoming extinct, making it difficult to document and study them.
It is not unusual for languages to not have a name, especially among endangered languages. With thousands of languages spoken around the world, it is impossible for every language to have an official name. Additionally, the process of naming a language requires extensive research and documentation, which may not always be feasible for endangered languages.
Preserving and protecting languages that do not have a name can be challenging, but there are steps that can be taken. One way is to work with local communities to document and record these languages before they become extinct. Another way is to support language revitalization efforts and promote the use of these languages within their communities. Additionally, raising awareness about the importance of linguistic diversity can also help to preserve and protect these languages.