Rares
Pioneering translations in rare and low-resource languages
We take pride in offering a wide range of rare and underrepresented languages, ensuring that no voice is left unheard.
Available languages are Assyrian, Chaldean, Chuukese, Aramaic, Hakha Chin, Tok Pisin, Guyanese Creole, Eastern Kayah, Sango, Mizo, Fijian, Lu Mien, Tongan, Samoan
Our dedicated Talent Management team continuously researches and recruits linguists for additional rare languages.
If you need support for a language that’s difficult to source, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll help you find the right resources.
Explore endangered, indigenous, and limited-diffusion languages through brief insights about their speakers and cultural backgrounds.
Abkhazian
100,000 to 200,000 speakers; Region: Abkhazia (disputed, NW Georgia), diaspora in Turkey and Russia; Family: Northwest Caucasian; Notes: small language with a rich consonant inventory; vitality tied to regional politics and cultural preservation.
Achi
70,000 to 120,000 speakers; Region: Baja Verapaz, Guatemala; Family: Mayan (K’iche’ branch); Notes: closely related to other K’iche’-branch languages; important in local oral tradition.
Achinese (Acehnese)
3,000,000 to 4,000,000 speakers; Region: Aceh province, northern Sumatra, Indonesia; Family: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian); Notes: historically important trading language with Islamic scholarly tradition.
Acoli (Acholi)
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: northern Uganda and parts of South Sudan; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Nilotic / Luo cluster); Notes: central to Acholi ethnic identity.
Adangme (Dangme)
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: southeastern Ghana (Greater Accra, Ada); Family: Niger–Congo (Kwa); Notes: closely related to Ga; used in local media and culture.
Adyghe (West Circassian)
150,000 to 600,000 speakers; Region: North Caucasus (Russia), diaspora in Turkey and Jordan; Family: Northwest Caucasian; Notes: rich consonant system and strong Circassian cultural ties.
Afrihili
0 speakers (constructed auxiliary language; negligible native speakers); Region: pan-African concept; Family: constructed; Notes: 20th-century planned auxiliary, not widely adopted.
Afar
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Djibouti, Eritrea, northeastern Ethiopia; Family: Afroasiatic (Cushitic); Notes: pastoralist oral and poetic traditions.
Akateko
up to 100,000 speakers; Region: highlands of Huehuetenango, Guatemala; Family: Mayan (Q’anjob’al/Popti’ subgroup); Notes: indigenous highland variety.
Akkadian
0 speakers (extinct; used ~3rd–1st millennium BCE); Region: ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq); Family: Afroasiatic (Semitic); Notes: major ancient language attested in cuneiform.
Aleut (Unangan)
10,000 speakers; Region: Aleutian Islands (Alaska), Commander Islands (Russia); Family: Eskimo–Aleut; Notes: several dialects; revitalization efforts exist.
Alur
1,000,000 speakers; Region: NW Uganda, NE Democratic Republic of Congo; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Central Sudanic); Notes: used in daily life and some local radio.
Anuak (Anywaa)
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: SW Ethiopia (Gambela), South Sudan; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Nilotic); Notes: riverine community language
Aragonese
10,000 to 30,000 speakers; Region: Aragón, northern Spain (Pyrenees and foothills); Family: Indo-European (Romance); Notes: minority Romance language with revival efforts.
Aramaic / Neo-Aramaic
10,000 to 99,000 speakers (modern dialects combined); Region: pockets in Syria, Iraq, Iran and diaspora; Family: Afroasiatic (Semitic); Notes: ancient lingua franca; Neo-Aramaic varieties survive in communities and liturgy.
Arapaho
200 to 2,000 speakers; Region: north-central USA (historically WY/CO), Oklahoma; Family: Algic (Algonquian); Notes: endangered; active revitalization programs.
Mapudungun (Araucanian / Mapuche)
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: southern Chile and Argentina (Araucanía); Family: language isolate; Notes: central to Mapuche identity; strong oral tradition and activism.
Arawak (surviving Arawakan varieties)
3,000 to 30,000 speakers (varies by variety); Region: Amazonia and Guianas; Family: Arawakan; Notes: historically widespread in the Caribbean and South America; surviving varieties persist in Amazonia.
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
200,000 to 500,000 speakers; Region: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, large diaspora; Family: Afroasiatic (Semitic, Neo-Aramaic); Notes: liturgical and community language of Assyrian peoples.
Asturian
100,000 to 500,000 speakers; Region: Asturias, northern Spain; Family: Indo-European (Romance); Notes: regional language with medieval literature and institutional support.
Atikamekw
7,000 to 10,000 speakers; Region: Central Quebec (Nitaskinan), Canada; Family: Algic (Algonquian); Notes: comparatively strong revitalization and educational use
Avar (Avaric)
700,000 to 1,000,000 speakers; Region: Dagestan (Russia); Family: Northeast Caucasian (Nakh–Dagestanian); Notes: regional written tradition in Cyrillic
Avestan
0 speakers (extinct as native language; liturgical use only); Region: ancient Persia; Family: Indo-European (Iranian); Notes: language of Zoroastrian scripture.
Aymara
1,700,000 to 2,300,000 speakers; Region: Bolivia (highlands), Peru, northern Chile; Family: Aymaran; Notes: deep pre-Columbian roots; official status in Bolivia
Baatonum (Bariba)
500,000 to 1,000,000 speakers; Region: northern Benin, parts of Nigeria; Family: Niger–Congo (Gur/Voltaic); Notes: important for local markets and culture.
Bai (Central/Southern Bai)
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Yunnan province, China (Dali area); Family: possibly Sino-Tibetan (classification disputed); Notes: distinct local literary presence.
Basque (Euskara):
700,000 to 800,000 speakers; Region: Basque Country (northern Spain, SW France); Family: language isolate; Notes: pre-Indo-European roots; strong institutional revival.
Beja
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt (Red Sea hills); Family: Afroasiatic (Cushitic); Notes: pastoralist cultural links.
Blackfoot
1,000 to 9,000 speakers (a few thousand); Region: Canada (Alberta), northwestern USA (Montana); Family: Algic (Algonquian); Notes: cultural importance; immersion programs.
Brahui
2,000,000 to 4,000,000 speakers; Region: Balochistan (Pakistan), parts of Iran and Afghanistan; Family: Dravidian; Notes: Dravidian enclave far from South India.
Buginese (Bugis)
3,000,000 to 5,000,000 speakers; Region: South Sulawesi, Indonesia; Family: Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian); Notes: maritime and literary traditions.
Banda (cluster)
1,000,000 to 3,000,000 speakers (combined varieties); Region: Central African Republic, DR Congo, Cameroon; Family: Ubangian (sometimes placed under Niger–Congo); Notes: cluster of related languages used locally.
Bikol
3,000,000 to 6,000,000 speakers; Region: Bicol region, Luzon, Philippines; Family: Austronesian (Philippine subgroup); Notes: multiple dialects and strong oral/literary culture
Bini / Edo
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Edo State (Benin City), Nigeria; Family: Niger–Congo (Edoid); Notes: historical royal language of the Kingdom of Benin.
Bundeli (Bundelkhandi):
2,000,000 to 5,000,000 speakers (several million); Region: Bundelkhand, central India; Family: Indo-Aryan; Notes: often grouped with Hindi; rich folk culture.
Buriat
400,000 to 600,000 speakers; Region: Buryatia (Russia), Mongolia, China; Family: Mongolic; Notes: Cyrillic writing standard in Russia.
Caddo
12 to 300 speakers (dozens to low hundreds); Region: Oklahoma (USA); Family: Caddoan; Notes: endangered with tribal revitalization.
Cape Verde Creole (Kriolu):
500,000 to 1,000,000 speakers; RegionCape Verde islands; Family: Portuguese-based Atlantic Creole; Notes: island dialect diversity.
Carib (Kari’nja / Kalina)
3,000 to 30,000 speakers (varies); Region: northern South America (Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil); Family: Cariban; Notes: surviving varieties concentrated in Amazonian/coastal communities.
Cham
200,000 to 400,000 speakers; Region: central/southern Vietnam, Cambodia; Family: Austronesian (Chamic); Notes: descendant of Champa kingdom; common bilingualism
Chagatai
0 speakers (extinct as living standard; literary language until ~19th century); Region: Central Asia (historic); Family: Turkic; Notes: key medieval literary language.
Chamorro
50,000 to 100,000 speakers (including L2); Region: Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, diaspora; Family: Austronesian (Philippine subgroup influence); Notes: Spanish/English influence; revitalization programs.
Chechen
10,000 to 25,000 speakers (varies; many heritage speakers); Region: eastern Oklahoma, North Carolina (USA); Family: Iroquoian; Notes: Sequoyah’s syllabary; education programs.
Cheyenne
100 to 900 speakers (very small number); Region: Montana, Oklahoma (USA); Family: Algic (Algonquian); Notes: important cultural language; revitalization work.
Chuukese (Trukese)
45,000 to 60,000 speakers; Region: Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia; Family: Austronesian (Micronesian); Notes: used in local administration and schools.
Cornish
200 to 2,000 speakers (revived L2 speakers); Region: Cornwall (UK); Family: Celtic (Brythonic); Notes: extinction as community language in 18th century; modern revival.
Cree (dialect cluster)
120,000 to 200,000 speakers; Region: Canada (across provinces) and parts of the USA; Family: Algic (Algonquian); Notes: one of North America’s most widespread indigenous languages
Cook Islands Māori
8,000 to 12,000 speakers; Region: Cook Islands; Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: related to NZ Māori; cultural/liturgical use
Dagbani
1,000,000 to 1,500,000 speakers; Region: northern Ghana (Tamale); Family: Niger–Congo (Gur/Mole-Dagbani); Notes: regional lingua franca
Chechen
10,000 to 25,000 speakers (varies; many heritage speakers); Region: eastern Oklahoma, North Carolina (USA); Family: Iroquoian; Notes: Sequoyah’s syllabary; education programs.
Cheyenne
100 to 900 speakers (very small number); Region: Montana, Oklahoma (USA); Family: Algic (Algonquian); Notes: important cultural language; revitalization work.
Chuukese (Trukese)
45,000 to 60,000 speakers; Region: Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia; Family: Austronesian (Micronesian); Notes: used in local administration and schools.
Cornish
200 to 2,000 speakers (revived L2 speakers); Region: Cornwall (UK); Family: Celtic (Brythonic); Notes: extinction as community language in 18th century; modern revival.
Cree (dialect cluster)
120,000 to 200,000 speakers; Region: Canada (across provinces) and parts of the USA; Family: Algic (Algonquian); Notes: one of North America’s most widespread indigenous languages
Cook Islands Māori
8,000 to 12,000 speakers; Region: Cook Islands; Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: related to NZ Māori; cultural/liturgical use
Dagbani
1,000,000 to 1,500,000 speakers; Region: northern Ghana (Tamale); Family: Niger–Congo (Gur/Mole-Dagbani); Notes: regional lingua franca
Dazaga / Daza (Teda-Daza)
150,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: Chad, Niger, Libya (Saharan regions); Family: Saharan / Nilo-Saharan classification; Notes: Toubou pastoralist language.
Divehi / Maldivian (Dhivehi)
350,000 to 450,000 speakers; Region: Maldives; Family: Indo-European (Indo-Aryan/Sinhalese-related); Notes: official language, Thaana script.
Dogri
2,000,000 to 5,000,000 speakers; Region: Jammu (India), parts of Pakistan; Family: Indo-Aryan; Notes: recognized in India’s Eighth Schedule.
Dinka
2,000,000 to 3,000,000 speakers; Region: South Sudan; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Nilotic); Notes: several dialects; important to ethnic identity.
Nama / Damara
: 10,000 to 300,000 speakers (Nama tens of thousands; Damara inclusion increases totals); Region: Namibia, parts of Botswana; Family: Khoe (Khoisan / Khoe); Notes: click consonants; cultural heritage.
Duala
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Cameroon (coastal, Douala city); Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu/Benue-Congo influences); Notes: major trade/urban language.
Dyula / Dioula
1,000,000 to 5,000,000 speakers (L1/L2 combined); Region: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali; Family: Niger–Congo (Mande); Notes: trade lingua franca in the Sahel.
Dzongkha
600,000 to 800,000 speakers; Region: Bhutan; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Tibetic); Notes: official national language with Tibetan script influence.
Ekajuk
10,000 to 300,000 speakers (tens to low hundreds of thousands); Region: Cross River region, Nigeria; Family: Niger–Congo (Bantoid/Benue-Congo); Notes: local oral traditions.
Eskimo languages (Inuit/Yupik group)
10,000 to 99,000 speakers (combined; varies by variety); Region: Arctic (Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Siberia); Family: Eskimo–Aleut; Notes: vitality varies widely among varieties.
Ewe
6,000,000 to 8,000,000 speakers; Region: Ghana (Volta), Togo; Family: Niger–Congo (Gbe); Notes: major regional language with vibrant cultural life.
Ewondo
500,000 to 1,000,000 speakers; Region: central Cameroon (Yaoundé region); Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu); Notes: urban and market use.
Fanagalo
a few hundred to a few thousand users (pidgin); Region: Southern Africa (mining/agriculture); Family: English/Zulu-based pidgin; Notes: historically a contact lingua franca.
Fang
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon; Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu); Notes: significant regional role.
Fanti
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: coastal Ghana (Central region); Family: Niger–Congo (Akan cluster); Notes: close to Akan/Twi; widespread in local media
Fijian
300,000 to 600,000 speakers (including L2); Region: Fiji; Family: Austronesian (Oceanic); Notes: official language with multiple dialects.
Fon
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Benin, Togo; Family: Niger–Congo (Gbe); Notes: important in Beninese culture and Vodun liturgy.
Formosan (Taiwan indigenous languages)
800,000 to 1,500,000 speakers; Region100 to 30,000 speakers across dozens of distinct languages (many endangered); Region: Taiwan; Family: Austronesian (primary branch); Notes: earliest Austronesian diversification; active revitalization
Frisian
500,000 to 1,000,000 speakers (West Frisian ≈350,000); Region: Netherlands (Friesland), Germany (North Frisia), Denmark; Family: Germanic (West Germanic); Notes: historically close to English.
Ga
700,000 to 1,000,000 speakers; Region: Greater Accra Region, Ghana; Family: Niger–Congo (Kwa); Notes: urban language with cultural prominence.
Galician
2,400,000 to 3,000,000 speakers; Region: Galicia, NW Spain; Family: Indo-European (Romance); Notes: closely related to Portuguese; strong literature.
Gondi
2,000,000 to 3,000,000 speakers; Region: central India (Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra); Family: Dravidian; Notes: major tribal language with several dialects.
Grebo
200,000 to 900,000 speakers (varies by dialect); Region: Liberia and neighboring areas; Family: Niger–Congo (Kru); Notes: local cultural presence
Greenlandic (Kalaallisut)
50,000 to 60,000 speakers; Region: Greenland; Family: Eskimo–Aleut (Inuit); Notes: official language with wide use.
Haida
12 to 300 speakers (dozens to low hundreds); Region: Haida Gwaii (BC, Canada), Alaska; Family: language isolate; Notes: critical revitalization/documentation programs.
Hakha Chin (Hakha Lai)
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: Chin State, Myanmar and refugee/diaspora communities; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Kuki-Chin); Notes: literacy via Bible translations.
Haryanvi
2,000,000 to 10,000,000 speakers (several million); Region: Haryana, India and parts of Delhi; Family: Indo-Aryan; Notes: regional dialect with folk music.
Hawaiian
20,000 to 50,000 speakers (few hundred native speakers; several thousand L2); Region: Hawaiian Islands (USA); Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: significant revival through immersion schools.
Herero
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: Namibia, Botswana; Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu); Notes: pastoralist communities.
Himachali (Western Pahari cluster)
100,000 to 2,000,000 speakers (varies by dialect grouping); Region: Himachal Pradesh, India; Family: Indo-Aryan (Pahari subgroup); Notes: cluster of regional dialects with local literature.
Hiri Motu
50,000 to 100,000 speakers (including L2); Region: Papua New Guinea; Family: Austronesian-derived pidgin (Motu); Notes: formerly a lingua franca
Hupa
12 to 99 speakers (dozens); Region: Hoopa Valley, Northwestern California (USA); Family: Athabaskan (Northern branch); Notes: revitalization efforts
Icelandic
350,000 to 380,000 speakers; Region: Iceland; Family: Indo-European (North Germanic); Notes: highly conservative written standard and strong literary tradition.
Irish (Gaeilge)
1,700,000 speakers with some competence; 100,000 to 200,000 daily speakers; Region: Ireland (Gaeltacht and diaspora); Family: Celtic (Goidelic); Notes: official language with active revival programs.
Iu Mien
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and diaspora; Family: Hmong-Mien; Notes: diaspora communities with cultural networks
Region
Guatemala (highlands); Family: Mayan; Notes: K’iche’ linked to Popol Vuh manuscript tradition
Koyaka / Koyaga
10,000 to 400,000 speakers (small to medium depending on dialect); Region: Côte d’Ivoire; Family: Niger–Congo (Mande); Notes: local usage.
Kunama
100,000 to 200,000 speakers; Region: Eritrea, parts of Ethiopia; Family: Nilo-Saharan (classification contested); Notes: local agricultural/pastoral communities.
Kanuri
3,000,000 to 6,000,000 speakers; Region: Lake Chad region (Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon); Family: Nilo-Saharan (Kanuri group/Songhay debates); Notes: historical lingua franca of Kanem-Bornu.
Karen (S’gaw, Pwo, Pa’o, etc.):
300,000 to 3,000,000 speakers (varies by variety); Region: Myanmar (Karen states), Thailand; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Karenic); Notes: extensive missionary translation history.
Kayah (Karenni / Kayah Li)
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: Kayah State, Myanmar; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Karenic); Notes: local scripts and literacy initiatives.
Kayah (Karenni / Kayah Li)
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: Kayah State, Myanmar; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Karenic); Notes: local scripts and literacy initiatives.
Kisi (Kissi)
200,000 to 400,000 speakers; Region: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia; Family: Niger–Congo (Mande); Notes: local trade language.
Krio
4,000,000 to 5,000,000 speakers (mostly L2 users); Region: Sierra Leone; Family: English-based Atlantic Creole; Notes: national lingua franca and media use.
Kru (Kru languages}
200,000 to 2,000,000 speakers (varies by language); Region: Ivory Coast, Liberia; Family: Niger–Congo (Kru); Notes: multiple related languages
Lozi
Maay Maay (Maay / May May Somali dialect)
2,000,000 to 3,000,000 speakers; Region: southern Somalia; Family: Afroasiatic (Cushitic—Somali branch); Notes: distinct from Northern Somali (Maxaa).
Maltese
500,000 to 600,000 speakers; Region: Malta; Family: Afroasiatic (Semitic, Siculo-Arabic base with heavy Romance lexicon); Notes: EU official language; Latin script.
Mandingo / Mandinka
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers (Mandinka); Region: West Africa (Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali); Family: Niger–Congo (Mande); Notes: griot oral epic traditions.
Manipuri (Meitei
1,500,000 to 2,500,000 speakers; Region: Manipur (India), parts of Assam and Tripura; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman); Notes: Meitei Mayek script revival and rich literature.
Māori (New Zealand Māori):
150,000 to 200,000 speakers (including L2; daily fluent speakers fewer); Region: New Zealand; Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: strong revival through kura and media.
Marshallese
200,000 to 400,000 speakers; Region: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia; Family: Niger–Congo (Mande); Notes: local trade language.
Maranao (Marawi
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Lanao del Sur, Mindanao (Philippines); Family: Austronesian (Philippine subgroup); Notes: rich musical/literary tradition; predominantly Muslim
Navajo (Diné Bizaad)
100,000 to 170,000 fluent speakers (ethnic population ~170,000–200,000); Region: Navajo Nation (AZ, NM, UT, USA); Family: Athabaskan (Na-Dene); Notes: largest Native American language in the US; strong cultural/education programs.
Ndebele (Northern/Southern)
Northern Ndebele ≈1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Southern Ndebele several hundred thousand; Region: Zimbabwe (N), South Africa (S); Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu, Nguni); Notes: related to Zulu and other Nguni languages.
Newari (Nepal Bhasa)
700,000 to 1,000,000 speakers; Region: Kathmandu Valley, Nepal; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Newaric / Tibeto-Burman); Notes: rich classical literature and historical urban role.
Nauruan
6,000 to 10,000 speakers; Region: Nauru; Family: Austronesian (Micronesian/Polynesian contact); Notes: national island language.
Niuean
: 8,000 to 10,000 speakers (including diaspora L2); Region: Niue and diaspora (New Zealand); Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: small Polynesian language with strong diaspora.
Nubian languages
12,000 to 300,000 speakers (varies by variety); Region: northern Sudan, southern Egypt; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Nubian); Notes: ancient Nile Valley roots and multiple varieties.
Nuer
700,000 to 1,200,000 speakers; Region: South Sudan, Ethiopia; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Nilotic); Notes: pastoralist-oriented language with oral history.
Pohnpeian
10,000 to 15,000 speakers; Region: Pohnpei State (FSM); Family: Austronesian (Micronesian); Notes: local administration and traditional lore.
Rohingya
500,000 to 1,000,000 speakers (pre-crisis estimates; many displaced); Region: Rakhine State (Myanmar), refugee camps in Bangladesh, diaspora; Family: Indo-European (Indo-Aryan); Notes: humanitarian and displacement context.
Samoan
200,000 to 400,000 speakers (including diaspora); Region: Samoa, American Samoa, NZ, Australia; Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: strong cultural continuity and church/school use.
Tongan
100,000 to 200,000 speakers (including diaspora); Region: Tonga, diaspora (NZ/Australia); Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: central Polynesian language with cultural roles.
Sango
250,000 L1; widely used as L2 by up to millions (approx.); Region: Central African Republic (national lingua franca); Family: Ubangian / creolized French influence; Notes: national media and administrative use.
Sidamo (Sidama):
2,000,000 to 4,000,000 speakers; Region: southern Ethiopia (Sidama zone); Family: Afroasiatic (Cushitic, Highland East Cushitic); Notes: strong cultural identity and recent regional autonomy.
Soninke
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia; Family: Niger–Congo (Mande); Notes: historical ties to Ghana (Wagadou) empire.
Susu (Soussou)
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Guinea (coastal), Sierra Leone; Family: Niger–Congo (Mande); Notes: coastal trade and local identity.
Syriac (Classical / Neo-Aramaic liturgical forms)
10,000 to 300,000 speakers (tens to low hundreds of thousands); Region: Iraq, Syria and diaspora/liturgical communities worldwide; Family: Afroasiatic (Semitic); Notes: ancient liturgical Christian language; Neo-Aramaic dialects continue.
Tahitian
50,000 to 100,000 speakers (including L2); Region: French Polynesia (Tahiti, Society Islands); Family: Austronesian (Polynesian); Notes: rich oral/poetic traditions
Tibetan (dialect cluster)
1,500,000 to 6,000,000 speakers (depending on dialect grouping); Region: Tibet (China), parts of India (Ladakh, Sikkim), Nepal, Bhutan; Family: Sino-Tibetan (Tibetic); Notes: classical Tibetan as liturgical/literary standard.
Tigre
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Eritrea (western lowlands), parts of Sudan; Family: Afroasiatic (Semitic); Notes: distinct from Tigrinya; regional importance.
Tiwi
100 to 3,000 speakers (very small); Region: Tiwi Islands (Australia); Family: Australian (Tiwi isolate debated); Notes: unique island language with distinct grammar
Tsonga (Xitsonga)
2,000,000 to 4,000,000 speakers; Region: South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe; Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu); Notes: recognized in South Africa with media/education presence
Uighur (Uyghur)
10,000,000 to 12,000,000 speakers; Region: Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (China), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey (diaspora); Family: Turkic (Karluk branch); Notes: rich literary tradition and currently subject to political pressures
Venda (Tshivenḓa)
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: northern South Africa (Limpopo), small communities in Zimbabwe; Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu); Notes: official language in South Africa with ritual/cultural roles.
Welsh (Cymraeg)
600,000 to 900,000 speakers (daily users ≈500,000); Region: Wales (UK); Family: Celtic (Brythonic); Notes: strong revival with media, legislation and bilingual education.
Yapese
: 5,000 to 15,000 speakers; Region: Yap State (FSM); Family: Austronesian (Micronesian); Notes: distinctive linguistic features; traditional navigation vocabulary
Lak / Lezghian (Lezgian)
Lak ≈150,000 to 200,000 speakers; Lezghian ≈600,000 to 800,000 speakers; Region: Dagestan (Russia), parts of Azerbaijan; Family: Northeast Caucasian; Notes: rich local oral/literary traditions
Ma’di
100,000 to 400,000 speakers; Region: northern Uganda, South Sudan; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Central Sudanic); Notes: cross-border community language.
Mam
500,000 to 1,000,000 speakers; Region: Guatemala (western highlands), Mexico (Chiapas); Family: Mayan (Quichean-Mamean); Notes: active community media and education in some areas.
Mapudungun / Mapuche
200,000 to 300,000 speakers (duplicate of earlier Mapudungun entry); Region: southern Chile and Argentina; Family: language isolate; Notes: central to Mapuche cultural identity.
Maranao
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers (duplicate of earlier Maranao entry); Region: Lanao del Sur, Mindanao (Philippines); Family: Austronesian; Notes: rich music and literature.
Meo (Mewati)
300,000 to 2,000,000 speakers (depending on dialect inclusion); Region: Mewat (Rajasthan), India; Family: Indo-Aryan; Notes: rural dialect cluster with local identity.
Mohawk
3,000 to 5,000 speakers; Region: Canada (Quebec, Ontario), USA (New York); Family: Iroquoian; Notes: active revitalization and immersion schooling.
Nubian languages
12,000 to 300,000 speakers (varies by variety; duplicate earlier); Region: northern Sudan, southern Egypt; Family: Nilo-Saharan (Nubian); Notes: multiple distinct varieties.
O’odham (Tohono O’odham / Pima):
20,000 to 30,000 speakers; Region: southern Arizona (USA), Sonora (Mexico); Family: Uto-Aztecan (O’odham branch); Notes: bilingual communities and revitalization.
Palauan
12,000 to 20,000 speakers; Region: Palau; Family: Austronesian (Micronesian/Palauan subgroup debated); Notes: national language with English/Japanese influences.
Papiamento
: 300,000 to 400,000 speakers; Region: Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire (Caribbean Netherlands); Family: Portuguese/Spanish/Dutch/African substrate Creole; Notes: widely used in everyday media
Pennsylvania German (Pennsylvania Dutch)
200,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: USA (Pennsylvania and diaspora among Old Order communities); Family: West Germanic (German dialect); Notes: intergenerational use in Anabaptist groups.
Sandawe
1,000 to 9,000 speakers (very small); Region: Tanzania (near Lake Eyasi); Family: language isolate or Khoisan-type with clicks; Notes: unique click phonology; endangered.
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
57,000 to 100,000 speakers (daily users fewer); Region: Scotland (Highlands, islands), diaspora; Family: Celtic (Goidelic); Notes: revitalization via education and broadcasting.
Selkup
100 to 3,000 speakers (very small); Region: Siberia (Ob River region); Family: Uralic (Samoyedic); Notes: endangered and scattered communities
Siksika (Blackfoot)
100 to 3,000 speakers (small); Region: Canada (Alberta) and USA (Montana); Family: Algic (Algonquian — Blackfoot group); Notes: cultural importance and revitalization efforts.
Talysh
500,000 to 900,000 speakers; Region: NW Iran and SE Azerbaijan (Caucasus); Family: Indo-European (Iranian); Notes: regional minority language with dialect variation
Tausug
1,000,000 to 2,000,000 speakers; Region: Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao (Philippines); Family: Austronesian (Philippine subgroup); Notes: local lingua franca with Islamic cultural ties
Toki Pona
0 to 5,000 speakers (constructed minimalist language with a small hobbyist community); Region: global hobbyists; Family: constructed; Notes: minimalist philosophical language (created 2001).
Tooro / Rutooro
Tooro Kingdom region (western Uganda); Family: Niger–Congo (Bantu); Notes: regional Bantu language with kingdom identity.
Ulithian
1,000 to 9,000 speakers (small); Region: Ulithi Atoll (Caroline Islands, FSM); Family: Austronesian (Micronesian); Notes: traditional seafaring vocabulary
Volapük
0 speakers (constructed 19th-century auxiliary language; tiny hobbyist community); Region: global hobbyists; Family: constructed; Notes: historically influential in the auxiliary movement.
Wasteko (Huasteco / Teenek)
150,000 to 300,000 speakers; Region: northeast Mexico (Huasteca region); Family: Mayan (Huastecan branch); Notes: distinct Mayan variety with regional traditions.
Zuni
9,000 to 12,000 speakers; Region: Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico (USA); Family: language isolate; Notes: strong cultural role with active language maintenance.
