Lists of languages

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lists-of-languages

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the largest language family by speakers?The Indo-European language family accounts for over 3 billion speakers worldwide
2. What is a list of languages?A list of languages is a big collection that shows all the different ways people talk around the world. It helps people learn about how languages are related and how they change over time.
3. Why do scientists make lists of languages?Scientists use these lists to study how languages grew, how people moved, and how cultures share ideas. The lists also help find languages that might disappear soon.

Proto-language: A hypothetical reconstructed ancestral language from which related languages have descended.
Comparative Linguistics: The study of the relationships between languages by comparing their features, especially their sound systems and grammar.
Lingua Franca: A language systematically used to make communication possible between groups of people who do not share a native language.