Spurious Languages
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Spurious Languages
Spurious languages are languages that have been reported as existing in reputable works, while other research has reported that the language in question did not exist. Some spurious languages have been proven to not exist. Others have very little evidence supporting their existence, and have been dismissed in later scholarship. Others still are of uncertain existence due to limited research. Below is a sampling of languages that have been claimed to exist in reputable sources but have subsequently been disproved or challenged. In some cases a purported language is tracked down and turns out to be another, known language. This is common when language varieties are named after places or ethnicities. Some alleged languages turn out to be hoaxes, such as the Kukurá language of Brazil or the Taensa language of Louisiana. Others are honest errors that persist in the literature despite being corrected by the original authors; an example of this is ', the name given in 1892 to two ...
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Language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing system, writing. Human language is characterized by its cultural and historical diversity, with significant variations observed between cultures and across time. Human languages possess the properties of Productivity (linguistics), productivity and Displacement (linguistics), displacement, which enable the creation of an infinite number of sentences, and the ability to refer to objects, events, and ideas that are not immediately present in the discourse. The use of human language relies on social convention and is acquired through learning. Estimates of the number of human languages in the world vary between and . Precise estimates depend on an arbitrary distinction (dichotomy) established between languages and dialects. Natural languages are ...
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Ethnologue
''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It was first issued in 1951 and is now published by SIL International, an American evangelical Parachurch organization, Christian non-profit organization. Overview and content ''Ethnologue'' has been published by SIL Global (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics), a Christian linguistics, linguistic service organization with an international office in Dallas, Texas. The organization studies numerous minority languages to facilitate language development, and to work with speakers of such language communities in translating portions of the Bible into their languages. Despite the Christian orientation of its publisher, ''Ethnologue'' is not ideologically or theologically biased. ''Ethnologue'' includes alternative names and Exo ...
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Kaptiau Language
Kaptiau (Kapitiauw) is an Austronesian language spoken on the eastern north coast of Papua province, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, .... See also * Sarmi languages for a comparison with related languages References Languages of Western New Guinea Sarmi–Jayapura languages {{SarmiJayapura-lang-stub ...
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Tarpia Language
Tarpia is an Austronesian language spoken on the eastern north coast of Papua province, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, .... See also * Sarmi languages for a comparison with related languages References Languages of Western New Guinea Sarmi–Jayapura languages {{SarmiJayapura-lang-stub ...
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Mainstream Kenyah
Mainstream Kenyah, also known as Usun Apau and Bakung, is a Kenyah dialect cluster of North Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre .... Dialects fall into four clusters: *Lepo’ Tau, Lepo’ Bem, Uma’ Jalan, Uma’ Tukung *Lepo’ Ke, Lepo’ Kuda *Lepo’ Maut, Lepo’ Ndang, Badeng (Madang) *Bakung, Lepo’ Tepu’ (Lepo Teppu’). Phonology Consonants * Sounds can also occur as geminated or as unreleased in word-final . Vowels * can also occur as lax . * Sounds can also be heard as long . References External links * Kaipuleohone's archive of Robert Blust's work includes notes on Kenyah language Languages of Indonesia Kenyah languages Languages of Malaysia {{au-lang-stub ...
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Land Dayak Languages
The Land Dayak languages are a group of dozen or so languages spoken by the Bidayuh Land Dayaks of northwestern Borneo, and according to some sources, also spoken by the Rejang people of southwestern Sumatra, Indonesia. Languages ''Glottolog'' ''Glottolog'' classifies the Land Dayak languages as follows. *Benyadu-Bekati: Bekati (Bekatiq), Sara, Lara (Rara), Benyadu *Bidayuh: ** Bukar–Sadong (Serian) ** Biatah– Tringgus, Jagoi (Bau and Jagoi Babang district of Bengkayang Regency) *Southern: Djongkang, Kembayan (both in Sanggau Regency), Semandang (mainly in northern part of Ketapang Regency), Ribun, Sanggau In 2020, Semandang was split into Beginci, Gerai, and Semandang for ISO 639-3 by SIL International. Smith (2017) Smith (2017)Smith, Alexander. 2017. ''The Languages of Borneo: A Comprehensive Classification''. PhD Dissertation: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. classifies the Land Dayak languages as follows. * Banyadu- Bekati ( Banyadu, Bekati, Rara, ...
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Tanjijili Language
The Jijili language, ''Tanjijili'', also known as Ujijili, is a Plateau language of Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, .... It is one of several languages which go by the ethnic name Koro. References Languages of Nigeria South Plateau languages {{plateau-lang-stub ...
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Mutús Language
Timote, also known as Cuica or Timote–Cuica, is the language of the Timote–Cuica state in the Venezuelan Andes, around the present city of Mérida and south of Lake Maracaibo. The language is reported to have gone extinct in the early to mid 20th century. However, in 1977 it was reported that the indigenous village of Mutús, in the heart of the old Timote state, still spoke an indigenous language, which would presumably be Timote. The name is apparently Timote, as 'Timote' itself derives from ''ti-motɨ'' 'Mutú speakers', and ''mutú'' or ''mukú'' is a common toponym in the region. This lead had not been followed up as of Adelaar (2004). Dialects The Timote and Cuica peoples apparently spoke dialects of a single language; some of the last reports of Cuica claim it was nothing other than Timote. Data is limited, but the connection is clear in the numerals: Consonant clusters, somewhat unusual for the area, are found, especially in Cuica: ''kču'' 'bird', ''stots'' 'blo ...
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Wila' Language
Wila’, also Bila’ and Lowland Semang, are extinct Aslian languages of Malaya recorded on the Wellesley coast opposite Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ... in the early 19th century.Geoffrey Benjamin. 2004. 'Aslian languages', 'Aslian: characteristics and usage.', In: Asmah Hji Omar (volume editor), ''The encyclopedia of Malaysia, volume 12: Languages and literatures,'' Kuala Lumpur. Archipelago Press, pp. 46–49Geoffrey Benjamin, 2012. ‘The Aslian languages of Malaysia and Thailand: an assessment.’ In: Peter K. Austin & Stuart McGill (eds), ''Language Documentation and Description, Volume 11''. London: Endangered Languages Project, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), pp.136–230. References {{AustroAsiatic-lang-stub Languages of ...
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Wutana Language
A hypothetical Wutana language was mentioned in early editions of the Ethnologue as spoken in Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ..., but has now been removed. The inclusion of Wutana in the Ethnologue was based on two sentences in a 1922 article by Olive Temple: :There are 1,075 Wutana in Bauchi Emirate. (p. 367) and :105. Wutana, population 1,075 in Bauchi Emirate. (p. 431). Roger Blench also cites Temple in hiAtlas of Nigerian languages Nothing is known of this language apart from its name and location, including whether it even exists. Bibliography * Temple, Olive. 1922. ''Notes on the Tribes, Provinces, Emirates and States of the Northern Provinces of Nigeria''. Argus Printing and Publishing Co. Cape Town. pp. 367, 431. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wutana Lan ...
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Jiarongic Languages
The Gyalrongic languages (also known as Rgyalrongic or Jiarongic) constitute a branch of the Qiangic languages of Sino-Tibetan, but some propose that it may be part of a larger Rung languages group and do not consider it to be particularly closely related to Qiangic but suggest that similarities between Gyalrongic and Qiangic may be from areal influence. However, other work suggests that Qiangic as a whole may in fact be paraphyletic, with the only commonalities of the supposed "branch" being shared archaisms and areal features that were encouraged by language contact. Jacques & Michaud (2011) propose that Qiangic including Gyalrongic may belong to a larger Burmo-Qiangic group based on some lexical innovations. Geographical distribution The Gyalrongic languages are spoken in Sichuan in China, mainly in the autonomous Tibetan and Qiang prefectures of Karmdzes and Rngaba. These languages are distinguished by their conservative morphology and their phonological archaisms, which ...
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