Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 252, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1917 — Over 4,000 Languages Now; May Be Only Four Century Hence, Authorities Think [ARTICLE]

Over 4,000 Languages Now; May Be Only Four Century Hence, Authorities Think

If you are asked how many languages there -are In the world, can you give anything like an accurate answer? The average person’s knowledge or ability to speak languages rarely exceeds two besides his native tongue. The late Emperor Francis Josepji, when visiting a Red Cross hospital, spoke with the patients tn their own languages, which showed that the aged emperor* was a master of six. It may appear strange, but It Is nevertheless true, says an exchange, that there are over 4,000 languages spoken by mankind, while the number of dialects exceeds this. There are more than 60 vocabularies In Brazil, and In Mexico the Nahua is broken up into some 700 dialects. There are hundreds In Borneo, while in Australia there Is no classifying the complexities. Assuming that 50 dialects, om an average, belong to each language, gives the colossal total of a quarter of a million linguistic abilities. Some authorities think'that a century hence there will be only four languages of Importance in the world. Central Europe may produce a newer and more straightforward German lan* guage, imperial English may rslgn alone over the North American continent,and a more businesslike Spanish will be used in South American states, while Russian may take on some more rich Slavonic dialect, which will blend

the races of eastern Europe and central Asia into a harmonious federation. So that in the future these four languages Util enter into what may be a never-ending competition.