Ethnologue
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2008-06-14T15:12:55Z
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'''''Ethnologue: Languages of the World''''' is a web and print publication of [[SIL International]] (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics), a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[linguistics|linguistic]] service organization which studies lesser-known languages primarily to provide the speakers with [[Bible]]s in their native language.
The Ethnologue contains statistics for 6,912 [[language]]s in the 15th edition, released in [[2005]] (up from 6,809 in the 14th edition, released [[2000]]) and gives the number of speakers, location, dialects, linguistic affiliations, availability of the [[Bible]], and so forth. It is currently the most comprehensive existing language inventory, along with the [[Linguasphere Observatory|Linguasphere Register]]. However, some information regarding more esoteric languages is quite dated.
What counts as a language depends on socio-linguistic evaluation: see [[Dialect]]. Some accuse{{Fact|date=December 2007}} the Ethnologue of dividing languages, preferring to call the different varieties "dialects". In other cases, the Ethnologue has been accused of lumping together different languages as "dialects" of single languages. As the preface says, "Not all scholars share the same set of criteria for what constitutes a 'language' and what features define a 'dialect.'"
In 1984 the Ethnologue released a three-letter coding system, called '''SIL code''', to identify each language it describes. This set of codes significantly exceeded the scope of previous standards, e.g., [[ISO 639-1]]. The 14th edition, published in 2000, included 7148 language codes which generally did not match the [[ISO 639-2]] codes. In 2002 the Ethnologue was asked to work with the [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) to integrate its codes into a draft international standard. The Ethnologue now uses this standard, called [[ISO 639-3]]. The 15th edition which was published in 2005 includes 7299 codes.
In addition to choosing a primary name for the language, it also gives some of the names by which a language is called by its speakers, by the government, by foreigners, and by neighbors, as well as how it has been named and referenced historically, regardless of which designation is considered official, politically correct, or offensive, or by whom. This selection of "alternative names" is extensive, but often incomplete.
Ethnologue contains its fair share of errors. Some of the errors are fixed in every new edition; for instance, en route to the 14th edition, some languages such as [[Chenoua language|Chenoua]] were added, and some rumoured "languages" such as [[Nemadi language|Nemadi]] or [[Wutana language|Wutana]] were removed. Some possible remaining errors are discussed at [[Imraguen language]], [[Senhaja de Srair language]], [[Ghomara language]], [[Kwavi language]], [[Molengue language]], [[Yauma language]], [[Fer language]], [[Yeni language]], [[Hwla language]], and [[Ofayé]].
Bill Bright, editor of '''Language: Journal of the Linguistic Society of America''', wrote that it "is indispensable for any reference shelf on the languages of the world" (1986:698).
=== Statistics ===
In some cases Ethnologue's estimates about the number of the speakers of the languages do not concur with other sources. For example, in Ethnologue, the speakers of [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]] languages in [[Iran]] are estimated as 36% and 37%<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=IR Ethnologue estimation of languages in Iran]</ref>, respectively. In ''[[The World Factbook]]'', these percentages are estimated as 51% and 24%<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html#People Languages spoken in Iran according to CIA Factbook]</ref>. Sometimes the total numbers of speakers of languages in a country differ from the overall population figure: for example, for [[Croatia]], Ethnologue gives a total population of 4,496,869 while, remarkably, the number of Croatian speakers in Croatia is reported to be 4,800,000.
=== Old Information ===
Although Ethnologue is updated periodically, much of the information is old: The editors do not re-examine each entry for each new edition. One example is the figures for [[Ireland]], which rely on the census of 1983 even though three censuses have been held since then. Another is the classification of the [[Khoisan languages]], which dates from the 1960s and includes several spurious language entries, though some of these were deleted for the 15th edition.
== References ==
<references/>
Bright, William. 1986. Book Notice on Ethnologue. Language62:698.
==See also==
*[[Ethnologue list of most spoken languages]]
*[[Language]]
*[[List of languages]]
==External links==
*[http://www.ethnologue.com/ Web version of ''The Ethnologue'']
**[http://www.ethnologue.com/ethno_docs/introduction.asp Introduction to the Printed Volume]
**[http://www.ethnologue.com/codes/default.asp Three-letter codes for identifying languages]
**[http://www.ethnologue.com/codes/updating_codes.asp Three-letter codes for identifying languages: Updating codes from the 14th Edition to the 15th Edition]
**[http://www.ethnologue.com/ethno_docs/introduction.asp#history Ethnologue - History]
*[http://www.olestig.dk/reviews/ethnologue.html Review of the 15th edition, by Ole Stig Andersen] (''[[Danmarks Radio]]'')
*[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/19/science/19lang.html How Linguists and Missionaries Share a Bible of 6,912 Languages] (''[[New York Times]]'')
*[http://xml.coverpages.org/ISO6392-EthnologueRationale.pdf "Mapping Between ISO 639 and the SIL Ethnologue: Principles Used and Lessons Learned"]
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