The Lost “Golden Age” of Human Language

A new Science study reconstructs global language diversity across the Holocene using ethnographic data, prehistoric population estimates, and modeling.

It suggests the world likely reached a peak of tens of thousands of languages just 1,000 to 3,000 years ago, much later than many expected.

Since then, language numbers have fallen sharply to about 7,500 today, pointing to a long-term decline in linguistic diversity.

The findings imply major language losses began well before European colonial expansion and reshape the timeline of language evolution.