Mdthbs

Chess software to analyze games

Is there any road between the CA State Route 120 and Sherman Pass Road (Forest Route 22S0) that crosses Yosemite/Serria/Sequoia National Park/Forest?

"Silverware", "Tableware", and "Dishes"

90s(?) book series about two people transported to a parallel medieval world, she joins city watch, he becomes wizard

!I!n!s!e!r!t! !n!b!e!t!w!e!e!n!

What is the maximum static positive modifier to a melee attack's damage?

How could Tony Stark wield the Infinity Nano Gauntlet - at all?

Metal that glows when near pieces of itself

Why don't sharp and flat root note chords seem to be present in much guitar music?

Why the color Red in Us, what is the significance?

Do living authors still get paid royalties for their old work?

Interaction between Ethereal Absolution versus Edgar Markov with Captivating Vampire

My two team members in a remote location don't get along with each other; how can I improve working relations?

What animal has fat with the highest energy density?

How to think about joining a company whose business I do not understand?

How can I describe being temporarily stupid?

What are the ramifications of this change to upcasting spells?

Are unaudited server logs admissible in a court of law?

Have only girls been born for a long time in this village?

How do neutron star binaries form?

How to dismiss intrusive questions from a colleague with whom I don't work?

The Lucky House

Is this kind of description not recommended?

How could China have extradited people for political reason under the extradition law it wanted to pass in Hong Kong?

Minimum population for language survival

What is the difference between a “mixed language” and a “creole”?Is Yiddish a creole language? And if not, what is it?Are there creoles of three languages?Is anyone studying change in constructed language?Has the internet had an effect on language change?Globalized mass-media deterring language or dialects differentiationDo mixed languages have families?A language that was a creole/pidgin long agoHelp identifying words in unknown language from the CaribbeanHave modern languages slowed down or even stopped from language change?

.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}

5

3

What is the minimum population required to keep a language alive?

language-change creoles dead-languages

share|improve this question

asked Aug 16 at 12:50

U3.1415926U3.1415926

12944 bronze badges

New contributor

U3.1415926 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

5

3

What is the minimum population required to keep a language alive?

language-change creoles dead-languages

share|improve this question

asked Aug 16 at 12:50

U3.1415926U3.1415926

12944 bronze badges

New contributor

U3.1415926 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

add a comment | 

What is the minimum population required to keep a language alive?

language-change creoles dead-languages

share|improve this question

asked Aug 16 at 12:50

U3.1415926U3.1415926

12944 bronze badges

New contributor

U3.1415926 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

asked Aug 16 at 12:50

U3.1415926U3.1415926

12944 bronze badges

New contributor

U3.1415926 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

asked Aug 16 at 12:50

U3.1415926U3.1415926

12944 bronze badges

New contributor

U3.1415926 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

asked Aug 16 at 12:50

U3.1415926U3.1415926

12944 bronze badges

New contributor

U3.1415926 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

asked Aug 16 at 12:50

U3.1415926U3.1415926

12944 bronze badges

3 Answers
3

active

oldest

votes

3

Theoretically, there isn't a minimum population for a language to survive, because a speech community can theoretically be of any size. Even if the speech community dwindles to one person, that last person isn't going to stop transmitting his language if he isn't exposed to any other languages.

However, this isn't a practical case, because the last speakers of a language are going to be exposed to other languages. Speakers of any language, no matter what number of people speak it, will tend to gravitate towards more prestigious languages. This can happen to a language with any number of speakers; for example, speakers of Chinese who immigrate to the United States will tend to learn English, and eventually may stop transmitting Chinese to the next generation, because English has more prestige than Chinese in the United States.

But for a language to become extinct, all speakers would have to give up the language. This would usually happen in the case of minority languages whose speakers are all exposed to a more prestigious language (e.g. aboriginal languages spoken in a country with a different predominant language).

As for the actual number of speakers necessary in practice for a language to survive, I don't know what, if any, empirical data there is. But since you are looking specifically for the minimum, in optimal conditions there is none.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 15:08

answered Aug 16 at 14:14

b ab a

2,0651414 silver badges2828 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think you have confused two different issues: survival and monolingualism. A language can survive even if all its speakers are multilingual.
  
  – fdb
  Aug 16 at 14:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  My question was mostly concerning small island minorities, who manage to keep their language: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammalsvenskby
  
  – U3.1415926
  Aug 16 at 14:45
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @fdb I deleted the word "monolingual" since it was unnecessary, but it was only an example. Nothing else I wrote has to do with monolingualism (though monolingualism would certainly help a language to survive)
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @U3.1415926 I don't think that would change the answer unless you are specifically looking for field data
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:11
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @U3.1415926 But if that one person eventually has a child to whom he or she transmits the language and they don't assimilate with other language speakers, the language is still alive despite its small number of speakers
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:44
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

1

Language transmission can occur in different ways. Generally, a language is learned inside a group social. So, theoretically, without considering external considerations (peer pressure, motivation, ...), it can be two persons at least a learner and a teacher without having necessarily a familial relationship; or two genitors who give birth to children and transmit their language. If this condition is met at each generation, so it can survive.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 days ago

amegnunsenamegnunsen

1,07611 gold badge22 silver badges99 bronze badges

add a comment | 

1

The answer is zero.

Hebrew became extinct after around 200 and 400 CE and got revived in the 19th century.

There also are fluent Klingon speakers (the imaginary language spoken by the Klingons in Star Trek). Including some documented fluent Klingon kids.

share|improve this answer

edited 2 days ago

answered 2 days ago

Denis de BernardyDenis de Bernardy

14688 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The people in Star Trek who speak Klingon are the Klingons, not the Klingonese.
  
  – KRyan
  2 days ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There was never a time between then and now that no one spoke Hebrew, since it was used for religious purposes. There were times that no one spoke it as a first language, but that would mean that 0 native speakers are necessary, not 0 speakers
  
  – b a
  2 days ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @ba: What you say is incorrect insofar as I've learned and insofar as the references provided in the linked Wikipedia article to back this up are concerned. For several centuries Hebrew was a strictly literary language: some were able to read and write it but no one actually spoke it. It's a bit like Latin in this respect. And to the best of my knowledge modern Hebrew pronunciation is very much like modern Latin pronunciation: a best guess as to what it may have sounded like.
  
  – Denis de Bernardy
  2 days ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Wikipedia doesn't say that Hebrew became extinct. It says "Hebrew had ceased to be an everyday spoken language ..." and "Mishnaic Hebrew extinct ... surviving as a liturgical language". The pronunciation of Modern Hebrew isn't a guess; it's the product of multiple living reading traditions (which still exist) that underwent sound changes just like every language does
  
  – b a
  2 days ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @ba: "Wikipedia doesn't say that Hebrew became extinct." -- correct me if I'm wrong but that's basically what the references say. More specifically, they say that it became a literary language, which is what Latin is today -- which to the best of my knowledge is extinct, and no longer spoken except in esoteric spheres of latinists if that.
  
  – Denis de Bernardy
  yesterday
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

Your Answer

StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "312"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});

U3.1415926 is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.

draft saved

draft discarded

Sign up or log in

StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});

Sign up using Google

Sign up using Facebook

Sign up using Email and Password

Post as a guest

Name

Email

Required, but never shown

StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2flinguistics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f32181%2fminimum-population-for-language-survival%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest

Name

Email

Required, but never shown

3

Theoretically, there isn't a minimum population for a language to survive, because a speech community can theoretically be of any size. Even if the speech community dwindles to one person, that last person isn't going to stop transmitting his language if he isn't exposed to any other languages.

However, this isn't a practical case, because the last speakers of a language are going to be exposed to other languages. Speakers of any language, no matter what number of people speak it, will tend to gravitate towards more prestigious languages. This can happen to a language with any number of speakers; for example, speakers of Chinese who immigrate to the United States will tend to learn English, and eventually may stop transmitting Chinese to the next generation, because English has more prestige than Chinese in the United States.

But for a language to become extinct, all speakers would have to give up the language. This would usually happen in the case of minority languages whose speakers are all exposed to a more prestigious language (e.g. aboriginal languages spoken in a country with a different predominant language).

As for the actual number of speakers necessary in practice for a language to survive, I don't know what, if any, empirical data there is. But since you are looking specifically for the minimum, in optimal conditions there is none.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 15:08

answered Aug 16 at 14:14

b ab a

2,0651414 silver badges2828 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think you have confused two different issues: survival and monolingualism. A language can survive even if all its speakers are multilingual.
  
  – fdb
  Aug 16 at 14:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  My question was mostly concerning small island minorities, who manage to keep their language: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammalsvenskby
  
  – U3.1415926
  Aug 16 at 14:45
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @fdb I deleted the word "monolingual" since it was unnecessary, but it was only an example. Nothing else I wrote has to do with monolingualism (though monolingualism would certainly help a language to survive)
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @U3.1415926 I don't think that would change the answer unless you are specifically looking for field data
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:11
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @U3.1415926 But if that one person eventually has a child to whom he or she transmits the language and they don't assimilate with other language speakers, the language is still alive despite its small number of speakers
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:44
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

3

Theoretically, there isn't a minimum population for a language to survive, because a speech community can theoretically be of any size. Even if the speech community dwindles to one person, that last person isn't going to stop transmitting his language if he isn't exposed to any other languages.

However, this isn't a practical case, because the last speakers of a language are going to be exposed to other languages. Speakers of any language, no matter what number of people speak it, will tend to gravitate towards more prestigious languages. This can happen to a language with any number of speakers; for example, speakers of Chinese who immigrate to the United States will tend to learn English, and eventually may stop transmitting Chinese to the next generation, because English has more prestige than Chinese in the United States.

But for a language to become extinct, all speakers would have to give up the language. This would usually happen in the case of minority languages whose speakers are all exposed to a more prestigious language (e.g. aboriginal languages spoken in a country with a different predominant language).

As for the actual number of speakers necessary in practice for a language to survive, I don't know what, if any, empirical data there is. But since you are looking specifically for the minimum, in optimal conditions there is none.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 15:08

answered Aug 16 at 14:14

b ab a

2,0651414 silver badges2828 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think you have confused two different issues: survival and monolingualism. A language can survive even if all its speakers are multilingual.
  
  – fdb
  Aug 16 at 14:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  My question was mostly concerning small island minorities, who manage to keep their language: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammalsvenskby
  
  – U3.1415926
  Aug 16 at 14:45
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @fdb I deleted the word "monolingual" since it was unnecessary, but it was only an example. Nothing else I wrote has to do with monolingualism (though monolingualism would certainly help a language to survive)
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @U3.1415926 I don't think that would change the answer unless you are specifically looking for field data
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:11
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @U3.1415926 But if that one person eventually has a child to whom he or she transmits the language and they don't assimilate with other language speakers, the language is still alive despite its small number of speakers
  
  – b a
  Aug 16 at 15:44
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

Theoretically, there isn't a minimum population for a language to survive, because a speech community can theoretically be of any size. Even if the speech community dwindles to one person, that last person isn't going to stop transmitting his language if he isn't exposed to any other languages.

However, this isn't a practical case, because the last speakers of a language are going to be exposed to other languages. Speakers of any language, no matter what number of people speak it, will tend to gravitate towards more prestigious languages. This can happen to a language with any number of speakers; for example, speakers of Chinese who immigrate to the United States will tend to learn English, and eventually may stop transmitting Chinese to the next generation, because English has more prestige than Chinese in the United States.

But for a language to become extinct, all speakers would have to give up the language. This would usually happen in the case of minority languages whose speakers are all exposed to a more prestigious language (e.g. aboriginal languages spoken in a country with a different predominant language).

As for the actual number of speakers necessary in practice for a language to survive, I don't know what, if any, empirical data there is. But since you are looking specifically for the minimum, in optimal conditions there is none.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 15:08

answered Aug 16 at 14:14

b ab a

2,0651414 silver badges2828 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 15:08

answered Aug 16 at 14:14

b ab a

2,0651414 silver badges2828 bronze badges

answered Aug 16 at 14:14

b ab a

2,0651414 silver badges2828 bronze badges

answered Aug 16 at 14:14

b ab a

2,0651414 silver badges2828 bronze badges

1

Language transmission can occur in different ways. Generally, a language is learned inside a group social. So, theoretically, without considering external considerations (peer pressure, motivation, ...), it can be two persons at least a learner and a teacher without having necessarily a familial relationship; or two genitors who give birth to children and transmit their language. If this condition is met at each generation, so it can survive.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 days ago

amegnunsenamegnunsen

1,07611 gold badge22 silver badges99 bronze badges

add a comment | 

1

Language transmission can occur in different ways. Generally, a language is learned inside a group social. So, theoretically, without considering external considerations (peer pressure, motivation, ...), it can be two persons at least a learner and a teacher without having necessarily a familial relationship; or two genitors who give birth to children and transmit their language. If this condition is met at each generation, so it can survive.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 days ago

amegnunsenamegnunsen

1,07611 gold badge22 silver badges99 bronze badges

add a comment | 

Language transmission can occur in different ways. Generally, a language is learned inside a group social. So, theoretically, without considering external considerations (peer pressure, motivation, ...), it can be two persons at least a learner and a teacher without having necessarily a familial relationship; or two genitors who give birth to children and transmit their language. If this condition is met at each generation, so it can survive.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 days ago

amegnunsenamegnunsen

1,07611 gold badge22 silver badges99 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

answered 2 days ago

amegnunsenamegnunsen

1,07611 gold badge22 silver badges99 bronze badges

answered 2 days ago

amegnunsenamegnunsen

1,07611 gold badge22 silver badges99 bronze badges

answered 2 days ago

amegnunsenamegnunsen

1,07611 gold badge22 silver badges99 bronze badges

1

The answer is zero.

Hebrew became extinct after around 200 and 400 CE and got revived in the 19th century.

There also are fluent Klingon speakers (the imaginary language spoken by the Klingons in Star Trek). Including some documented fluent Klingon kids.

share|improve this answer

edited 2 days ago

answered 2 days ago

Denis de BernardyDenis de Bernardy

14688 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The people in Star Trek who speak Klingon are the Klingons, not the Klingonese.
  
  – KRyan
  2 days ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There was never a time between then and now that no one spoke Hebrew, since it was used for religious purposes. There were times that no one spoke it as a first language, but that would mean that 0 native speakers are necessary, not 0 speakers
  
  – b a
  2 days ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @ba: What you say is incorrect insofar as I've learned and insofar as the references provided in the linked Wikipedia article to back this up are concerned. For several centuries Hebrew was a strictly literary language: some were able to read and write it but no one actually spoke it. It's a bit like Latin in this respect. And to the best of my knowledge modern Hebrew pronunciation is very much like modern Latin pronunciation: a best guess as to what it may have sounded like.
  
  – Denis de Bernardy
  2 days ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Wikipedia doesn't say that Hebrew became extinct. It says "Hebrew had ceased to be an everyday spoken language ..." and "Mishnaic Hebrew extinct ... surviving as a liturgical language". The pronunciation of Modern Hebrew isn't a guess; it's the product of multiple living reading traditions (which still exist) that underwent sound changes just like every language does
  
  – b a
  2 days ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @ba: "Wikipedia doesn't say that Hebrew became extinct." -- correct me if I'm wrong but that's basically what the references say. More specifically, they say that it became a literary language, which is what Latin is today -- which to the best of my knowledge is extinct, and no longer spoken except in esoteric spheres of latinists if that.
  
  – Denis de Bernardy
  yesterday
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

1

The answer is zero.

Hebrew became extinct after around 200 and 400 CE and got revived in the 19th century.

There also are fluent Klingon speakers (the imaginary language spoken by the Klingons in Star Trek). Including some documented fluent Klingon kids.

share|improve this answer

edited 2 days ago

answered 2 days ago

Denis de BernardyDenis de Bernardy

14688 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The people in Star Trek who speak Klingon are the Klingons, not the Klingonese.
  
  – KRyan
  2 days ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  There was never a time between then and now that no one spoke Hebrew, since it was used for religious purposes. There were times that no one spoke it as a first language, but that would mean that 0 native speakers are necessary, not 0 speakers
  
  – b a
  2 days ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @ba: What you say is incorrect insofar as I've learned and insofar as the references provided in the linked Wikipedia article to back this up are concerned. For several centuries Hebrew was a strictly literary language: some were able to read and write it but no one actually spoke it. It's a bit like Latin in this respect. And to the best of my knowledge modern Hebrew pronunciation is very much like modern Latin pronunciation: a best guess as to what it may have sounded like.
  
  – Denis de Bernardy
  2 days ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Wikipedia doesn't say that Hebrew became extinct. It says "Hebrew had ceased to be an everyday spoken language ..." and "Mishnaic Hebrew extinct ... surviving as a liturgical language". The pronunciation of Modern Hebrew isn't a guess; it's the product of multiple living reading traditions (which still exist) that underwent sound changes just like every language does
  
  – b a
  2 days ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @ba: "Wikipedia doesn't say that Hebrew became extinct." -- correct me if I'm wrong but that's basically what the references say. More specifically, they say that it became a literary language, which is what Latin is today -- which to the best of my knowledge is extinct, and no longer spoken except in esoteric spheres of latinists if that.
  
  – Denis de Bernardy
  yesterday
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

The answer is zero.

Hebrew became extinct after around 200 and 400 CE and got revived in the 19th century.

There also are fluent Klingon speakers (the imaginary language spoken by the Klingons in Star Trek). Including some documented fluent Klingon kids.

share|improve this answer

edited 2 days ago

answered 2 days ago

Denis de BernardyDenis de Bernardy

14688 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited 2 days ago

answered 2 days ago

Denis de BernardyDenis de Bernardy

14688 bronze badges

answered 2 days ago

Denis de BernardyDenis de Bernardy

14688 bronze badges

answered 2 days ago

Denis de BernardyDenis de Bernardy

14688 bronze badges