Ethnologue Journal
Welcome to the 27th edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of the 27th edition of Ethnologue.
"Global Voice" Initiative
The Global Voice (GV) initiative is a program launched by Ethnologue to improve the quality of the data that is available on the language ecologies of the world.
Welcome to the 26th edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of the 26th edition of Ethnologue.
Welcome to the 25th edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of the 25th edition of Ethnologue.
Welcome to the 24th edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of Ethnologue, 24th edition.
Welcome to the 23rd edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of Ethnologue, 23rd edition.
Changes at Ethnologue.com
We're making some changes, including adding new plans, removing page counts, and introducing our new Contributor Program.
Welcome to the 22nd edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of Ethnologue, 22nd edition.
Welcome to the 21st edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of Ethnologue, 21st edition.
Welcome to the 20th edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to announce the release of Ethnologue, 20th edition.
Introducing Ethnologue Guides
How many languages are there in the world? If you're familiar with the Ethnologue, you already know that the answer is in the thousands. But what does that really look like? Where are these languages?
Welcome to the 19th edition
As our contribution to the celebration of International Mother Language Day, we are pleased to release Ethnologue, 19th edition.
Looking back and looking ahead
At the end of this month we'll release the 19th edition of the Ethnologue. We look forward to the changes and updates that will be part of that. At the same time I take a look back at the last 10 years and the changes I've seen during my time as an editor.
Entering a new year together
As we enter a new year, we are entering the final stretch in preparation for the 19th edition.
Ethnologue launches subscription service
The team of personnel who now work on Ethnologue has grown as the scope of the project and the number and kinds of products we offer have expanded. The time has come where our growth and our plans for continued improvement require us to look at some additional funding options.
Ghost Languages? Ghostbusters needed!
'Ghost languages' refers to the cases where the Ethnologue lists languages for which there is no real evidence of their existence. These are not languages that are extinct, so-called 'dead languages'.
Migration and Language Contact
Migration has been happening since the beginning of time and happens for many different reasons. Whatever the cause, the movement of people also means the movement of languages.
What I did on my summer vacation...
Summer vacations are supposed to be restful. Not this one!
The books are here!
Last month, I talked about the process, this month, some details on the books themselves...
Tom Swift and His Electronic Book Machine
Sometime in the next few weeks the 18th edition print volumes should become available through your preferred bookseller. This post isn't about the details of the new edition. It is about the process we use to produce them and demonstrates the ongoing development of the Ethnologue as a source for useful information.
Language extinction: it's real, it's serious, and it's hard (but getting easier) to assess
In response to a comment on last month's Ethnoblog post, we share some thoughts on the extinction of languages (language endangerment and death) that we hope will clear up some confusion.
More use of the Ethnologue data...
There is a growing body of evidence that linguistic diversity and biological diversity are somehow linked to each other. A recent publication examines that using Ethnologue data.
Web Surfing in every language and the Ethnologue
We've mentioned before how others are making use of the Ethnologue, but a major report on internet connectivity is one of the first to use the Ethnologue Global Dataset.
Welcome to the 18th edition!
In recognition of International Mother Language Day, we are happy to be able to update the Ethnologue to its 18th edition.
What we are working on here at Ethnologue Central
After the holiday break, Ethnologue Central has burst into a flurry of activity. Here are some of the things that we are working on.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from all of us here at Ethnologue Central. We're taking a short break but are gearing up for the release of the 18th edition. Exciting things to come in 2015!
For unto you a multilingual son is born
As Christians begin the celebration of Advent, few of us (except us language geeks) pause to think about what languages were used for all of the words that accompanied that event.
Ethnologue in print and for download
We're happy to announce that the Ethnologue, 17th edition is now available in print.
How NOT to use the Ethnologue
Many people turn to the Ethnologue as their source for information about languages, but there are some things you shouldn't take for granted...
Vladimir Putin, Language Ideology, and Tracking Multilingualism
In its May 10th edition The Economist cited the Ethnologue as a source for its article poking fun at Vlaimir Putin's language ideology.
Sustainable Language Use
The EGIDS is our own scale that we developed to enable us to evaluate the vitality of the world's languages. It is the cornerstone of a larger framework that we call the Sustainable Use Model. Here's a brief description of that model.
Books, Reports, Maps!
Still like the feel of paper in your hands? Check out Ethnologue's print and printable products.
Join the Conversation!
Last month we launched a new way for Ethnologue users to interact with the editors by adding a feedback function to the website. This month, I give a fuller description of the way it all works and describe some of the advantages of engaging in conversation with us.
Check out the new Ethnologue!
In spite of some delays and a number of technical issues, I'm happy to report that the Ethnologue website you are looking at is now new and improved with the latest data and with several new features.
In Memoriam: Barbara F. Grimes (1930-2014)
The Ethnologue staff and all the SIL family were saddened to hear of the passing on March 1, 2014 of Barbara F. Grimes, editor emerita of the Ethnologue.
Languages of the world by the numbers...
We didn't make our goal of getting the website updated last week, but we can report some new statistics...
A hint of things to come...
It's been a year since the redesigned Ethnologue website was launched. Now it's time for an update and more.
Best Wishes for 2014
All the best for 2014 from all of us at the Ethnologue!
EuLaViBar - Another Way to Evaluate Vitality
Last June I was privileged to be a participant in the closing conference of the ELDIA Project, a good example of how an in-depth and interdisciplinary analysis of the situation of a language can be carried out.
Functions of Languages in Countries
In addition to the EGIDS status, mentioned in an earlier Ethnoblog post, we have also implemented a new system for identifying the function(s) that a language may have in the country where it is spoken.
Nailing Jello to the Wall: Language Identification
The Ethnologue deals with the languages of the world, so it would seem to be important that we be able to say what we mean when we refer to "a language".
So what's in a name?
Often there are more than one language called by the same name. Sometimes the same language is known by different names. In order to look up a specific language in such cases, you need more than just the name.
Why are Sign Languages Included in the Ethnologue?
Sign languages are not in the same category as all the other languages in Ethnologue, people say to me. What is the reason they are included right along with spoken languages?
Language Resources
Where did the language resources go?
Ethnologue in the News
It makes us happy when we see that others are making use of the Ethnologue.
Evaluating Endangerment and Development
The 17th edition of the Ethnologue has been online for a month now, and we are gratified by the response we have received.
One month later...
The 17th edition of the Ethnologue has been online for a month now, and we are gratified by the response we have received.
Welcome to the Ethnoblog!
This is the first of many posts to this blog in which we hope to discuss topics of interest to lovers of language.