Language Isolate

Most languages can be traced back to a larger language family, as many languages are related in some way and are descendants of the same older language. But what about the languages that are not a part of a larger language family? What if they make up their own family instead? Some languages across the world are not related to any other languages. In English linguistics, these are known as language isolates. For example, in Europe, the language isolate is the Basque language.

If you are unsure of the meaning of language isolates or can't think of any more examples of them, don't worry! We will now explore the meaning of language isolates, including some examples and lists of language isolates from around the world.

Language Isolate Meaning

Take a look at the meaning of a language isolate below:

It is unclear how many language isolates there are in total, but we will explore a few examples in this article!

Language Isolate Examples

Some examples of language isolates are:

Korean

Although some linguists believe it is part of the Altaic language family, Korean is widely regarded as the most commonly spoken language isolate. Around 74 million people speak Korean, which is currently the 14th most widely used language in the world.

Some basic Korean words and phrases are as follows:

Purépecha (also known as Tarascan) is a language isolate spoken in Mexico. There are around 140000 native speakers. Some examples of commonly used words and phrases are:

Greek is not a full language isolate, but is sometimes referred to as an Indo-European isolate. Greek - alongside other languages such as Armenian and Albanian - is a language that is part of a larger language family but forms its own branch. Although Greek belongs to the Indo-European language family, it does not belong to any official branches, such as Romance, Germanic, Slavic, etc.

List of Language Isolates

Here is a list of language isolates that are still being spoken:

Now here is a list of language isolates that are extinct (no longer existing):

Language Isolate vs. Unclassified Language

A language isolate may often be mistaken for an unclassified language, as the line between these two terms can sometimes be blurry. Here is a definition of an unclassified language:

If an unclassified language does end up being identified, it will no longer be labeled as unclassified. If an unclassified language has been documented for a while but does not have a relation to any other language, it's considered a language isolate.

Language Isolate vs. Isolating Language

Another term often mistaken for a language isolate is an isolating language. Although the terms sound similar, they have different meanings. Take a look at a definition of an isolating language:

On the other hand, a language isolate is a language that does not have any genetic relation to any other languages, so it makes up its own language family.