World Languages: Crash Course Linguistics #14

If you ask a linguist “How many languages are there in the world?” the answer most will give you is “around 7000”. We say “around” because there are several factors that make it difficult to determine what exactly counts as a language, including the difficulty of distinguishing between languages and dialects, various political factors, and the fact that not all languages have the same degree of resources and records. In this episode of Crash Course Linguistics, we’ll explore these 3 factors to learn about world languages and linguistic diversity, as well as the inequities that these factors can create. Want even more linguistics? Check out the Lingthusiasm podcast, hosted by the writers of Crash Course Linguistics: Subscribe to Storied for It’s Lit, Monstrum, and Verbatim (coming soon!): *** Watch our videos and review your learning with the Crash Course App! Download here for Apple Devices: Download here for Android Devices: Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever: Eric Prestemon, Mark, DAVID MORTON HUDSON, Perry Joyce, Isaac Liu, Scott Harrison, Mark & Susan Billian, Junrong Eric Zhu, Alan Bridgeman, Jennifer Smith, Matt Curls, Tim Kwist, Jonathan Zbikowski, Jennifer Killen, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, Brandon Westmoreland, team dorsey, Trevin Beattie, Eric Koslow, Indika Siriwardena, Khaled El Shalakany, Shawn Arnold, Siobhán, Ken Penttinen, Nathan Taylor, William McGraw, Jirat, Brian Thomas Gossett, Ian Dundore, Jason A Saslow, Jessica Wode, Caleb Weeks __ Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet? Facebook - Twitter - Tumblr - Support Crash Course on Patreon: CC Kids: