Languages are more than just a way to talk; they carry a people’s culture, history, and identity. When a language disappears, we lose special knowledge and unique ways of seeing the world. Here are seven languages that used to be spoken but are now extinct:
1. Eyak (USA)
Eyak was spoken by the Eyak people in Alaska. The last native speaker, Marie Smith Jones, died in 2008. With her death, the language ended. People are now trying to bring it back through digital recordings and lessons, but no one speaks it fluently anymore.
2. Ubykh (Turkey)
Ubykh was spoken near the Black Sea in Turkey. It had one of the largest sets of consonants of any language. The last fluent speaker, Tevfik Esenç, died in 1992. Though no one speaks it now, researchers have saved a lot of information about it.
3. Ainu (Japan)
Ainu was used by the Ainu people in Japan, mainly in Hokkaido. The last native speaker died in the early 1990s. The language is now critically endangered. The Japanese government now supports efforts to bring it back, including classes and cultural programs.
4. Livonian (Latvia)
Livonian came from Latvia and was spoken by the Livonian people. The last native speaker, Grizelda Kristiņa, passed away in 2013. Even though the language is no longer spoken natively, people are trying to bring it back through events, lessons, and online tools.
5. Bo (India)
Bo was spoken by a group in the Andaman Islands, India. The last speaker, Boa Sr., died in 2010. Her death marked the end of the Bo language. It’s a sad example of how many native languages are disappearing, though some related languages are still being preserved.
6. Kusunda (Nepal)
Kusunda was spoken in Nepal and didn’t belong to any language family—it was completely unique. The language nearly vanished when Gyani Maiya Sen, one of the last speakers, died in 2020. Linguists have saved a lot about the language, but with no speakers left, it’s not used anymore.
7. Manx (Isle of Man)
Manx comes from the Isle of Man and is a Celtic language. It almost disappeared after the last native speaker, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974. But thanks to strong revival efforts, Manx is now being taught in schools, and more people are learning and speaking it again.
These stories remind us how important it is to protect and revive endangered languages, they are treasures of human culture and history.