Studija objavljena u časopisu Science pokazuje da je broj jezika u svetu drastično opao u odnosu na istorijski maksimum, koji je mogao da dostigne desetine hiljada jezika. Istraživači su koristili modeliranje zasnovano na antropologiji, lingvistici i demografiji da bi rekonstruisali jezičku raznolikost poslednjih ~12.000 godina. Glavni uzroci pada su širenje velikih carstava i evropski kolonijalizam, a danas je oko polovine jezika ugroženo.
Studija: Broj Jezika Je Drastično Opao — Nekada Ih Je Bilo Desetine Hiljada
A baked clay fragment called the Flood Tablet dating to the 7th century B.C., inscribed in cuneiform in the Akkadian language, presents the account of a great flood in the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, at the British Museum in London, Britain, September 2, 2022. Picture taken with mobile phone. REUTERS/Will Dunham
Globalno se danas koristi oko 7.500 jezika, ali novo istraživanje objavljeno u časopisu Science pokazuje da je jezička raznolikost bila znatno veća u prošlosti — možda i desetine hiljada jezika istovremeno.
Glavni nalazi
Autori rada, koristeći matematičko modeliranje u kombinaciji sa saznanjima iz antropologije, lingvistike i demografije, procenjuju jezičku dinamiku kroz poslednjih ~12.000 godina (holocen). Po njihovim rezultatima, istorijski maksimum broja jezika mogao je da dostigne između 30.000 i preko 75.000 različitih jezika u jednom trenutku.
Metodologija
Istraživači su upotrebili podatke o 171 postojećoj lovačko-skupljačkoj zajednici iz Afrike, Južne Amerike i Jugoistočne Azije da bi procenili prosečnu veličinu etnolingvističkih grupa na početku holocena, i tu vrednost primenili na procene tadašnje svetske populacije. Pre oko 12.000 godina, procena je bila da je postojalo približno 4.500–6.200 jezika.
Razlog pada
Broj jezika je kasnije rastao s rastom populacije i sedentarizacijom, ali je potom usledio dugotrajan pad. Glavni uzroci su:
- širenje velikih carstava u antici (jezična homogenizacija kroz osvajanja i administraciju),
- evropski kolonijalizam i politke jezicke asimilacije u poslednjih nekoliko vekova,
- ubijanje, prisilno preseljavanje i jezične promene (shift) koje su dovele do gubitka govornih zajednica,
- evolucija jezika — neki stari jezici su nestali transformišući se u nove (npr. latinski → romanski jezici).
Primeri i posledice
Neki od izumrlih jezika koji ilustruju ovaj proces su sumeranski, hetitski, akadski i etruščanski. Kolonijalne sile često su sprovodile jezički pritisak: Engleska prema irskom, Španija i Portugal prema domorodačkim jezicima u Americi, Francuska u svojim afričkim kolonijama, kao i japanska politika prema korejskom jeziku. Ipak, određene tradicije — poput jezika Inka, Maja i Asteka — uspevale su da prežive u izmenjenim oblicima.
Današnje stanje
Procene pokazuju da je oko polovine današnjih jezika ugroženo. Autori napominju drastičnu disproporciju: 90% svetske populacije govori samo 10% jezika, što znači da velike jezičke porodice dominiraju, dok veliki broj jezika ima vrlo malo govornika ili potpisnika.
"Jezici su važni za svoje zajednice — nose znanje, asocijacije i sećanja. Za nauku, jezici su prozor u prošlost i u ljudski um," kaže Claire Bowern, profesorica lingvistike i antropologije na Yaleu.
Ovo istraživanje daje kvantitativan okvir za razumevanje kako demografske promene, imperijalna širenja i kolonijalne politike oblikuju svetsku jezičku mapu i zašto danas imamo znatno manje jezika nego u istorijskom maksimumu.
Izvor: Will Dunham / Reuters; rad objavljen u Science.
The Tablet of Shamash, a limestone stele dating to the 9th century B.C. from the ancient Babylonian city of Sippar in modern-day Iraq, bears a cuneiform inscription in the Akkadian language, displayed at the British Museum in London, Britain, September 2, 2022. Picture taken with mobile phone. REUTERS/Will Dunham
A limestone lintel called Lintel 48, which was set above a door in a structure at the ancient Maya city of Yaxchilan in Chiapas, Mexico, exhibits Maya glyphs and bears a date corresponding to 526 A.D., displayed at Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City, Mexico, January 25, 2023. Picture taken with mobile phone. REUTERS/Will Dunham
People walk in front of the Gdynia Aquarium building, a site on the Gdynia Modernism Trail, in Gdynia, Poland, July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Lukasz Glowala
An interior view of the modernist Hala Targowa (Market Hall), a key site on the Gdynia Modernism Trail in Gdynia, Poland, July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Lukasz Glowala
People walk along Starowiejska Street showing the Hundsdorff Family Apartment House, a building on the Gdynia Modernism Trail, in Gdynia, Poland, July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Lukasz Glowala
The Ogonczyk-Bloch and Mazalon Tenement House at Swietojanska Street, a building on the Gdynia Modernism Trail, in Gdynia, Poland, July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Lukasz Glowala
The District Court building, a site on the Gdynia Modernism Trail, in Gdynia, Poland, July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Lukasz Glowala
Interior view of Paimio Sanatorium, designed by Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto in 1929 and completed in 1933 as a tuberculosis hospital, is one of the 13 sites included in the Aalto Works nomination seeking inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List, in Paimio, Finland July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Elviira Luoma
Interior view of Paimio Sanatorium, designed by Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto in 1929 and completed in 1933 as a tuberculosis hospital, is one of the 13 sites included in the Aalto Works nomination seeking inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List, in Paimio, Finland July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Elviira Luoma
Exterior view of Paimio Sanatorium, designed by Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto in 1929 and completed in 1933 as a tuberculosis hospital, is one of the 13 sites included in the Aalto Works nomination seeking inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List, in Paimio, Finland July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Elviira Luoma
Interior view of Paimio Sanatorium, designed by Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto in 1929 and completed in 1933 as a tuberculosis hospital, is one of the 13 sites included in the Aalto Works nomination seeking inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List, in Paimio, Finland July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Elviira Luoma
People gather in the exhibition hall during the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
James Marsden attends the Marvel Panel cast call at the Hilton Bayfront during Comic Con in San Diego, California, U.S., July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Sandy Huffaker
Hannah John-Kamen, Danny Ramirez and Winston Duke attend the Marvel Panel cast call at the Hilton Bayfront during Comic Con in San Diego, California, U.S., July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Sandy Huffaker
Kevin Feige attends the Marvel Panel cast call at the Hilton Bayfront during Comic Con in San Diego, California, U.S., July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Sandy Huffaker
Simu Liu attends the Marvel Panel cast call at the Hilton Bayfront during Comic Con in San Diego, California, U.S., July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Sandy Huffaker
Attendees walk through the exhibition hall during the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
Attendees gather in the exhibition hall during the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
FILE PHOTO: Attendees walk through the exhibition hall during the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
Attendees gather in the exhibition hall during the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
FILE PHOTO: Roman Zaragoza, Jessica Matten, Eric Nam and Dionne Quan, voice cast members of "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender", attend the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Arafat Barbakh/File Photo
Cast and creators of "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender" attend the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Arafat Barbakh
Director Lauren Montgomery and co-creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, of "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender", pose on the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Arafat Barbakh
FILE PHOTO: 82nd Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera poses on the red carpet during the closing ceremony of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, in Venice, Italy, September 6, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Workers set up the red carpet a day before the start of the 82nd Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri speaks in Rome, Italy December 23, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tourists queue under the sun outside the Colosseum during hot weather in Rome, Italy, June 20, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A man walks near a billboard reading "The heat can kill you even at work. If they make you work in extreme heat, call the toll-free number" during a heatwave, in Rome, Italy, June 30, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo
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