HSC Geography · People, Patterns and Processes · 7.7
Spatial Patterns of the World's Languages
A cultural spatial pattern — about 7,000 languages, very unevenly spread · NESA Syllabus 2022
Where we're going
By the end you can…
Explain why the world's ~7,000 languages are so unevenly distributed
Name the two largest language families and what shaped them
Describe the regional pattern and the most-spoken languages
Explain language endangerment (~40% at risk)
Use the Australian & PNG cases & the human processes behind the map
7.7.1
Global diversity
7.7.1 The big picture
≈ 7,000 languages · a handful dominate
≈ 7,000
Living languages worldwide (Ethnologue ~7,150) — spread very unevenly.
A few giants
Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi… spoken by huge shares; most languages have few speakers.
≈ 40%
Endangered or at risk (UNESCO / Ethnologue).
The pattern is concentrated, uneven, and shrinking.
7.7.2
Language families
7.7.2 Families trace migration
The two largest by speakers
Indo-European
English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, French — global reach via colonisation.
Sino-Tibetan
Mandarin & other Chinese languages — 1bn+ speakers, concentrated in East Asia.
A family map = a map of human migratory history.
7.7.3
Languages by region
7.7.3 Counting languages, not speakers
Asia & Africa hold the most
Fig 7.7.1 — schematic shares (Ethnologue). Europe has big speaker numbers but few languages.
7.7.3 Place study — peak diversity
Papua New Guinea
800+ languages in one country of ~10 million
The most linguistically diverse country on Earth — over a tenth of the world's languages. Rugged terrain & isolation let distinct languages develop side by side. Australia's near neighbour.
Physical geography drives the language pattern.
7.7.4
Most-spoken languages
7.7.4 A handful of giants
By total speakers (native + second-language)
Fig 7.7.2 — schematic (Ethnologue). By native speakers, Mandarin is #1.
7.7.5
Endangered languages
7.7.5 The shrinking side
≈ 40% at risk
Who's vulnerable
Indigenous & minority languages with few speakers, overshadowed by a dominant lingua franca. Fast decline in N. Australia, C/S America, parts of the USA.
What's lost
Oral histories, ecological knowledge, whole worldviews — a loss to global heritage.
But communities are revitalising — recording, teaching, apps & dictionaries.
7.7.6
The Australian context
7.7.6 Place study — Australia
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander languages
≈ 250 pre-1788 → ≈ 120 still spoken, few strong (AIATSIS)
Colonisation, removal from Country & suppression drove the decline. Now community-led revitalisation — recording elders, school programs, reawakening "sleeping" languages (e.g. Kaurna, Gamilaraay).
Both sides at once: deep diversity, colonial loss, active revival. Links to 7.6.
7.7.7
Language & human activity
7.7.7 The processes behind the map
Why languages spread & decline
Migration & settlement — people carry languages with them
Trade — spreads vocabulary; creates lingua francas
Technology & media — globalisation accelerates a few dominant tongues
The language map is a window into human history and connection.
End of 7.7
Recap
~7,000 languages, unevenly spread · Indo-European & Sino-Tibetan · Asia & Africa richest, PNG the peak · English (total) vs Mandarin (native) · ~40% endangered · Australia 250 → ~120 · human processes shape it all.