- Indo-European - This family has the most speakers and includes languages like English, Spanish, Hindi, Bengali, Russian, and Persian. These languages originated from proto-Indo-European and are spoken across Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and beyond.
- Sino-Tibetan - Includes Chinese, Tibetan, Burmese, and hundreds of others. Spoken widely in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Chinese includes many varieties like Mandarin, Cantonese, and Shanghainese.
- Afro-Asiatic - Includes languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic, Somali, and Hausa. Spoken in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, parts of the Middle East, and some parts of West Africa.
- Austronesian - Includes languages like Indonesian/Malay, Tagalog, Maori, and Malagasy. Spoken mainly in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Madagascar.
- Niger-Congo - A huge family of languages in Africa including Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo, Shona, and Zulu. Accounts for the majority of native languages in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Dravidian - Includes major South Asian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Spoken mainly in southern India and parts of Sri Lanka.
This covers some of the major language families but there are many other smaller families and language isolates around the world. Each language has its own unique grammar, writing system, phonology, and place in a local culture.
Here is a brief history and notable saying for a few of the Indo-European languages mentioned:
English:
- Originated from Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain in the 5th century. Influenced by Old Norse and Norman French. Emerged as a global lingua franca during the British colonial period.
- "The pen is mightier than the sword." - Meaning rational argument is more influential than use of force.
Spanish:
- Evolved from Vulgar Latin spoken in the Iberian peninsula after the Roman conquest. Influenced by Basque, Arabic, and other languages. Spread during Spanish colonialism in the Americas.
- "No hay mal que por bien no venga." - "There is no bad from which some good does not arise."
Hindi:
- Standardized register of Hindustani, with vocabulary drawn from Sanskrit. Related to other Indo-Aryan languages like Urdu. Promoted by nationalists during the Indian independence movement.
- "वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्" - "The world is one family." Symbol of unity.
Russian:
- Emerged from proto-Slavic and Old East Slavic dialects. Influenced by Church Slavonic as a literary language for centuries. Standardized in the 19th century.
- "Не имей сто рублей, а имей сто друзей." - "It's better to have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles." About the value of relationships.
Bengali:
- Descended from Magadhi Prakrit and Pali, part of the eastern Indo-Aryan branch. Native to the Bengal region. The official language of Bangladesh.
- "মানুষ হওয়ার মর্যাদা আছে" - "There is dignity in being human." About universal human rights.
Here are brief histories and notable sayings for some more Indo-European languages:
Persian:
- Persian emerged in Central Asia and is an official language of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It has a long, influential literature dating back to the Middle Persian of the Sassanian Empire.
- "این همه رفتن ها به جایی نمی رسد، تا آدمی نجنبد" - "All this coming and going won't get you anywhere, until you get up and move." Emphasizes taking action.
Greek:
- Greek has a documented history of over 3400 years. Modern Greek evolved from Koine Greek of the Byzantine Empire and was heavily influenced by medieval Greek, Turkish, Italian and Venetian.
- "Σπάσε τα δεσμά σου" - "Break your chains." About overcoming oppression and seeking freedom.
Irish:
- Irish emerged from primitive Irish and Old Irish dialects. The earliest evidence of writing dates back to around 400 CE in Ogham script. Still spoken in Ireland and some other Celtic nations.
- "Ní neart go cur le chéile" - "There is no strength without unity." Celebrates teamwork and community.
Armenian:
- Armenian is an independent branch of Indo-European. The earliest inscriptions are from the 5th century BCE. The Armenian alphabet was created in 405 CE by Mesrop Mashtots.
- "Բանականությունը լավ է քան ուժը" - "Wisdom is better than strength." Values intellect over force.
Here is a brief overview of some major Sino-Tibetan languages:
Chinese:
- Chinese languages have over 3,000 years of written history. Mandarin originated in north China and was popularized during the Qing dynasty. It is now the official language of China and Taiwan.
- "民之所欲,常在我心" - "The desires of the people are constantly on my mind." Shows a leader's care for the people.
Cantonese:
- Cantonese originated in southeastern China's Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. It has about 80 million speakers worldwide. Cantonese preserves many archaic features of Old Chinese.
- "與人方便,自己方便" - "If it's convenient for others, do it in a way that's also convenient for yourself." About compromise.
Shanghainese:
- Shanghainese or the Shanghai dialect belongs to the Wu branch of Chinese. It is spoken mainly in Shanghai and the surrounding region. Around 14 million speakers.
- "小别离,聚得更欢乐" - "A short separation brings greater happiness when reunited." Appreciating relationships.
Tibetan:
- The Tibetan language has been written since the 7th century CE. It is spoken in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India. Tibetan uses a unique alphabet derived from an ancient Indian script.
- "བདེ་ལེགས་སུ་འགྲོ་འདོད" - "May all be well and happy." A short blessing.
Burmese:
- Burmese or Myanmar language has existed since the 9th century CE. Its script is based on the Mon script, which is ultimately derived from Brahmi. Over 32 million native speakers.
- "သစၥာရှိရင် လွတ်တော်မူ" - "With honesty, one can live freely." On the importance of integrity.
Here is a brief overview of some major Afro-Asiatic languages:
Arabic:
- Arabic emerged in the 1st century CE from various North Semitic dialects. The Arabic alphabet is derived from Aramaic. Arabic rose to prominence with the rise of Islam and spread through conquests.
- "إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا" (Inna ma'a al'usri yusran) - "Indeed with hardship comes ease." About perseverance through difficulties.
Amharic:
- Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia. It originated as the language of the Solomonic dynasty around 1200 CE with influence from Ge'ez. Written in the Ge'ez script.
- "ሰማይ ሰማይ አይታለም፣ ሰው ሰው አይታለም።" (Semay semay aytalem, sew sew aytalem) - "No sky can limit you, no person can limit you." About limitless potential.
Tigrinya:
- Tigrinya is a Semitic language spoken mainly in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Its origins can be traced back to the 14th century Ge'ez language. Written in the Ge'ez abugida script.
- "ሓገዝ ዘይብሉ ጓል ገበል" (Hagiz zeblu gwal gebel) - "A friend who does not help is an enemy." On true friendship.
Hausa:
- Hausa is a Chadic language mostly spoken in northern Nigeria and Niger, with origins dating back to 500 CE or earlier. Originally written in Ajami script, now uses Boko alphabet.
- "Ranakar zuwa ga malam" - "From childhood to old age." About lifelong learning.
Somali:
- Somali is an East Cushitic language spoken mainly in Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia. It's written in the Latin alphabet and has an extensive oral tradition dating back centuries.
- "Nabad iyo caano" - "Peace and milk." A traditional greeting.
Here is a brief overview of some major Austronesian languages:
Indonesian/Malay:
- Originated from Old Malay which developed in the 7th century CE. Influenced by Sanskrit, Arabic and Dutch through trade. Indonesian became an official language in 1945.
- "Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita runtuh" - "United we stand, divided we fall." About strength through unity.
Tagalog:
- One of the major languages of the Philippines. Evolved from Old Tagalog which was influenced by Malay, Sanskrit and Spanish. The standardized form is Filipino.
- "Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan" - "Those who don't look back to their origins will not reach their destination." On learning from the past.
Maori:
- The Polynesian language of the indigenous people of New Zealand. Originated from Eastern Polynesian languages like Tahitian. First attested in the late 18th century.
- "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata" - "What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people." About the value of human beings.
Malagasy:
- The Austronesian language of Madagascar. Related to Ma'anyan of Borneo and was brought to Madagascar by Austronesian settlers. First attested in the 12th century.
- "Ny teny tsy mba amoron-drano" - "Words are shallow, not as deep as a river." About the limitation of words.
Here is a brief overview of some major Niger-Congo languages:
Swahili:
- Swahili originated on the east coast of Africa as a lingua franca for trade. It incorporated vocabulary from Arabic, Persian, Portuguese, and Bantu languages. The standard form developed in the 19th century.
- "Haraka haraka haina baraka" - "Hurrying has no blessing." About the value of patience.
Yoruba:
- Yoruba is a Volta-Niger language spoken in West Africa, mainly Nigeria. It developed from an ancient language around the 8th century BCE. Written in a Latin alphabet and Ajami script historically.
- "A ki i se eru omode ni, aro omode ni" - "One does not lack wisdom because they are young." About wisdom not depending on age.
Igbo:
- Igbo is a Volta-Niger language spoken in southern Nigeria. It developed from Proto-Igbo and has many dialectical variations. Used Ajami script before adopting the Latin alphabet.
- "Ezigbo mmadu ka ego" - "A good person is worth more than money." About human value over riches.
Shona:
- Shona is a Bantu language of Zimbabwe. Emerged from dialects like Karanga, Zezuru and Manyika in the 19th century. Adopted Latin script and had literature produced in the early 20th century.
- "Rume rimwe hariko rubatsiro" - "One man's madness is another man's wisdom." Perspective is relative.
Zulu:
- Zulu comes from the Nguni branch of Bantu languages. It originated with the expansion of the Zulu kingdom in the early 19th century under King Shaka Zulu.
- "Inkanyezi yakhala umuthi wakhala" - "When the stars appear, the trees begin to groan." About ominous signs.
Here is a brief overview of some major Dravidian languages:
Tamil:
- Tamil is one of the oldest Dravidian languages with a history going back over 2,000 years. It originated in southern India, notably the state of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil script was developed from Brahmi.
- "நன்றி மறக்காதே" (Nanri marakkaadhe) - "Never forget gratitude." About the importance of being thankful.
Telugu:
- Telugu is spoken mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India. It dates back to the 11th century CE, descending from Proto-Dravidian. The Telugu script evolved from the Bhattiprolu script.
- "ఒక్క రోజు రాకపోతే ఊరే పోతుంది" (Okka roju raakapothe oore potundi) - "If the sun doesn't rise one day, the village will perish." About indispensability.
Kannada:
- Kannada originated in the 5th century as Halegannada or Old Kannada. Spoken mainly in the state of Karnataka. The Kannada script descended from ancient Brahmi and influenced modern Devanagari.
- "ಹೊರಟವನು ಮರಳದವನು ಗೆಲ್ಲುವವನಲ್ಲ" (Horaṭavanu maraḷadavanu gelluvavanalla) - "One who doesn't venture out cannot succeed." About the need to take risks.
Malayalam:
- Malayalam split off from Middle Tamil in the 9th century CE, spoken in Kerala. The modern Malayalam alphabet developed in the 16th century from Grantha script.
- "കഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടു പിടിച്ചത് വിട്ടുകൊടുക്കരുത്" (Kashtappeduthu pidichathu vittukodukkaruthu) - "Don't let go of something earned with difficulty." About perseverance.
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