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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found about five thousand.

(A) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found


(B) and the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried counting typically finding


(C) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find


(D) or the sub-languages or dialects within them, but those who tried to count them typically found


(E) or the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried to count typically finding

User Chakrapani
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Final answer:

The world is home to an estimated 7,000 languages, with linguists organizing them into families. As globalization advances, many languages are endangered, emphasizing the importance of preservation efforts. Only a few languages are widely spoken, yet each represents its cultural wealth.

Step-by-step explanation:

With estimates of around 7,000 languages spoken worldwide, the categorization and preservation of languages is a complex and dynamic field. Linguists often utilize a family tree analogy to group languages, showing how they have evolved from common ancestors. As globalization increases, up to half of the world's languages face the risk of extinction by the 21st century, causing a potential loss of cultural diversity and knowledge. The Endangered Languages Project, among other initiatives, is one such effort to safeguard these linguistic heritages.

Language families such as the Indo-European, and regional language concentrations, like the linguistic diversity found in places represented in blue on linguistic maps, highlight the rich tapestry of human communication. Out of the multitude of languages, only a dozen are spoken by more than 100 million people, yet every language embodies the complexities of human thought, culture, and history. The drive towards a more connected world conflicts with the maintenance of linguistic diversity, presenting an ongoing challenge to linguists and cultural preservationists alike.

User Yongbok
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