Language is a very important part of human existence. This is because it is the core of communication which is the life of 'social' in humans and, Social is an indispensable part of human beings. Language helps us to communicate. This purpose gives language different forms: Spoken, written, body gestures, facial expressions, symbolism, etc. However, when one talks randomly about it, many think of 'Language' as the written and spoken types of it.

There are thousands of languages (in the sense of spoken and written) that are used all over the world. It would interest you to note that some languages are spoken by as little as a few tens of people and some are spoken by millions. Some languages are so old, no one speaks them anymore and there are new languages too.

Language tells the story of origin, culture, and traditions of races. In fact, while studying the history of races or while tracing the story of extinct ones, language is usually considered. There are many languages which are extinct already that is, there are no speakers left, and there are many more waiting in line to go extinct.

Here are some languages that are so least spoken that their existence isn't even known to many.

1. Sarsi

The TsuuT'ina tribe of Calgary, Alberta, Canada are the speakers of Sarsi (also spelt Sarcee). It is under the Athabaskan/ Dene language family. According to the 2016 census, only eighty (80) of the speakers of this language are left.

Wow! That's sooo small.

2. Paakantyi

This language is also spelt Paakantji, Barkindji, Barkandji, and Baagandji, and is also called; the Darling language. Paakantyi is an Australian Aboriginal language. It is a Pama- Nyungan language. It is spoken by the people along the Darling river in New South Wales. Another fact is that the language is named after the River's native name; Paaka. Only about twenty two people still speak this language.

3. Ongota

If you think that the speakers of Sarsi and Paakantyi are very small, what really would you say about the Ongota language? In 2012, UNESCO reported that out of the 115 inhabitants, only 12 elders of a small village on the West bank of the Weito River still speak the Ongota (Birale Birayle) language. The rest of the village have adopted the Tsamai language instead. It is a Moribund language of Southwest Ethiopia.

4. Liki

Liki language is one of the dying languages of the world. Liki, also known Moar, is spoken in the Papua region of Indonesia. It is spoken by the residents of the islands off the coast of Sarmi, Sarmi Kecamatan, and Jayapura Kabupaten. It is an Austronesian language. It is spoken by only eleven (11) known people.

5. Pawnee

The Pawnee language is a Caddoan language spoken by some Pawnee Native Americans who now live in North-central Oklahoma. It is under the Caddoan language family. The language has only nine consonants and eight vowels however, each word of Pawnee has ten syllables. Speakers raise and fall their tone to create words of different meanings. As of 2007, there were only ten (10), just ten, speakers of the language left.

6. Dumi

Dumi is a Nepali language spoken by people living in villages like Baksila, Khamri, Makpa, and Kharmiwhich are around the Rava and Tap rivers and in the Northern Khotang District in Nepal. A few speakers are also from Dajeeling and Sikkim near Himalayas, India. The language belongs to the Kirantni language family. It is one of the endangered languages in the world. In 2001, there were only eight (8) speakers of Dumi and recently, there are only seven left. This language is most likely to die because, like other languages facing near extinction, it is known and spoken only by the old people.

7. Njerep

If you thought that your country language is very unpopular, you'll probably think differently now. Njerep is one of the Mambiloid languages which is a part of the Benue- Congo languages. Once upon a time, it was spoken in Cameroon but now, it is spoken by only four people in Nigeria. Yes, four! Out of billions of people on the planet... just four. The youngest speaker is about sixty years or older. This leads that, they're probably about to die in a few years.

8. Chemehuevi

The meaning of Chemehuevi is said to be from either a Mojave term meaning; "those who play with fish;" or a Quechan word meaning "nose-in-the-air-like-a-roadrunner." Weird huh? It seems though, that they describe the Chemehuevi people of the Great basin. Chemehuevi is a Colorado River Numic language. It is under the Numic language branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. There are only three fluent speakers of the language, who are left.

9. Lemerig

Lemerig is also called Sasar, Bek or Päk, Leon, or Lem. It is an Oceanic language and it used to be spoken widely by the villages in Vanua Lava island, Vanuatu. It consists of a mix of four dialects which are no longer spoken. Lemerig is facing a very serious threat of extinction as there are only two (2) living speakers of the language. The remaining former speakers now speak the language of neighbouring places like Mwotlap and Vera'a.

10. Tanema

In Vanikoro, an island on the easternmost part of the Solomon islands, there is only one (1) speaker left of the Tanema language; Lainol Nalo. This record from 2012 is probably what we'll call the death toll for this language. The people have left the language in favour of other increasingly popular languages like Teanu and Pijin (Pisin). Like Tanema, Taushiro of Peru is also spoken by only one person.

Language is a very important reflection and a custodian of the human history. It retains the story of human origins. We go through a lot to setup museums, to preserve dying plant and animal species, art, etc. and try to study dead stories of past existence through Archaeology. Human beings go to great lengths to save animals and plants threatened with extinction. Would it not be relevant then, to also preserve a part of the history of our own species, or is it better to let it pass away for new ones to emerge?

This article was first published here.

The lead image is by Tumisu of Pixabay.