Humans may have spoken 10 times as many languages 2,000 years ago

A recent study suggests that from 1000 B.C.E. to C.E. 1000, the world experienced a “golden age” of linguistic diversity, with tens of thousands of languages spoken globally. This diversity began to decline with the rise of large empires like the Roman Empire, which promoted linguistic homogenization. Researchers, led by Damián Blasi from Harvard University, used computational models to trace language evolution from the Holocene era, estimating that the number of languages peaked around 2,000 years ago. The study challenges the belief that colonial expansion alone caused language loss, suggesting that early large societies also contributed to this decline. This raises questions about the linguistic possibilities that have been lost over time. However, some experts, like Lyle Campbell, are skeptical of the “golden age” theory. QUESTION: How might the loss of linguistic diversity impact cultural identity and heritage in the future?