Half of Planet's Languages to Disappear by 2100

Today there are fewer languages than a month or half a year ago
Scientists who gathered for a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Seattle, Washington, gave a warning: half of languages spoken now will vanish by the end of the century. 

There are about 6,800 unique languages as of today, however social, demographic and political factors make many of them disappear. Following disappearance of languages, ethnographical and cultural heritage gets lost as well.

Researcher David Harrison tells the number of languages today is already less than a month or half a year ago. Languages vanish right at the moment as we speak, he says.

Large-scale cataloging is the only way to preserve the linguistic variety, and it must be started immediately.

Researchers also add that at the time when some languages disappear others may emerge. For instance, these may be some versions of the Chinese language. What is more, languages dominating on the planet undergo substantial changes.