What is Linguistic Diversity:
The linguistic diversity It is the coexistence of a multiplicity of languages within a certain geographical space.
As such, the concept of linguistic diversity is used to refer to situations of coexistence of a set of communities that speak different languages and share certain regions or territories. Hence, linguistic diversity also implies that there are conditions that foster and facilitate the preservation and mutual respect of coexisting languages.
In this sense, the regions of the world which are characterized by a greater linguistic diversity They are those that are more isolated, and that have been populated, over the centuries, by small human groups that did not impose their language on others.
For their part, the less linguistically diverse regions of the planet They are those that have been formed as political and territorial units for centuries, or that have been subjected to colonization processes, or have suffered a strong cultural influence from a foreign power, among other things.
In this sense, New Guinea is the region with the greatest linguistic diversity in the worldwhile the European continent is characterized by being the one with the least diversity.
The case of American continent, for its part, is intermediate. The existence of a large number of indigenous languages, mainly in the southwestern territories of Mexico and Guatemalaas well as in the Amazon jungleand which includes countries like Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Boliviastill gives America a situation of linguistic diversity that, however, due to globalization and the cultural weight of Spanish and Portuguese, threatens to decrease over the centuries.
Most of the languages spoken in the world are distributed between the Asian and African continents, with 32% each; This is followed by the Pacific area with 18%, America with 15%, and Europe, with only 3% of all spoken languages, although, however, these include four of the most spoken languages and spread around the world (Spanish, English, Russian and French).
Currently, there are more than 6,000 languages in the world, however, more than 50% of them are in danger of disappearing in the coming decades.
Linguistic diversity and cultural diversity
The linguistic diversity creates situations of cultural diversity, that is, places where linguistic communities from different cultures have the possibility of coexisting and interacting. As a consequence, an enriching intercultural dialogue is generated, an awareness of respect for the different other, and the opportunity to learn to live harmoniously, with respect for the different cultural identities, traditions and religions that characterize each culture.