LINGUIST List 12.960

Thu Apr 5 2001

All: List of Extinct Languages

Editor for this issue: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar <aristarlinguistlist.org>

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  • aristar, List of Extinct Languages

    Message 1: List of Extinct Languages

     Date: 5 Apr 2001 20:18:24 -0000
    From: aristar <aristarlinguistlist.org>
    Subject: List of Extinct Languages


    Dear Colleagues:

    The LINGUIST list would like to ask for your help. LINGUIST is at present redesigning its site, and expanding its offerings dramatically. An essential part of this expansion entails moving all our data (and all future data that we collect) into a database. Each piece of data will be categorized in a number of ways that are appropriate to its type. One of the most important ways that data will be categorized is by language.

    We have benefited from the generosity of SIL, which has agreed to let us use the Ethnologue codes. This has saved us an immense amount of work. We're very pleased that we won't have to launch into a full-scale categorization of all human languages!

    There are still gaps in the Ethnologue codes, however. As you may know, Ethnologue only includes languages which are either spoken or still in use in some function. Thus Latin, Sanskrit and Ge`ez are listed in Ethnologue, since these are in liturgical use today, but Akkadian is not.

    On LINGUIST, of course, we need to be able to categorize data which belongs to any language, whether current or not, so it's fallen to us to fill in the gaps in Ethnologue. As a result, we've put together a list of languages, all of which are extinct, and do not appear in Ethnologue, along with a brief set of describing information. The following is an example:

    Akkadian (Accadian, Assyrian, Assyro-Babylonian, Babylonian) XAKK <Afroasiatic, Semitic, East; Mesopotamia; 4th Millennium BC to 100 AD>

    First is the canonical language name. Following this, in parenthesis, is a list of alternate names which have been used for the language. Next comes an internal LINGUIST code which you may ignore. In angle brackets follows the following information, in this order: Family to which the language belongs, followed by each node between it and the parent language; place where the language was spoken; time when the language was spoken. Each of these fields is delimited by a semi-colon.

    What we would like to ask is your help in ensuring that the data in this list is accurate. So we are asking you to look over the data which falls within your area of expertise, and tell us the following:

    1. Which extinct languages are missing in the list?

    2. If any languages are missing, could you supply us with information to make up a new entry in our list?

    3. Is any of the data listed for any of the languages below missing, inaccurate, or just plain wrong? This includes alternate names which we have omitted.

    We will only be listing languages which have left some trace, even if only slight. Reconstructed languages will be treated separately, as part of our language family tables.

    Note: The following languages are omitted from the list below, since we have complete data on them:

    Old Church Slavonic, Old English, Old Frankish, Old High German, Old Irish, Old Norse, Old Persian, Old Prussian, Old Saxon, Old Turkish

    The data we collect here will be made available to the members of the Open Language Archive Community http://www.language-archives.org/) (and to anyone else who wants it), and will quite possible be used on many sites. So your help will not only benefit LINGUIST, but perhaps ultimately all linguists.

    Please send all responses to:

    aristarlinguistlist.org

    Anthony Aristar Moderator, LINGUIST

    **********************************************

    Akkadian (Accadian, Assyrian, Assyro-Babylonian, Babylonian) XAKK <Afroasiatic, Semitic, East; Mesopotamia; 4th Millennium BC to 100 AD>

    Bactrian XBAC <Ind-European, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia; 300 BC - 1000 AD>

    Carian XCAR <Unknown, possibly Indo-European; Anatolia; Before 1st Century AD>

    Celtiberian (Celto-Iberian) XCEL <Indo-European, Celtic, Continental; Iberia; Late 1st Millennium BC- Early 1st Millennium AD>

    Chorasmian (Khwarezmian) XCHO <Indo-European, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia; 300 BC - 1000 AD>

    Classical Mongolian XCMO <Altaic; Central Asia; c 1500 AD>

    Eblaite XEBL <Afroasiatic, Semitic, East;N. Mesopotamia; 3rd Millenium BC>

    Egyptian XEGY <Afroasiatic, Egyptian; Egypt; 3000 BC - 300 BC>

    Elamitic XELA <Unknown; SW. Iran; 3rd millennium BC - 8th Century BC>

    Elymian XELY <Unknown; Sicily; 2nd half of 1st Millennium BC>

    Etruscan XETR <Unknown; N. Italy; 7th century BC - 100 AD>

    Faliscan XFAL <Indo-European, Italic, Latin-Faliscan; Central Italy; 4th Century BC>

    Gallic (Gaulish) XGAL <Indo-European, Celtic, Continental; France/Belgium; Late 1st Millennium BC- Early 1st Millenium AD>

    Hattic (Hattian, Khattic, Khattish, Proto-Hittite) XHAT <Unknown; Central Anatolia; 2nd Millennium BC)

    Hieroglyphic Luwian XHLU <Indo-European, Anatolian, Luwic; E.Anatolia; 2nd-1st Millennium BC>

    Hittite (Nesili) XHIT <Indo-European, Anatolian; Central Anatolia; 2nd-1st millennium BC>

    Hurrian XHUR <Hurro-Urartean; NE. Anatolia; 2nd - Ist Millennium BC>

    Iberian XIBE <Unknown; Iberia; 2nd half of 1st Millennium BC - 1st half of 1st Millennium AD>

    Illyrian XILL <Indo-European, Illyrian; Balkans; 2nd half of 1st Millennium BC - 1st half of 1st Millennium AD>

    Jurchin (Jurchi, Jurchen) XJUR <Southern Tungusic, Central Asia; c 1100 AD>

    Kaskian XKAS <Unknown, NE Anatolia, 3rd-2nd Millennium BC>

    Khotanese (Khotanese-Sakan) XKHO <IE, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia, 300 BC -1000 AD>

    Kitan (Khitan, Liao) XKIT <Altaic, Mongolic, Manchuria; 916-1125 AD>

    Lepontic XLEP <Indo-European, Celtic, Continental; N. Italy; 1st centuries BC>

    Ligurian XLEP <Indo-European, Celtic, Continental; N. Italy; 300 BC- 100 AD>

    Lycian XLYC <Indo-European, Anatolian, Luwic; W. Anatolia; 500 BC to about 200 BC>

    Lusitanian XLUS <Indo-european, Unknown; SW Iberia; 2nd Century AD>

    Luwian XLUW <IE, Anatolian, Luwic; E.Anatolia; 2nd-1st Millennium BC>

    Lydian XLYD <IE, Anatolia, Luwic, W. Anatolia, c. 400 BC>

    Macedonian XMAC <Indo-European, Hellenic; N. Greece; 1st Millennium BC>

    Meroitic XMER <Unknown; Sudan; 200 BC - 4th century AD >

    Messapian (Messapic) XMES <Indo-European; SE Italy; 600-100 BC>

    Mycenaean Greek XMYC <Indo-European, Hellenic, Greek; S. Greece; Late 2nd Millennium BC>

    Mysian XMYS <<Indo-European, Unknown; Anatolia; Before 1st Century AD>

    North Picenian XNPI <Unknown; Italy; 1st millennium BC >

    Numidian (Ancient Berber, Lybico-Berber) XNUM <Afroasiatic, Berber; NW. Africa; c. 200 BC>

    Old Ossetic XASS <IE, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia; 300 BC - 1000 AD>

    Oscan XOSC <Indo-European, Italic, Osco-Umbrian; Italy; 1st Millennium BC>

    Pahlavi (Pehlevi) XPAH <IE, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia; 300 BC - 1000 AD>

    Palaic XPAC <IE, Anatolian; Anatolia; 2nd Millennium BC>

    Pamphylian XPAM <Indo-European, Anatolian; Anatolia; Before 1st Century AD>

    Parthian XPAR <IE, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia; 300 BC - 1000 AD>

    Phoenician XPHO <Afroasiatic, Semitic, Central, Canaanite; Lebanon; 2nd-1st Millennium BC>

    Phrygian XPHR <IE, Unknown; W. Anatolia; 8th BC to 2nd AD>

    Pisidian XPIS <Unknown; Anatolia; Before 1st Century AD>

    Punic XPUN <Afroasiatic, Semitic, Central, Canaanite; N. Africa; 1st Millennium BC - 700 AD >

    Rhaetic XRHA <Unknown, possible related to Etruscan; N. Italy/Switzerland; 1st Millennium BC>

    Sabaean XSAB <Afroasiatic, Semitic, South, S. Arabia; before 700 AD>

    Sakan XSAK <Indo-European, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia; 300 BC - 1000 AD>

    Sicel (Siculan) XSIC <Indo-European, Unknown; Sicily; 5-6th century BC>

    Sidetic XSID <Unknown, city of Side, Anatolia, 3rd to 2nd centuries BC>

    Sogdian XSOG <Indo-European, Indo-Iranian; Central Asia; 300 BC - 1000 AD >

    South Picenian (South Picene, East Italic) XSPI <IE, Italy, from 7th BC>

    Sumerian XSUM <Unknown; S.Iraq, Before 1st Millennium BC>

    Tangut XTAN <Sino-Tibetan, Tibetan; Central Asia; c. 11th century AD>

    Tartessian XTAR <Unknown; SW Spain; 1st Millennium BC>

    Thracian XTHR <Indo-European, Thracian; S. Balkans; 1st Millennium BC - 500 AD>

    Tokharian A (Tocharian A, Eastern Tokharian, Turfanian, Karashahrian, Agnean) XTOA <Indo-European, Tokharian; Xinjiang>

    Tokharian B (Tocharian B, Western Tokharian, Kuchean) XTOB <Indo-European, Tokharian; Xinjiang>

    Ugaritic XUGA <Afroasiatic, Semitic, Canaanite; Syria; 15th to 13th Century BC>

    Umbrian XUMB <Indo-European, Italic, Osco-Umbrian; Italy; before 1st century AD>

    Urartian (Urartic, Vannic) XURA <Hurro-Urartean; NE. Anatolia; Ist Millennium BC>

    Venetic XVEN <Indo-European, Unknown; N. Italy; from 5th BC - 1st century BC>

    Volscian XVOL <Indo-European, Italic, Osco-Umbrian; Italy; 3rd century BC>