Spurious languages are
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
s that have been reported as existing in reputable works, while other research has reported that the language in question did not exist. Some spurious languages have been proven to not exist. Others have very little evidence supporting their existence, and have been dismissed in later scholarship. Others still are of uncertain existence due to limited research.
Below is a sampling of languages that have been claimed to exist in reputable sources but have subsequently been disproved or challenged. In some cases a purported language is tracked down and turns out to be another, known language. This is common when language varieties are named after places or ethnicities.
Some alleged languages turn out to be hoaxes, such as the
Kukurá language of Brazil or the
Taensa language
The Taensa language was an attempt at creating a fake Natchez language-variant, supposedly spoken by the Taensa people originally of northeastern Louisiana, and later with historical importance in Alabama. The language is was created by two yo ...
of Louisiana. Others are honest errors that persist in the literature despite being corrected by the original authors; an example of this is ', the name given in 1892 to two Colonial word lists, one of Tlingit and one of a Salishan language, that were mistakenly listed as Patagonian. The error was corrected three times that year, but nonetheless "Hongote" was still listed as a Patagonian language a century later in Greenberg (1987).
In the case of
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
, one of the most linguistically diverse areas on Earth, some spurious languages are simply the names of language surveys that the data was published under. Examples are '', Kia, , '', listed as Indo-Pacific languages in
Ruhlen 1987; these are actually rivers that gave their names to language surveys in the
Greater Awyu languages
The Greater Awyu or Digul River languages, known in earlier classifications with more limited scope as Awyu–Dumut (Awyu–Ndumut), are a family of perhaps a dozen Trans–New Guinea languages spoken in eastern West Papua in the region of the ...
and
Ok languages
The Ok languages are a family of about a dozen related Trans–New Guinea languages spoken in a contiguous area of eastern Irian Jaya and western Papua New Guinea. The most numerous language is Ngalum, with some 20,000 speakers; the best known i ...
of New Guinea.
Dubious languages
Dubious languages are those whose existence is uncertain. They include:
*
Oropom (
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
)
*
Nemadi (
Mauritania)
*
Rer Bare
The Rer Bare (or Rerebere, Rer Shabelle) are a tribe in Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region on the Shabele River, near Somalia, who currently speak Somali. They appear to have shifted to Somali from a now-extinct language.
Language and origins
T ...
(
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
) – extinct, if it ever existed
*
Tapeba (
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
) [] – a recently created indigenous ethnicity, not a language
* Ladakhi Sign Language – no community to use it
* Dek language, Dek (Cameroon)
Spurious according to ''Glottolog''
''
Glottolog'', maintained at the
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, classifies several languages, some with
ISO 639
ISO 639 is a set of standards by the International Organization for Standardization that is concerned with representation of names for languages and language groups.
It was also the name of the original standard, approved in 1967 (as ''ISO 639/R ...
codes, as spurious/unattested. These include:
*
Parsi
Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...
[] (a dialect of Gujarati) and -Dari [] (Zoroastrian Dari language, Zoroastrian Dari) – an ethnicity, not a language
* Adabe language, Adabe [] – a dialect of Wetarese, taken for a Papuan language
* – the people spoke
Old Tupi
* – a word list of mislabeled
ǀXam mixed with other !Ui languages
*
Chamar
Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna ...
i [], a caste, not a language
* Judeo-Berber language, Judeo-Berber [] – According to Glottolog, Jewish Berbers speak no differently than Muslim Berbers
[Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices] However, there are claims, listed in the linked article, that this is not true.
*
Pisabo [] – reported to be mutually intelligible with Matsés language, Matsés, so perhaps not a distinct language
Also some Aeta ethnic names with no cultural memory of an extinct language:
[Lobel, Jason William. 2013]
''Philippine and North Bornean languages: issues in description, subgrouping, and reconstruction''
Ph.D. dissertation. Manoa: University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
*
ys*
yy*
yg
Other ISO codes that Glottolog regards as spurious, because they are not a distinct language, are polyphyletic (not a single language), or have not been shown to exist, include:
*
Guajajara
The Guajajara are an indigenous peoples of Brazil, indigenous people in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. They are one of the most numerous indigenous groups in Brazil, with an estimated 13,100 individuals living on indigenous land.
History
In ...
ub– mutually-intelligible with
Tenetehara qb*
Norra rr*
South Ucayali Ashéninka py*
Moabite bm Ammonite gg and
Edomite
Edom (; Edomite language, Edomite: ; he, Wiktionary:אדום, אֱדוֹם , lit.: "red"; Akkadian language, Akkadian: , ; Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom in Transjordan (region), Transjordan, located between ...
dm*
Syenara hzand
Shempire eb*
ca– presumed to be from the
Cauca Valley, but no such language is known, unless it is the undemonstrated
Quimbaya
*
gi(an ambiguous ethnic term; all varieties already covered by ISO)
*
ym– purportedly the original language of the Kpatili people, who now speak
Gbayi, but any such language is unattested
*
az– all likely candidates in the area already have ISO codes
Ir rr
Skagit ka
Snohomish no
Ahirani hr
Pokangá ok
Chetco tc
Arakwal kw
Anasi po
Yarí*
ri
Yola ol
Seru*
zd
Gowli ok
Mina (India) yi
Degaru*
gu
Bubia bx
Gbati-ri ti
Tetete*
eb
Kannada Kurumba fi
Vatrata*
lr
Kofa*
so
Old Turkish tk
Tingui-Boto*
gv
Imeraguen me
Yauma ax
Rufiji ui
Ngong nx
Dombe ov
Subi*
sj
Mawayana*
zx
Kwak wq
Potiguára*
og
Coxima*
ox
Chipiajes*
be
Cagua
Cagua () is a city of Venezuela, capital of the Sucre Municipality of Aragua State. Cagua is part of the metropolitan area of Maracay.
History
Cagua was established in 1620 as "Cagua La Vieja", a town of original Spaniards. Cagua was rebuilt ...
*
bh
Kakauhua(*)
bf
Yangho*
nh
Takpa*
kk
N'Ko(*)
qo
Sara Dunjo oj
Putoh ut
Bainouk-Samik cb
Kamba (Brazil)*
ba
Bikaru-Bragge*
ic
Baga Binari(*)
cg
Baga Sobané(*)
sv
Ontenu*
nt
Baga Kaloum(*)
qf
Munda nx
Aduge*
du
Khalaj**
jf
Buso*
so
Uokha*
ok
Ihievbe*
hi
Coyaima*
oy
Natagaimas*
ts
Odut*
da
Chilean Quechua qu
Quetzaltepec Mixe xm
Kang yp
Thu Lao yl
Pu Ko*
uk
Gey(*)
uv
Kakihum*
xe
Bonjo*
ok
Katukína*
av
Lui(*)
ba
Lama (Myanmar)(*)
ay
Inpui Naga*
kf
Puimei Naga*
pu
Purum(*)
ub
Welaung*
eu
Lumba-Yakkha*
uu
Phangduwali hw/
Lambichhong*
mh
Lingkhim(*)
ii
Northwestern Tamang(*)
mk
Southwestern Tamang sf
Kayort*
yv
Loarki rk
Con no
Gengle eg
Kuanhua*
nh
Yarsun rs
Kabixí*
bx
Vasekela Bushman aj
Maligo wj
Pao pa
Bhalay hx/
Gowlan*
oj
Balau*
lg
Kuku-Mangk mq
Buya*
yy
Aramanik
The Asa (Aasá) language, commonly rendered Aasax (also rendered as Aasá, Aasáx, Aramanik, Asak, Asax, Assa, Asá), was spoken by the Asa people of Tanzania. The language is extinct; ethnic Assa in northern Tanzania remember only a few words t ...
am
Mediak
Ogiek (also Okiek and Akiek)The initial vowel varies by dialect. The first consonant is , but is pronounced or between vowels. is a Southern Nilotic language of the Kalenjin family spoken or once spoken by the Ogiek peoples, scattered groups o ...
wx
Kisankasa The Kisankasa are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Arusha Region and Mara Region in northern Tanzania. In 1987 the Kisankasa population was estimated to number 4,670. The Kisankasa are distinct from other groups often called Dorobo
Dorobo ...
qh
Southwestern Nisu are any valid? sv
Tawang Monpa
The Takpa or Dakpa language (), ''Dakpakha'', known in India as Tawang Monpa, also known as Brami in Bhutan, is an East Bodish languages, East Bodish language spoken in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh, and in northern Trashigang Distric ...
*
wm
Adap dp
Southern Lolopo sp
Eastern Lalu it
Ndonde Hamba*
jd
Lang'e*
ne
Lopi*
ov
Laopang bg
Kunggara vs
Chuanqiandian Cluster Miao
Hmong / Mong (; Romanized Popular Alphabet, RPA: ''Hmoob,'' ; Nyiakeng Puachue Hmong, Nyiakeng Puachue: ; Pahawh: , ) is a dialect continuum of the West Hmongic branch of the Hmongic languages spoken by the Hmong people of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizho ...
qd
Karipuna do Amapa*
gm
Spurious according to ''Ethnologue'' and ISO 639-3
Following is a list of
ISO 639-3
ISO 639-3:2007, ''Codes for the representation of names of languages – Part 3: Alpha-3 code for comprehensive coverage of languages'', is an international standard for language codes in the ISO 639 series. It defines three-letter codes for ...
language codes which have been retired since the standard was established in 2006, arranged by the year in which the change request was submitted; in most cases the actual retirement took effect in the beginning of the following year. Also included is a partial list of languages (with their SIL codes) that appeared at one time in ''
Ethnologue'' but were removed prior to 2006, arranged by the first edition in which they did not appear.
The list includes codes that have been retired from ISO 639-3 or languages removed from ''Ethnologue'' because the language apparently does not exist and cannot be identified with an existing language. The list does not include instances where the "language" turns out to be a spelling variant of another language or the name of a village where an already known language is spoken; these are cases of duplicates, which are resolved in ISO 639-3 by a code merger. It does include "languages" for which there is no evidence or which cannot be found. (In some cases, however, the evidence for nonexistence is a survey among the current population of the area, which would not identify extinct languages such as
Ware
Ware may refer to:
People
* Ware (surname)
* William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian
Places Canada
* Fort Ware, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* Ware, Devon
*Ware, Hertfordshire
* Ware, Kent
United States
* Ware, Elmore County ...
below.)
SIL codes are upper case; ISO codes are lower case. Once retired, ISO 639-3 codes are not reused. SIL codes that were retired prior to 2006 may have been re-used or may have reappeared as ISO codes for other languages.
Removed from ''Ethnologue'', 12th ed., 1992
* (PNG) []
* (Brazil) []
* (PNG) []
* , (Brazil) []
* () []
* (PNG) []
* (Mexico) [] – added to ''Ethnologue'' 1988 by mistake due to a misunderstanding, removed in 1992. No evidence that it ever existed.
* Senoufo [] – the Tyeliri are a caste of leather workers, and do not have their own language
* []
* – name of an ethnic group that speaks Yongkom language, Yongkom [yon]
Removed from ''Ethnologue'', 13th ed., 1996
* (PNG) [] – described as "isolate in need of survey" in the 12th ed.
Removed from ''Ethnologue'', 14th ed., 2000
* 2 [] – a mislabeled fragment of a word list
* [], [], [], [], () [], [] – old names for Qiangic languages, some of uncertain correspondence to currently recognized names
* [] – an ethnic name for people speaking a variety of Qiangic or Jiarongic languages
* Scandinavian Pidgin Sign Language [] – normal inter-language contact, not an established pidgin
* Wutana language, Wutana (Nigeria) [] – an ethnic name
Removed from ''Ethnologue'', 15th ed., 2005
* []
* []
*- [], incl. /
* [] (though other languages without ISO codes, such as Wila' language, Wila', are also called Lowland Semang)
*Mutús language, Mutús [] – suspected to exist, e.g. by Adelaar 2005
* []
* [] – same as Tanjijili language, Tanjijili? Also a possible synonym for Kwak (retired in 2015)
* () [] – no evidence it is distinct from Fungom and Bum
* []
* []
Retired 2006
* [] – unattested
* [] – an old town name
* Creole []
Retired 2007
* () []
* Land Dayak languages, Land Dayak [] – language family name, not individual language
*
Ware
Ware may refer to:
People
* Ware (surname)
* William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian
Places Canada
* Fort Ware, British Columbia
United Kingdom
* Ware, Devon
*Ware, Hertfordshire
* Ware, Kent
United States
* Ware, Elmore County ...
[] – Ware is listed as extinct in Maho (2009). When an SIL team in Tanzania were not able to find any evidence of it being spoken, the code was retired.
* River Kenyah [], River Kenyah [], Kenyah [], Kenyah [] – Any current use is likely either Mainstream Kenyah [] or Uma' Lung language, Uma' Lung []
Retired 2008
*Aariya language, Aariya []
* [] – name given to several uncontacted groups
* [] – prison jargon
*Europanto [] – a jest
*- [] (Borana & Somali)
*Sufrai [] – two languages, Tarpia language, Tarpia and Kaptiau language, Kaptiau, which are not close
Retired 2010
*
Ayi (China) []
* (India) []
* []
Retired 2011
* []
*Pongyong language, Pongyong []
*Elpaputih language, Elpaputih [] – could be either of two existing languages
Retired 2012
*
Malakhel [] – likely Ormuri
*Forest Maninka language, Forest Maninka [] – generic
*Wirangu language, Wirangu-Nauo language, Nauo [] – the two varieties which do not form a unit
Retired 2013
*
Gugu Mini [] – a generic name
* Pidgin [] – never existed
* [] – never existed
*Yugh language, Yugh [] – duplicate of Yugh language, Yug []
*Lamam language, Lamam [] – duplicate of Romam language, Romam []
Retired 2014
*Mator-Taygi-Karagas language, Mator-Taygi-Karagas [] – duplicate of Mator
*Yiddish Sign Language [] – no evidence that it existed
*The language, The [] – duplicate of Oy
*
Imraguen (
Mauritania) []
* (') [] – perhaps a typo for Boma language, Boma (''Eboma'')
*Bemba language (Congo), Bemba [] – a tribal name
*Songa language (Democratic Republic of Congo), Songa [] – a tribal name
*
Daza []
*
Buya []
*Kawésqar language, Kakauhua [] – Kakauhua/Caucahue is an ethnonym, language unattested – see
Alacalufan languages
The Alacalufan languages or Kawesqaran languages are a small language family of South America. They have not been definitely linked to any other American language family.
Languages
Early vocabularies show that Alakaluf was three languages, with ...
*
Subi [] – duplicate of Shubi [suj] but that decision was reversed in 2018, bringing [xsj] back
* [] – does not exist
*=/Kx'au//'ein language, =/Kx'au//'ein [] – dialect of Juǀ'hoan language, Juǀʼhoan
tz
Retired 2015
*
tl*
bh*
be– a Saliba and Guahibo surname
*
ox* [] – uncontacted, and likely one of the neighboring languages
* [xbx] – generic name for Pareci language, Parecis, Nambiquaras, or any hostile group (see Cabixi language for one specific use)
*
na* (Dravidian) []
* Shipibo language, Xipináwa []
* [yri]
And several supposed extinct Arawakan languages of Venezuela and Colombia:
* []
* []
* [] – a Sáliba surname, perhaps just Piapoco language, Piapoco or
Achagua language, Achagua
* []
Additional languages and codes were retired in 2015, due to a lack of evidence that they existed, but were not necessarily spurious as languages.
Retired 2016
* Lua people, Lua' []
* Rennellese Sign Language [] – a home sign system, not a full language
* []
* []
* [] – no substantive evidence that the language ever existed.
Retired 2017
* [] – no substantive evidence that the language ever existed.
* []
* [] – a clan name
Retired 2018
* []
* [] – duplicate of Ta’Oi language, Kriang []
* [] – Meena, a tribe and caste name in India
Retired 2019
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
* []
Retired 2020
*Bikaru language, Bikaru [bic] – posited based on a poor elicitation of ordinary Bisorio
Retired 2021
* []
* []
References and notes
External links
*{{cite web, url=http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/codes_retired.asp, title=Retired Code Elements Index, website=
SIL International.