The smallest language you've ever studied

[Osias]

mindblown.gif

[Multiturquoise]

One of the smallest languages I've ever studied is probably Nogai with 87.000 native speakers according to the 2010 census.

[Meera]

Out of the living languages you're learning right now or have been learning lately, which one(s?) has the smallest number of native (or total) speakers? What about out of all the living languages you've ever studied, have dabbled in, know one or two words of, etc.? Have you ever studied any extinct languages? Which one(s)?

I think right now the smallest language I am learning is Korean. In my past the smallest language I've tried learning was Nepali. Nepali was fun and I enjoyed studying it. The only extinct language I've studied is Sanskrit. I'm going, to be honest, that I think studying small languages can be quite difficult. I really like having multiple resources and ways to incorporate the language in your life every day.

[vijayjohn]

I'm going, to be honest, that I think studying small languages can be quite difficult.

Oh, it absolutely is very difficult IME! It's so hard to find good resources for them.

[księżycowy]

Depending on which minority language(s) you have your eye on, that is very much true indeed. And even for the ones that have good resources for them, it usually only gets you up to a roughly a beginner level.

I was shocked as shit when I found out that languages like Lushootseed and Tlingit have more stuff to learn them then most NAILs, for example.

And yes, I know you're talking about really really obscure shit, Vicchu. Like Papuan bullshit.

[vijayjohn]

I'm actually not. It's even hard to find resources for Malayalam. Yeah, you have them, but I'd been looking for resources like that for most of my life and ended up having to give up and just pester my dad endlessly. Luckily, he didn't mind.

[księżycowy]

Which means you just didn't know where to look.

[vijayjohn]

I still don't! Where do you get all this shit? Exotic India? Bharatavani?

[księżycowy]

Yes, and yes.

Well, except for Moag. Which is at your alma mater, if I'm not mistaken.

[vijayjohn]

Yeah, but how did you get it? Did you somehow manage to get it from the University of Texas?

[księżycowy]

It, like, in pdf form online, or whatever.

[vijayjohn]

Ah, see, I don't know how to do things like that. That's why I'm lucky I have access to your vast collection of resources.

[Sarabi]

J'ai commencé à apprendre le Navajo... sais pas si je puisse le compter dès maintenant.

[vijayjohn]

Ça compte !

[Lur]

I'm going, to be honest, that I think studying small languages can be quite difficult.

Oh, it absolutely is very difficult IME! It's so hard to find good resources for them.

I feel fortunate about Basque. Even if in some areas it can be difficult (no dubs anymore, nor legal subtitles...)

[vijayjohn]

Does Basque have a movie industry?

[linguoboy]

Does Basque have a movie industry?

I’ve seen one feature film in Basque and know of at least too others. I think there’s some state funds available for filmmakers.

[Lur]

Does Basque have a movie industry?

I can make a list. However the main problem with existing movies/shows in Basque is that they get very difficult to find really fast.

[linguoboy]

English Wikipedia lists over a dozen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Basque-language_films. Several of these are only partly in Basque, however. (One also contains dialogue in Wayuunaiki as well as Spanish.)

[Lur]

"Errementari" (2017) is my favourite and entirely (?) in reconstructed Alavese.

I have seen "Loreak" (2014), "Ander" (2009), "Handia" (2017), "80 egunean" (2010), "Akelarre" (2020) and "Oreina" (2018)

I didn't see yet: "Amama", "Pikadero", "Igelak", "Ane", "Aupa Etxebeste!" and I'm missing the title of a comedy I didn't see. And from this year "Ilargi guztiak" (vampire historical drama), "Nora", the webseries "Ni naiz naizena" and the series "Hondar ahoak". There are also a bunch of documentaries I haven't seen yet but I don't remember the titles (I must look into it)

And next year "Irati" might be released which is set sometime in the middle ages.

There's probably a bunch more I don't know about (and I must look into it).

And I know there are short films as well, but I don't know about that and I must look into it