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• Afro-Asiatic is also known as Hamito-Semitic.  These languages, which include Arabic, Maltese, Hebrew, Tigrinya and Amharic, are widely spoken across North Africa and the Middle East. Top ▲

• Austronesian languages cover a vast area from Madagascar to the western Pacific and includes the Polynesian languages as well as languages spoken in Borneo and Sarawak.  The group includes Malay and Malagasy as well as Sundanese and Javanese. Top ▲

• Indo-European language groups include: Albanian, Armenian, Balto-slavic, Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Indo-Iranian and Italic languages.  These languages are spoken throughout Europe and in a band across Asia as well as in the Indian sub-continent. Top ▲

• Indo-Pacific languages include over 600 languages spoken in New Guinea and islands to its east and west. Top ▲

• Uralic language groups include: Finnic, Samoyedic and Ugric spoken in Finland, Hungary and the north of Russia. Top ▲

• Caucasian languages include three groups: Abkhazo-Adyghian, Nakho-Dagestanian and Kartvelian.  They are spoken in a band from the eastern Black Sea to the south-western Caspian. Top ▲

• Palaeo-siberian languages are confined to Eastern Siberia mostly and include: Luorawetlan and Yeniseian. Top ▲

• Japanese is spoken by over 120 million people. Top ▲

• Korean is spoken by well over 50 million people in Korea and China. Top ▲

• Altaic languages include Turkish, Mongolian and the Manchu-Tungus group.  They are spoken in Turkey and throughout central and northern Asia. Top ▲

• Dravidian languages include Tamil, Malayam, Kannada and Telegu and are mostly spoken in Southern India and Sri Lanka. Top ▲

• Austro-Asiatic languages include Vietnamese, Mon-Khmer, Munda and Nicobarese and are spoken mostly in South-East Asia. Top ▲

• Tai languages include Thai, Shan, Yuan and Lao and are spoken in South-East Asia and parts of China. Top ▲

• Sino-Tibetan languages include Chinese (Sinitic languages), Tibetan and Burmese and are spoken over a wide range from northern China to southern Burma. Top ▲

• Niger-Congo is the largest African family and includes Bantu, Swahili, Xhosa and Zulu, languages spoken across most of central and southern Africa. Top ▲

• Nilo-Saharan includes over 100 languages spoken in the northern part of central Africa and in the upper Nile valley. Top ▲

• Khoisan is a smaller language group centred on southern Africa and including Sandawa and Hatsa. Top ▲

• North American language families include Algonquian (Cree and Ojibwa and many other north American peoples), Aztec-Tanoan (Comanche, Shosone etc.), Eskimo-Aleut (Yupik and Inuit), Hokan (Tlapanec), Macro-Chibchan (Central America), Macro-Siouan (central and eastern USA), Na-Dené (Alaska, north-west Canada and south-west USA), Oto-Manguean (Otomi, Mixtec and Zapotec - Mexico) and Penutian (from south-west Canada through to the western United States. Top ▲

• Andean-Equatorial languages include Arawakan, Quechumaran, and Tupian and are spoken in the Andes, west to the Atlantic coast and in southern South America. Top ▲

• Ge-Pano-Carib family includes nearly 200 languages spoken throughout South America and including the Carib group, itself containing over 80 languages. Top ▲

• Australian languages include 28 groups in which the largest languages are thought to be Tiwi, Walmatjari, Warlpiri, Aranda and Gunwinygu.  The languages are spoken across Australia. Top ▲

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