ArticleScience advances2023
Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss.
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36 citing papers in PubMed.
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- State formation across cultures and the role of grain, intensive agriculture, taxation and writing.Nature human behaviour · 2026Article
- Enduring constraints on grammar revealed by Bayesian spatiophylogenetic analyses.Nature human behaviour · 2026Article
- Shared universal pressures in the evolution of human languages.Nature human behaviour · 2026Article
- The notion of the numeral base in linguistics.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- A phylogenetic analysis of numeral anchor choice in New Guinea and lowland South America.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Article
- A global and interoperable dataset of linguistic distributions derived from the Atlas of the World's Languages.Scientific data · 2025Article
- How Does Speaking A Free Word Order Language Influence Sentence Planning and Production? Evidence From Pitjantjatjara (Pama-Nyungan, Australia).Cognitive science · 2025Article
- The Areal Typology of Languages of the Americas (ATLAs) database.Scientific data · 2025Article
- Gradient in grammatical structure of indigenous languages reflects pathway of human expansion in the Americas.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A computational analysis of lexical elaboration across languages.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Projected speaker numbers and dormancy risks of Canada's Indigenous languages.Royal Society open science · 2025Article
- Curating global datasets of structural linguistic features for independence.Scientific data · 2025Article
- The Expanded Natural History of Song Discography, A Global Corpus of Vocal Music.Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science · 2025Article
- Lexibank 2: pre-computed features for large-scale lexical data.Open research Europe · 2025Article
- The Scientific and Cultural Cost of Convenience Sampling in the Face of Rising Language Endangerment: Highlighting the Role of Language Acquisition.Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science · 2025Article
- Half a century of quantitative cultural evolution.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
105 authors.
Hedvig SkirgårdDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7748-2381
Hannah J HaynieDepartment of Linguistics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2237-230X
Damián E BlasiDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9885-1414
Harald HammarströmDepartment of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Jeremy CollinsDepartment of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Jay J LatarcheDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0486-248X
Jakob LesageDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3751-9637
Tobias WeberDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Alena Witzlack-MakarevichDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.ORCID 0000-0003-0138-4635
Sam PassmoreEvolution of Cultural Diversity Initiative, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
Angela ChiraDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2964-7583
Luke MauritsDepartment of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3130-4256
Russell DinnageDepartment of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0846-2819
Michael DunnDepartment of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5349-5252
Ger ReesinkDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8724-7887
Ruth SingerARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4915-3262
Claire BowernDepartment of Linguistics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9512-4393
Patience EppsDepartment of Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7429-7885
Jane HillSchool of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4501-1016
Outi VesakoskiDepartment of Biology, Turku University, Turku, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-7220-3347
Martine RobbeetsDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
Noor Karolin AbbasDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6602-4772
Daniel AuerDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Nancy A BakkerDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Giulia BarbosDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.
Robert D BorgesInstitute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-7647-4048
Swintha DanielsenZentrum für Kleine und Regionale Sprachen, Friesisches Seminar, Europa-Universität Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany.
Luise DorenbuschDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0410-6921
Ella DornDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6344-4907
John ElliottDepartment of Linguistics, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
Giada FalconeDepartment of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Jana FischerDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0576-1098
Yustinus Ghanggo AteDepartment of Linguistics, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4378-5277
Hannah GibsonDepartment of Languages and Linguistics, University of Essex, Essex, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2324-3147
Hans-Philipp GöbelDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Jemima A GoodallDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0310-9445
Victoria GrunerDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4504-1274
Andrew HarveyFaculty of Languages and Literatures, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3659-4704
Rebekah HayesDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0978-2646
Leonard HeerFrisian and General Linguistics, Department of General Linguistics, Institute for Scandinavian Studies, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1569-9761
Roberto E Herrera MirandaInstitut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris, France.
Nataliia HüblerDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0013-563X
Biu Huntington-RaineyDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.
Jessica K IvaniDepartment of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Marilen JohnsDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Erika JustDepartment of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7244-3714
Eri KashimaARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7534-7047
Carolina KipfDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Janina V KlingenbergDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Nikita KönigFrisian and General Linguistics, Department of General Linguistics, Institute for Scandinavian Studies, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9582-9361
Aikaterina KotiDepartment of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-8155-7120
Richard G A KowalikDepartment of Linguistics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-4903-997X
Olga KrasnoukhovaCentre for Linguistics, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1953-7954
Nora L M LindvallDepartment of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-4640-7589
Mandy LorenzenDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5433-8224
Hannah LutzenbergerDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0574-4060
Tânia R A MartinsDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3648-2190
Celia Mata GermanDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.
Suzanne van der MeerDepartment of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4232-8675
Jaime Montoya SamaméFacultad de Letras y Ciencias Humanas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Perú.ORCID 0000-0003-3797-1161
Michael MüllerDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2027-7301
Saliha MuradogluARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Kelsey NeelyDepartment of Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
Johanna NickelDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Miina NorvikInstitute of Estonian and General Linguistics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.ORCID 0000-0001-5781-3916
Cheryl Akinyi OluochDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2465-719X
Jesse PeacockDepartment of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
India O C PeareyDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.
Naomi PeckARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3567-813X
Stephanie PetitDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.
Sören PieperFrisian and General Linguistics, Department of General Linguistics, Institute for Scandinavian Studies, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
Mariana PobleteFacultad de Letras y Ciencias Humanas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Perú.ORCID 0000-0003-0253-712X
Daniel PrestipinoARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Linda RaabeDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3684-3742
Amna RajaDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.
Janis ReimringerDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6769-8907
Sydney C ReyDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5657-9221
Julia RizaewDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4250-8035
Eloisa RuppertDepartment of Linguistics, Quantitative Lexicology and Variational Linguistics (QLVL), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Kim K SalmonDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8515-1008
Jill SammetDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0869-795X
Rhiannon SchembriARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Lars SchlabbachDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Frederick W P SchmidtDepartment of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1429-966X
Amalia SkiltonDepartment of Linguistics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9848-5688
Wikaliler Daniel SmithDepartment of Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
Hilário de SousaDepartment of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-3790-8245
Kristin SverredalDepartment of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Daniel ValleDepartment of Modern Languages, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA.
Javier VeraFacultad de Letras y Ciencias Humanas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Perú.ORCID 0000-0002-5234-6279
Judith VoßDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Tim WitteDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Henry WuARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5762-3124
Stephanie YamARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Jingting YeDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8813-131X
Maisie YongDepartment of Linguistics, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, UK.
Tessa YudithaDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1280-7245
Roberto ZariquieyDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1421-1314
Robert ForkelDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1081-086X
Nicholas EvansARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0893-3713
Stephen C LevinsonDepartment of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8961-5316
Martin HaspelmathDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
Simon J GreenhillDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7832-6156
Quentin D AtkinsonSchool of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0002-8499-7535
Russell D GrayDepartment of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9858-0191
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here, we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available. The comprehensiveness of Grambank allows us to quantify the relative effects of genealogical inheritance and geographic proximity on the structural diversity of the world's languages, evaluate constraints on linguistic diversity, and identify the world's most unusual languages. An analysis of the consequences of language loss reveals that the reduction in diversity will be strikingly uneven across the major linguistic regions of the world. Without sustained efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages, our linguistic window into human history, cognition, and culture will be seriously fragmented.
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