Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40846713›Full record

ArticleScientific data2025

A global and interoperable dataset of linguistic distributions derived from the Atlas of the World's Languages.

Peter Ranacher, Robert Forkel, Nour Efrat-Kowalsky, Matthias Urban, Antonia Hehli, Micha Franz, Gregory Biland, Aaron Kreienbühl, Alba Hermida Rodríguez, Matheus Azevedo and 10 more

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Article in Scientific data, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Peter Ranacher *University Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8680-4063
Robert Forkel *Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Leipzig, 04103, Germany. robert_forkel@eva.mpg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1081-086X
Nour Efrat-KowalskyUniversity Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Matthias UrbanLaboratoire "Dynamique du Langage", UMR 5596, CNRS & Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France.
Antonia HehliUniversity Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Micha FranzUniversity Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Gregory BilandUniversity Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Aaron KreienbühlUniversity Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Alba Hermida RodríguezGhent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Matheus AzevedoRadboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Martijn RomarLeiden University Centre for Linguistics, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Andrea KlaussovaCopernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Takuya TakahashiDepartment of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Nico NeureiterUniversity Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3719-2259
Rik van GijnLeiden University Centre for Linguistics, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Meeli RooseDepartment of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2776-9883
Outi VesakoskiSchool of Languages and Translation Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Robert WeibelUniversity Research Priority Program (URPP) 'Language and Space', University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Gereon Kaiping *Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Sietze Norder *Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4692-4543

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Asher and Moseley's Atlas of the World's Languages illustrates the past and present spatial distribution of human languages across more than 100 maps. While the Atlas is an impressive resource, its data are not readily accessible for research. Language areas are presented as printed maps and referenced by name, rather than as digital spatial objects linked to a standardised language catalogue. To address these limitations, we present a digital dataset derived from the Atlas. We georeferenced the map images, digitised the language polygons in a Geographic Information System (GIS), and linked each polygon to a Glottocode - a unique identifier for languages and language varieties. Following the FAIR principles, we provide the data as a faithful digital replication of the Atlas (comprising 6,992 distinct language areas) and in enriched, aggregated versions for contemporary and traditional languages. The datasets capture the spatial distribution of human languages as depicted in the Atlas, with each polygon linked to an unambiguous identifier, enabling computational analyses of the origins, distribution, and drivers of global linguistic diversity.

Identifiers

PMID40846713
PMCPMC12373819

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.