Top 5 Rarest Written Languages

The world is comprised of thousands of different languages that are spoken in various countries.  It is also important to note that within an individual country, there may be hundreds of different common languages. 

As an example, every tribe in Africa has their own specific language that is spoken.  As history progresses, some languages evolve and develop whereas others become less used and eventually become rare.  Below is a list of the top 5 rarest written languages in the world.

1. Nigerian Njerep

Njerep is a language spoken in Nigeria that pertains to the Bantoid culture.  The majority of individuals who speak Njerep live near the Mambila, although it was once spoken in Cameroon.  As time progressed, the residents picked up different dialects including Mvop and Ba and they have taken over the written Njerep.  According to recent census studies, there are only 4 people who currently speak Njerep in Africa, thus making the language relatively endangered.

2. Midwest Chemehuevi

This language is generally spoken in the states that are found in the Midwest.  There are also populations that speak Chemehuevi on the west coast.  Groups in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada use Chemehuevi to communicate with one another.  In comparison to other rarely written languages, Chemehuevi is a thriving language but there are a small amount of people who can fully write and speak the language today.

3. Vanuatu Lemerig

Vanuatu is an island found in the Pacific Ocean that is east of Australia.  Lemerig is mostly spoken on Vanua Lava Island and there is an extremely small amount of people (2 residents) who can write this language fluently.  It is quickly becoming another language that is to be extinct.  There were 4 other dialects of Lemerig that had also become extinct over time.

4. Brazil Kaixana

As the second rarest written language in the world, Kaixana exists in a village near the Japura River in Brazil.  As history progressed, the population of the village became primarily Portuguese, therefore less and less villagers spoke Kaixana and more began to learn Portuguese.  To this day there is only 1 known individual who can currently write and speak Kaixana.

5. Peru Taushiro

Spoken in regions around the Tigre River and Aucayacu River, Taushiro is the rarest written language in the world.  It is also interesting due to the fact that it is a language isolate, meaning that it doesn’t have any relationships with other languages in the world.  As per a variety of research documents, these individuals would only count up to 10 and would use both verbal and visual cues to communicate with one another.  To this day, there is only 1 person who can fluently write the language, making it nearly extinct.