Your Atlas
The Atlas
Fifty tongues, drawn as paths. Each chain is a lineage.
Drawing the paths…
Your Atlas
Fifty tongues, drawn as paths. Each chain is a lineage.
Each chain is a journey through time — from a living language to its ancestral root
From colonial Mexico to the language of the Aztec empire
Latin's children and their ancient Dacian grandmother
From modern Russian to the ancestor of all Slavic tongues
Three paths converging on the mother of Indo-Aryan languages
The Mediterranean roots of European civilization
One people, one language, carried across a continent
The coast that connected Africa, Arabia, and South Asia
Three civilizations along the river that shaped Southeast Asia
From the Gold Coast to the root of 500 languages
The Inca tongue and its ancestors, above the clouds
Languages outside the chains — each with its own companion
From Brazil to Portugal to Cape Verde.
“Lisbon-born cultural journalist. Warm, proud of her city, wi…”
Spoken by 800,000 people in the Yucatán Peninsula.
“A companion is being developed for Yucatec Maya. The languag…”
The language of art, diplomacy, and cuisine.
“Parisian cultural attaché. Precise, sharp, warms slowly. She…”
The language of Goethe, Nietzsche, and Beethoven.
“Berlin editor. Direct, dry wit, more warmth underneath than …”
The language of the Vikings and the Eddas.
“A historical linguist at the University of Utah specializing…”
Classical and Modern Standard Arabic spoken across 25+ countries.
“Jordanian literary translator. Composed, precise, carries th…”
The language Jesus spoke. Still used in liturgical and some spoken contexts.
“A companion is being developed for Aramaic — the language of…”
Three scripts, one language. From manga to classical poetry.
“Tokyo translator and Geisha-trained. Still, observant, sees …”
A language isolate. Precise, poetic, and deeply tied to its culture.
“Seoul cultural consultant, daughter of a court dancer. Bridg…”
The most spoken language on Earth.
“Shanghai consultant. Clear-eyed, direct, holds no illusions …”
The language of the Cook Islands, closely related to New Zealand Māori.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
The indigenous language of Fiji. Official language, spoken by 350,000 people.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
Once nearly extinct — now taught in immersion schools across the islands.
“Sefina Faleolo is a Pacific navigation researcher and naviga…”
The indigenous language of New Zealand — a revitalization success story.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
Spoken by the people of Niue. Fewer than 2,000 speakers on the island.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
One of the oldest Polynesian languages. Spoken by 500,000 people worldwide.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
The language of French Polynesia and the heart of the Society Islands.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
One of the most endangered Polynesian languages — fewer than 2,000 speakers.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
The oldest Polynesian language, closest to the proto-Polynesian root.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
Language of one of the world's most vulnerable nations.
“Navigator, keeper of the Pacific. She carries the old knowle…”
The first official language of Ireland. A living Celtic tongue.
“Ciara Ní Fhaoláin is a computational linguist from Carna, Co…”
Fewer than 60,000 native speakers. Still alive in the Scottish Highlands.
“Ciara Ní Fhaoláin guides both Irish and Scots Gaelic — siste…”
A polysynthetic language with its own syllabary invented by Sequoyah.
“Awinita Sixkiller is a Cherokee language revitalization spec…”
Used as a code language in WWII. 170,000 speakers today.
“Nizhoni Runningwater is a Diné computational linguist from S…”
The state of Utah is named after them. Fewer than 1,000 speakers remain.
“Kaya Colorow coordinates the Ute language program for the Ut…”
