ABSTRACT
It is often remarked that in Europe there are very few languages in comparison to other parts of the world per a unit of territory or population, be it sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, or Central and South America. However, this conclusion does not stem from dispassionate observation and analysis of the sociolinguistic reality on the ground. The perceived paucity of languages in Europe and their multitude elsewhere is caused by the application of two different sets of observation and analysis guidelines in the case of Europe and the rest of the world. What is counted in Europe is predominantly the standardized languages, officially endowed with the status of state or national languages. The “other languages” are brushed aside as mere dialects, jargons, tongues, vernaculars, idioms, kitchen gab, village talk, or other unbecoming mixed speech. From this hardly realized or commented on, and highly normative perspective, in Europe a language is not seen as a language (Einzelsprache) unless it is recognized by a state as official, and widely employed for writing, publishing, administration and education.
