Africa's lack of linguistic diversity is due largely to the success of Bantu-speaking people.
He said also that linguistic diversity was one of the principal means for building democracy.
But in an age of mass communications, the threats to linguistic diversity are less draconian and more spontaneous.
To recognize the importance of linguistic diversity, the UNESCO General Conference proclaimed International Mother Language Day (IMLD) in November 1999.
So, if linguistic diversity increases with time, then Africa, where humanity evolved, and Asia, its first staging-post to world domination, should be the greatest Babels.
Mr Matsuura welcomed the proposal as a "great initiative that will help to bridge the knowledge divide, promote mutual understanding, and foster cultural and linguistic diversity".
Prof Matras said, while the data had provided "important confirmation of Manchester's enormous linguistic diversity" the research revealed a greater number of languages and people who spoke them.
With an ICANN meeting set for later this month in Puerto Rico, the time has come to prioritise linguistic diversity on the Internet by giving multilingual domains the attention they deserve.
Professor Salikoko S. Mufwene, of the department of linguistics at the University of Chicago, says the enslaved Africans and their descendants created the dialect in response to their own linguistic diversity.
But supporters of linguistic diversity make strong arguments too.
Van Hooff briefly reviewed all the articles included in this issue which deal with oral tradition, linguistic diversity and the African influence in the region, all written by experts and prestigious intellectuals.
And it can turn some of its short-term challenges, such as the pressures from ethnic and linguistic diversity (the state is now 37% Hispanic and 13% Asian), into long-term strengths in the global economy.
The documents recognize the importance of the role libraries play in building appropriate information infrastructure, in ensuring access to information and knowledge, in capacity building and in preserving cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content.
Nat Pearson's is the team's linguist, he is keen to examine the correlation between linguistic and genetic diversity.
Linguistic and cultural diversity are of strategic importance for people around the world in strengthening the unity and cohesion of societies.
Mr Gould says UNESCO is committed to the preservation of languages as a vital component of linguistic and cultural diversity, multilingualism and quality education for all.
The International day has since been observed every year throughout the world on 21 February to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingual education.
In a continent that glories in political, linguistic and gastronomic diversity, there are almost as many forms of social policy as there are national drinks.
Since 2000, UNESCO and its Member States have celebrated International Mother Language Day annually on 21 February in order to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
These discussions must be also seen in connection with the concept of linguistic and cultural heritage of humanity, as embodied by the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001).
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