* Definition of "Unwritten Language": There's no clear-cut definition. Does it mean a language with:
* No written system at all?
* A limited writing system used only for specific purposes (like lists or personal notes)?
* A writing system that's not widely used or standardized?
* Lack of Data: Many languages, particularly those spoken by small, isolated groups, haven't been documented or studied thoroughly. Their existence, let alone their writing systems, may be unknown to researchers.
* Ongoing Language Loss: Many languages are disappearing, and some may have gone extinct without ever being documented.
Estimates:
* Ethnologue, a widely used resource for language information, lists over 7,000 languages in the world. However, it doesn't specifically categorize languages as "written" or "unwritten."
* Some estimates suggest that hundreds, if not thousands, of languages may be unwritten, particularly in remote regions of the world.
It's important to note: The number of "unwritten" languages is a dynamic figure that changes as new languages are discovered, documented, and as some languages unfortunately disappear.