Here are some considerations:
* Language families and branches: There are roughly 150 language families, with thousands of languages within each.
* Number of speakers: Some languages have millions of speakers, while others have only a few hundred.
* Official language status: Some languages are recognized as official in countries, while others are not.
* Mutual intelligibility: Some languages are very similar and can be considered dialects of the same language, while others are distinct and mutually unintelligible.
Here are some common estimations:
* 7,100-7,150 languages: This is the most commonly cited number, based on Ethnologue, a comprehensive database of languages. However, this includes many languages with very few speakers and may include dialects that are considered separate languages.
* Around 200 languages: This number represents languages with a significant number of speakers and official language status in many countries.
Ultimately, the answer to how many "main" languages there are depends on your criteria. It's more important to understand the diversity of human languages and the importance of language preservation.