Jèrriais: the Norman language of Jersey Jèrriais Jèrriais is the traditional Norman language of Jersey, spoken by a small minority. Distinct from standard French, it is preserved through literature, teaching, broadcasts and cultu…
Jewish languages: history, features, and major varieties Jewish languages Languages and dialects that arose within Jewish communities worldwide, shaped by Hebrew, Aramaic, and local tongues; includes Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic and others, many endange…
Joke: forms, mechanisms, history and social roles Joke A joke is a short remark, story or act intended to provoke laughter. This article explains common types, how jokes work, their history, uses in culture, and ethical issues around o…
Just Say No: U.S. anti‑drug slogan and prevention campaign Just Say No “Just Say No” was a prominent 1980s U.S. anti‑drug slogan promoted by First Lady Nancy Reagan as part of broader War on Drugs efforts; it influenced school programs, public debate,…
Jyutping: Romanization system for Cantonese Jyutping Jyutping is a systematic Latin-letter romanization for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993; used for teaching, dictionaries, input methods and lingui…
Ka (К, к) — Cyrillic letter for the /k/ sound Ka (Cyrillic) Ka (К, к) is a Cyrillic alphabet letter representing the voiceless velar plosive /k/. It derives from Greek kappa, resembles Latin K, and appears across Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian…
Kabyle language (a Northern Berber variety) Kabyle language Kabyle is a Northern Berber (Amazigh) language spoken mainly in Algeria and among diaspora communities; it has a rich oral tradition, growing literature, and several writing system…
Kamkata-viri: the Nuristani language of eastern Afghanistan Kamkata-viri language Kamkata-viri is a Nuristani language spoken in eastern Afghanistan by several tens of thousands. It is a dialect cluster with limited literacy, local radio use, and ongoing documen…
Kana: Japan’s syllabic scripts (hiragana, katakana, and manyogana) Kana Kana are the Japanese syllabic scripts—hiragana and katakana—derived from manyogana and used alongside kanji; they represent sounds rather than meanings and form the backbone of wr…
Kanji: Japanese logographic characters Kanji Kanji are the logographic characters used in written Japanese, adapted from Chinese hanzi. This article explains their structure, history, readings, uses, and how they differ from…
Kannada: language, script and literary tradition Kannada Kannada is a major Dravidian language of southern India with a distinct abugida script, an ancient literary tradition and tens of millions of speakers concentrated in Karnataka and…
Kapampangan language (Pampangan) Kapampangan language Kapampangan (Pampangan) is an Austronesian language of the Philippines, centered in Pampanga and neighboring provinces. This article summarizes its features, history, distribution,…
Kappa (Κ, κ): Greek letter, pronunciation, history and uses Kappa Kappa (Κ, κ) is the tenth Greek letter representing /k/. This article explains its form, phonetics, numeric value, historical development and common roles in science, mathematics a…
Karachay-Balkar language Karachay-Balkar A Turkic language of the North Caucasus, Karachay‑Balkar is spoken by the Karachay and Balkar peoples and is notable for its Kipchak affiliation, two main dialects, agglutinative g…
Karluk languages (Qarluq branch of the Turkic family) Karluk languages Branch of the Turkic languages centered in Central Asia, including medieval Chagatai and the modern languages Uzbek and Uyghur; notable for a rich literary tradition and distinct p…
Kashmiri language Kashmiri is an Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic grouping spoken mainly in the Kashmir Valley and surrounding areas, with distinct phonology, scripts, dialects, and a long oral and…
Kashubian language (Kaszëbsczi) Kashubian language Kashubian is a West Slavic Lechitic language of Poland's Pomeranian region, officially protected since 2005 and used in education, local media, signage and cultural expression.
Kazakh language Kazakh is a Turkic language spoken mainly in Kazakhstan and neighboring regions. It is agglutinative, uses vowel harmony, and is written in multiple scripts; it shares official sta…
Kha (Cyrillic letter Х, х) Kha (Cyrillic) Kha (Х, х) is a Cyrillic letter representing the voiceless velar fricative /x/. Derived from Greek chi, it appears in many Slavic and non‑Slavic languages and can resemble Latin X…
Khmer language: overview, script, features, history, and use Khmer language Khmer is the principal language of Cambodia and the Khmer people. This article outlines its classification, writing system, phonology, history, regional varieties, and challenges f…
Khmer script: the Cambodian writing system Khmer script Khmer script is the abugida used for the Khmer language of Cambodia. It preserves an extensive consonant–vowel system, has a long epigraphic history, influenced neighboring scripts…
Khowar (Chitrali) language Khowar language Khowar, also called Chitrali, is a Dardic Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in upper Chitral, Pakistan. It has a rich oral tradition, regional media presence, and is written in Per…
Kids Help Phone — Canadian free counselling and support for young people Kids Help Phone Kids Help Phone is a Canadian bilingual charity offering free, confidential counselling and resources by phone, text and online for children and youth, supported by volunteers and…
Kiloware — bulk packages of postage stamps Kiloware Kiloware describes bulk lots of postage stamps sold by weight (often kilograms). Typically used, on-paper stamps offered to collectors for sorting, study, and affordable accumulati…
Kinyarwanda: Overview of the Rwandan Bantu Language Kinyarwanda Kinyarwanda is a Bantu language spoken chiefly in Rwanda and neighbouring regions; it serves as a national language with a rich oral tradition, standardized orthography, and close…
Klingon language (tlhIngan Hol): constructed tongue from Star Trek Klingon language Klingon (tlhIngan Hol) is a constructed language created for the Klingons in the Star Trek universe. It has distinctive phonology and grammar and a small community of enthusiasts a…
Knaanic (Leshon Knaan) — a medieval West Slavic Jewish language Knaanic language Knaanic, or Leshon Knaan, was a West Slavic Jewish language used in medieval Central Europe (Poland, Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia). Extinct by the late Middle Ages and known from Heb…
Kokborok language Kokborok is the main language of the Borok people in Tripura and nearby areas of Bangladesh and India. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family and has official recognition in Tripur…
Kongo language (Kikongo) Kongo language Kongo (Kikongo) is a Bantu language or continuum spoken by Bakongo and related peoples across parts of Central Africa, with several dialects, a written tradition and creole offshoo…
Konkani language: overview, history, scripts and contemporary use Konkani language Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language of India spoken on the west coast and by diasporas. This article explains its origins, dialects, scripts, cultural role and official status.
Konversation — a KDE-based Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client Konversation Konversation is a graphical IRC client for the KDE desktop. It provides a user-friendly, tabbed interface, support for multiple servers and secure connections, and is distributed u…
Koppa (Greek letter) Koppa (Ϙ, ϙ) is an archaic Greek letter once representing a /k/ sound; it fell out of regular use by the classical alphabet but survives as the numeral for 90 and influenced Latin…
Korean language Korean, spoken on the Korean Peninsula and by a global diaspora, uses the featural Hangul script, has agglutinative grammar and complex honorifics, and exists in different North an…
Kurdish language Kurdish (kurdî) is an Indo‑Iranian language spoken by Kurds across parts of the Middle East. It comprises several major dialect groups, varied writing systems, and an extensive ora…
Kutchi (Kachchi) language Kutchi language Kutchi is an Indo‑Aryan language of western India and southern Pakistan, with distinct dialects, multiple scripts and a strong oral tradition linked to the Kutch region and Sindh.
Kven language Kven is a Finnic variety spoken in northern Norway by the Kven people. Recognized as a minority language in Norway, it is closely related to northern Finnish dialects and Meänkieli…
KVIrc: Cross-platform graphical IRC client KVIrc KVIrc is an open-source, extensible graphical IRC client that runs on multiple desktop platforms, offering scripting, themes, and advanced channel and network features for casual a…
Kwanyama (Oshikwanyama): a standardized Ovambo variety of Angola and Namibia Kwanyama Kwanyama (Oshikwanyama) is a standardized variety of the Ovambo language spoken in northern Namibia and southern Angola, used in education, media and literature and notable for its…
Kyrgyz language: overview, writing systems, and distribution Kyrgyz language Kyrgyz is a Turkic language spoken by millions in Kyrgyzstan and neighboring regions. This article covers its classification, key linguistic traits, scripts, history, dialects, and…
Labial consonant Consonants articulated with the lips, including bilabial and labiodental sounds; overview, types, examples, historical notes, and notable distinctions for linguistics and speech st…
Labiodental consonant Consonants articulated with the lower lip against the upper teeth, notably fricatives [f] and [v]; covers articulation, common types and examples, distribution, phonological behavi…
Language: human communication, structure, history and uses Language An overview of human language: its nature, structure (syntax, words, rules), modalities (speech, writing, sign), history and change, social roles, and threats such as language enda…
Language death: causes, consequences and revival efforts Language death Language death occurs when a community stops using a language as a native or communal tongue. This article explains processes, causes, cultural impacts, and strategies for document…
Language family (linguistic classification) Language family A language family groups languages that descend from a common ancestor. Overview of classification methods, typical characteristics, examples (e.g. Romance), isolates and construct…
Language isolate A language with no demonstrable genetic relationship to any other language; identified by comparative methods and important for linguistic history and typology.
Language planning: goals, methods, and social impact Language planning Language planning examines deliberate efforts to shape how languages are used, standardized, taught and given official status, and it covers corpus, status and acquisition strategi…
Language reform: aims, methods, history, and impacts Language reform Overview of language reform — deliberate efforts to change spelling, grammar, vocabulary or standards to simplify, standardize, purify, or modernize a language. Examples, methods,…
Languages of Africa: families, use, decline and revival Languages of Africa Survey of Africa’s linguistic diversity: major families, lingua francas and colonial languages, writing systems, causes of language loss, and contemporary revitalization efforts.
