Americas

Spanning 11 time zones, the Americas area (including North, Central and South America) begins above the Arctic Circle, passes through the equator, and ends near Antarctica. While English, Spanish, French and Portuguese are the predominant languages, a total of over 1,200 languages are used. Ask the average U.S. citizen what language is spoken in Mexico and the answer is Spanish. Actually, 291 languages are used there today.  

Whistling and Signing  

Some languages in the Americas are not always spoken or are not spoken at all. The Mazateco language of Mexico is so tonal that it can be whistled or spoken. Sign languages also have a presence in the Americas. In fact, in one community the Yucatec Maya Sign Language is used for communication by both hearing and deaf people. Sign languages have their own unique grammar and vocabulary usually with little to no similarity to the spoken languages located around them. For example, Colombian Sign Language is not related to Spanish or Spanish Sign Language.    

Some History

It is believed that the Maya of Central America developed the first writing system in the Americas. Maya hieroglyphs date back to the third century B.C. and were continuously used until the 17th century A.D.

Bible translation into the native languages of the Americas began with the Natick Algonquin translation of the Bible in 1663. A Cherokee translation was done in the 1800s using a unique non-Roman writing system. Wycliffe staff have worked in the Americas longer than anywhere else in the world—completing work in 300 languages. Work continues in 343 language projects.