Using the data collected whilst making Quantitative Linguistics shows Eastern Native American Languages are Semitic, Proving the Book of Mormon is True, for fun I computed the average number of syllables per word across Indo European Languages, Semitic Languages, North-West Caucasus Languages, and Northern Native American Languages. Specifically, the words evaluated were the core 207 words found in every single language as seen in the Swadesh list – thus this map shows the average syllable length for each language’s core vocabulary. To see the code and data used, visit that first article.
I suppose the world should be grateful that English became its lingua franca.
| Rank | Language | Language Family | Region | Number of Syllables |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | British Isles (global) | 1.120772947 |
| 2 | Afrikaans | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Southern Africa | 1.173913043 |
| 3 | Luxembourgish | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Luxembourg | 1.207729469 |
| 4 | Yiddish | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Historically Central/Eastern Europe | 1.213592233 |
| 5 | Scots | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Lowland Scotland | 1.236714976 |
| 6 | German | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Central Europe | 1.270531401 |
| 7 | Limburgish | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Netherlands/Belgium/Germany border | 1.333333333 |
| 8 | Old English | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | England (extinct, c. 450-1150 CE) | 1.333333333 |
| 9 | Low Saxon | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Northern Germany/Netherlands | 1.347826087 |
| 10 | Central Franconian | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Western Germany | 1.362318841 |
| 11 | West Frisian | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Friesland, Netherlands | 1.371980676 |
| 12 | Swedish | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Sweden | 1.376811594 |
| 13 | Norwegian (bokmål) | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Norway | 1.381642512 |
| 14 | Norwegian (nynorsk) | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Norway | 1.38647343 |
| 15 | Norwegian Bokmål | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Norway | 1.391304348 |
| 16 | Norwegian | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Norway | 1.407960199 |
| 17 | Latvian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Baltic | Latvia | 1.425120773 |
| 18 | Danish | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Scandinavia | 1.429951691 |
| 19 | Navajo | Na-Dene > Athabaskan | Southwestern US (Arizona/New Mexico) | 1.436893204 |
| 20 | Dutch | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Western Europe (Low Countries) | 1.439613527 |
| 21 | Vedic Sanskrit | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | India (extinct, Vedic era) | 1.449275362 |
| 22 | Lakota | Siouan | Northern Great Plains, US | 1.45 |
| 23 | Breton | Indo-European > Celtic > Brythonic | Brittany, France | 1.458128079 |
| 24 | Scottish Gaelic | Indo-European > Celtic > Goidelic | Scotland | 1.458536585 |
| 25 | Marathi | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Maharashtra, India | 1.472636816 |
| 26 | Ossetic | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Iranian | North Caucasus | 1.48 |
| 27 | Assamese | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Assam, India | 1.497584541 |
| 28 | Armenian (Eastern) | Indo-European > Armenian | Armenia | 1.512077295 |
| 29 | French | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | France | 1.52173913 |
| 30 | Romansch | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Switzerland (Graubünden) | 1.527093596 |
| 31 | Classical Armenian | Indo-European > Armenian | Armenia (extinct, classical/liturgical) | 1.54589372 |
| 32 | Ladin | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Dolomites, Italy | 1.550505051 |
| 33 | Balochi | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Iranian | Balochistan (Pakistan/Iran/Afghanistan) | 1.564102564 |
| 34 | Adyghe | Northwest Caucasian | Republic of Adygea / Krasnodar Krai, Russia (also Turkey diaspora) | 1.593137255 |
| 35 | Kabardian | Northwest Caucasian | Kabardino-Balkaria / Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia (also Turkey diaspora) | 1.6 |
| 36 | Old Irish | Indo-European > Celtic > Goidelic | Ireland (extinct, c. 600-900 CE) | 1.600985222 |
| 37 | Welsh | Indo-European > Celtic > Brythonic | Wales | 1.609756098 |
| 38 | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Iranian | Kurdistan (Turkey/Syria/Iraq/Iran) | 1.61352657 |
| 39 | Irish | Indo-European > Celtic > Goidelic | Ireland | 1.615 |
| 40 | Old Norse | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Scandinavia (extinct, c. 700-1300 CE) | 1.628019324 |
| 41 | Old High German | Indo-European > Germanic > West Germanic | Southern Germany (extinct, c. 500-1050 CE) | 1.628019324 |
| 42 | Cornish | Indo-European > Celtic > Brythonic | Cornwall, England | 1.640776699 |
| 43 | Gothic | Indo-European > Germanic > East Germanic | Eastern/Southeastern Europe (extinct) | 1.663265306 |
| 44 | Friulian | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Northeastern Italy | 1.671497585 |
| 45 | Hindi | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Northern India | 1.684729064 |
| 46 | Icelandic | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Iceland | 1.690821256 |
| 47 | Faroese | Indo-European > Germanic > North Germanic | Faroe Islands | 1.695652174 |
| 48 | Santee Dakota | Siouan | Minnesota/Great Plains, US | 1.708333333 |
| 49 | Urdu | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Pakistan/Northern India | 1.724637681 |
| 50 | Kashmiri | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Kashmir | 1.725888325 |
| 51 | Slovak | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (West) | Slovakia | 1.743718593 |
| 52 | Macedonian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (South) | North Macedonia | 1.746192893 |
| 53 | Bengali | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Bengal (India/Bangladesh) | 1.751243781 |
| 54 | Catalan | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Catalonia, Spain | 1.76 |
| 55 | Ainu | Language isolate | Hokkaido, Japan | 1.781553398 |
| 56 | Punjabi | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Punjab (India/Pakistan) | 1.791044776 |
| 57 | Czech | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (West) | Czechia | 1.796116505 |
| 58 | Albanian | Indo-European > Albanian | Albania/Balkans | 1.801932367 |
| 59 | Occitan | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Southern France | 1.802955665 |
| 60 | Pashto | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Iranian | Afghanistan/Pakistan | 1.815 |
| 61 | Polish | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (West) | Poland | 1.816425121 |
| 62 | Hebrew | Afro-Asiatic > Semitic (Central) | Israel | 1.84057971 |
| 63 | O’odham | Uto-Aztecan | Arizona, US / Sonora, Mexico | 1.856521739 |
| 64 | Bulgarian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (South) | Bulgaria | 1.859296482 |
| 65 | Nepali | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Nepal | 1.895522388 |
| 66 | Slovenian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (South) | Slovenia | 1.9 |
| 67 | Russian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (East) | Russia | 1.93236715 |
| 68 | Persian | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Iranian | Iran | 1.950980392 |
| 69 | Belarusian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (East) | Belarus | 1.959798995 |
| 70 | Arabic | Afro-Asiatic > Semitic (Central) | Middle East / North Africa | 2.004830918 |
| 71 | Serbo-Croatian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (South) | Balkans | 2.014492754 |
| 72 | Oriya (Odia) | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Odisha, India | 2.048309179 |
| 73 | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Afro-Asiatic > Semitic (Central, Aramaic) | Northern Iraq/Syria/Turkey/Iran | 2.048309179 |
| 74 | Ancient Greek | Indo-European > Hellenic | Greece (extinct, classical era) | 2.062801932 |
| 75 | Amharic | Afro-Asiatic > Semitic (South, Ethiopian) | Ethiopia | 2.086956522 |
| 76 | Spanish | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Spain | 2.09178744 |
| 77 | Lenape (Munsee & Unami) | Algic > Algonquian | Northeastern US (Delaware Valley) | 2.105042017 |
| 78 | Hopi | Uto-Aztecan | Arizona, US | 2.125 |
| 79 | Portuguese | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Portugal | 2.125 |
| 80 | Sardinian (Campidanese) | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Sardinia, Italy | 2.145728643 |
| 81 | Lithuanian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Baltic | Lithuania | 2.15942029 |
| 82 | Latin | Indo-European > Italic | Italy (Rome, classical era) | 2.15942029 |
| 83 | Ukrainian | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic (East) | Ukraine | 2.208955224 |
| 84 | Proto-Germanic | Indo-European > Germanic | Northern Europe (reconstructed) | 2.212560386 |
| 85 | Romanian | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Romania | 2.212560386 |
| 86 | Greek (Modern) | Indo-European > Hellenic | Greece | 2.212560386 |
| 87 | Pipil | Uto-Aztecan | El Salvador | 2.2375 |
| 88 | Yaqui | Uto-Aztecan | Sonora, Mexico / Arizona, US | 2.364016736 |
| 89 | Nahuatl | Uto-Aztecan | Central Mexico | 2.379746835 |
| 90 | Italian | Indo-European > Italic > Romance | Italy | 2.383495146 |
| 91 | Abaza | Northwest Caucasian | Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia (also Turkey diaspora) | 2.441176471 |
| 92 | Shoshone | Uto-Aztecan | Great Basin, US | 2.442922374 |
| 93 | Pawnee | Caddoan | Nebraska / Oklahoma, US | 2.532751092 |
| 94 | Choctaw | Muskogean | Southeastern US / Oklahoma | 2.537815126 |
| 95 | Abkhaz | Northwest Caucasian | Abkhazia (Caucasus) | 2.563106796 |
| 96 | Ojibwe | Algic > Algonquian | Great Lakes region, North America | 2.609958506 |
| 97 | Old Church Slavonic | Indo-European > Balto-Slavic > Slavic | Balkans/Great Moravia (extinct, liturgical) | 2.67961165 |
| 98 | Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) | Iroquoian | New York/Ontario/Quebec | 2.7125 |
| 99 | Sinhala | Indo-European > Indo-Iranian > Indo-Aryan | Sri Lanka | 2.747524752 |
| 100 | Cherokee | Iroquoian | Southeastern US / Oklahoma | 3.2 |