Sumerian language is believed the oldest written language in existence. First evidence around 3100 BCE, it flourished during the 3rd millennium BCE. About 2000 BCE, Sumerian was replaced as a spoken language but continued in written usage till around the beginning of the Christian era. There are now over 7,100 spoken languages across the globe – this doesn’t include dead languages, or other variations of communications – but only 23 of these account for what half of the globe use. I would argue sign language, Khoisan, and emoticons can now be considered their own languages, despite the lack of actual spoken words. Khosian refers to the use of click consonants, found now only amongst two tribes in western Africa. Sign language in particular also amazes me; one can sign two contradictory statements at the same time - something no other language is able to do. But this begs a question - if we already have 7100 languages (not including extras mentioned above), how can we progress our communication methods even further?​

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What will happen to our language in a decade? A century? A millennium? ​

Will we still use written and spoken words to communicate?​

Will we develop beyond the need to do so?​

What will we use if we don’t understand the spoken word or written word?​

Perhaps sign language will become our main method of communication… or Khoisan will make a triumphant return…​​

How are scientists planning for a time in which we no longer understand our languages? How will our history be understood? and what will we do if we encounter life that also doesn’t understand us, but wishes to commune?​

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The nuclear waste buried far beneath the earth will be toxic for thousands of years. How do you build a warning now that can be understood in the far future?​​

Long-term nuclear waste warning messages are suggested communication attempts intended to deter human intrusion at nuclear waste sites in the far future – when nuclear waste will still be deadly, but our languages may be lost. These are mainly in the form of pictorials and through the use of hostile architecture, as today's written languages are unlikely to survive.​

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The Voyager Golden Records are records that contain sounds and images chosen to show life and culture on Earth. They show photographs of life on earth, including nature, cities, people, and animals – but no evidence of war, famine, or disease. They also have greetings recorded in 55 languages, songs from around the world, and non-musical sounds. The record gives specific instructions and distance measurements that can be used to pinpoint Earth's location within our galaxy. The record was designed to communicate with extraterrestrial life. The outside of the record is designed so that aliens could understand, with instructions about how to play the record next to images. However, the records can be seen as a symbol of the ‘indomitable human spirit’, rather than a serious attempt to contact alien life forms. The record is likely to travel for billions of years, well beyond the life expectancy of the earth; if anything does translate the record, it's likely that, by the time they reach us, we would have already been extinct for tens of thousands of years.​

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