Final answer:
There are approximately 6000 languages in the world today, with a few spoken by vast majorities and many others by only a small number of speakers. Linguistic diversity is vast, but many languages are endangered due to the influence of globalization.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the world today, there are approximately 6000 languages. While a few languages are spoken by millions of people, most of these languages have a relatively small number of speakers. Languages such as English and Spanish are among those with a vast number of speakers.
However, there is concern for the smaller languages, as many of them are endangered and may face extinction due to globalization and the dominance of major languages. It's interesting to note that every human is born with the capacity to learn any language, a testament to our innate linguistic abilities.
A handful of countries are home to over half of the world's languages, showcasing significant linguistic diversity. Yet, as LibreTexts suggests, up to half of the world's living languages could be in danger of disappearing by the end of this century.