Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going. When the world was still populated by hunter­gatherers, small, tightly knit connected groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other. Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago, when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.

Soon afterwards, many of those people started settling down to become farmers, and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number. In recent centuries, trade, industrialization, the development of the nation­state and the spread of universal compulsory education, especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades, all have caused many languages to disappear, and dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.

At present, the world has about 6,800 languages. The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven. The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages, often spoken by many people, while hot, wet zones have lots, often spoken by small numbers. Europe has only around 200 languages; the Americas about 1,000; Africa 2,400; and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3，200, of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800. The median number (中位数) of speakers is a mere 6,000, which means that half the world's languages are spoken by fewer people than that.

Already well over 400 of the total of 6，800 languages are close to extinction, with only a few elderly speakers left. Pick, at random, Busuu in Cameroon (eight remaining speakers), Chiapaneco in Mexico (150), Lipan Apache in the United States (two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia (one, with a question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of survival.

My parents immigrated to the U.S. from Guangdong, a province in southern China. The jobs they found in hot kitchens and clothing factories came with long hours, leaving them no time to learn English. So I spent most of my childhood, in Brooklyn, speaking Cantonese, the only language my parents understand. But as I continued my education, I gradually, or deliberately avoided using Cantonese. And as a result, Cantonese avoided me. As it slips from my memory, I also lose my ability to communicate with my parents. For years I have to rely on translation apps and online dictionaries for most of our conversations.

Actually, we speak on the phone only once a week and the conversations are much the same: “Have you eaten yet?” my father asks in Cantonese. Long pause. “No, not yet. You?” I reply. “Why not? It’s so late, my mother cuts in. Long pause.” Remember to drink more water and wear a mask outside.” she continues. “OK. You too.” Longest pause. “We’ll stop bothering you, then.” At age thirty-two, I feel like someone they know instead of their daughter.

On my mom’s sixty-fourth birthday, at the peak of the pandemic, I became increasingly aware of the limited amount of time together. Did I really want to spend the rest of our lives with a language barrier between us? I made it a goal to relearn Cantonese, and, ultimately, rebuild the relationship with my parents. I take Cantonese classes. I watch Wong Kar-wai movies. I repeat Maggie Cheung’s words over and over until I get the tones just right. But, most of all, I call my parents and try to have more meaningful conversations with them, no matter how challenging it gets. Though Cantonese no longer feels natural for me to speak, it will always be my first language---even if it takes a lifetime for us to know each other.

Bookstores are a traveler's best friend: they provide convenient shelter in bad weather, and they often host readings and other cultural events. Here is a look at the world's five greatest bookstores.

Adrian Harrington — since 1971. Rare books; rare first editions; leather bound sets and general antiques. Address: 64A Kensington Church Street, Kensington, London, England, the U.K.

Atlantis Books — Oi a, Santorini, Greece. Atlantis Books is an independent bookshop on the island of Santorini, Greece, founded in 2004 by a group of friends from Cyprus, England, and the United States. Throughout the year it has hosted literary festivals, film screenings, book readings, and good old-fashioned dance parties.

Barfs Books —- Ojai, California, the U.S.A. "The World's Greatest Outdoor Bookstore", a bookstore founded by Richard Bartinsdale in 1964. Shelves of books face the street, and regular customers are asked to drop coins into the door's coin box to pay for any books they take whenever the store is closed.

10 Corso Como — Milan, Italy. An extensive selection of publications on art, architecture, design, graphics and fashion, along with a strong emphasis on photography. It was founded in 1990 in Milan, Italy, by Carla Sozzani.

The Bookworm — A bookshop, library, bar, restaurant and event space, now with four divisions in three cities — Beijing, Suzhou and Chengdu. The interconnecting rooms with floor-to-ceiling books on every wall are light and airy in summer, yet warm and comfortable in winter.