languageslanguages

languageslanguages is a term used in linguistics and information science to describe a meta-level approach to organizing languages. It refers to efforts that treat language names, classifications, scripts, and lineage as data subjects for cross-domain analysis. The phrase highlights self-reference, or recursion, in how languages are documented and linked, and it can apply to both natural languages and programming languages or scripting systems.

In a practical implementation, languageslanguages would be realized as a knowledge base or graph database. Each language would be a node with attributes such as language family, ISO codes, scripts, phonological inventory, and dominant communities. Edges would capture relationships like "is descendant of", "uses script", "influences", or "paradigm". Data would be drawn from established sources (Glottolog, Ethnologue, ISO 639) and programming-language taxonomies, then cross-linked to enable queries that span natural and programming languages.

Applications include cross-lacational comparisons, language technology development, education and localization, and research in metalinguistics and nomenclature. The framework supports localization workflows by linking language data to software locales, fonts, and input methods, while also enabling scholars to study naming patterns and classification schemes across domains.

As a term, languageslanguages remains informal and not widely standardized; it serves as a conceptual label for meta-level organization rather than a defined standard. It highlights how language naming itself can be studied with the same rigor applied to linguistic phylogeny and software taxonomy.