Following is a list of
ISO 639-3 language codes which have been retired since the standard was established in 2006, arranged by the year in which the actual retirement took effect; in most cases the change request for retirement was submitted in the preceding year. Also included is a partial list of languages (with their SIL codes) that appeared at one time in
Ethnologue but were removed prior to 2006, arranged by the first edition in which they did not appear. The list includes codes that have been retired from ISO 639-3 or languages removed from
Ethnologue because the language apparently does not exist and cannot be identified with an existing language. The list does not include instances where the "language" turns out to be a spelling variant of another language or the name of a village where an already known language is spoken; these are cases of duplicates, which are resolved in ISO 639-3 by a code merger. It does include "languages" for which there is no evidence or which cannot be found. (In some cases, however, the evidence for nonexistence is a survey among the current population of the area, which would not identify extinct languages such as
Ware below.) SIL codes are upper case; ISO codes are lower case. Once retired, ISO 639-3 codes are not reused. SIL codes that were retired prior to 2006 may have been re-used or may have reappeared as ISO codes for other languages.
Removed from Ethnologue, 12th ed., 1992 • (PNG) [] • (Brazil) [] • (PNG) [] • , (Brazil) [] • () [] • (PNG) [] • (Mexico) [] – added to
Ethnologue 1988 by mistake due to a misunderstanding, removed in 1992. No evidence that it ever existed. • Senoufo [] – the Tyeliri are a caste of leather workers, and do not have their own language • [] • [] – name of an ethnic group that speaks
Yongkom [yon]
Removed from Ethnologue, 13th ed., 1996 • (PNG) [] – described as "isolate in need of survey" in the 12th ed.
Removed from Ethnologue, 14th ed., 2000 • 2 [] – a mislabeled fragment of a word list • [], [], [], [], () [], [] – old names for
Qiangic languages, some of uncertain correspondence to currently recognized names • [] – an ethnic name for people speaking a variety of Qiangic or
Jiarongic languages • Scandinavian Pidgin Sign Language [] – normal inter-language contact, not an established pidgin •
Wutana (Nigeria) [] – an ethnic name
Removed from Ethnologue, 15th ed., 2005 • [] • [] • - [], incl. / • [] (though other languages without ISO codes, such as
Wila', are also called Lowland Semang) •
Mutús [] – suspected to exist, e.g. by Adelaar 2005 • [] • [] – same as
Tanjijili? Also a possible synonym for Kwak (retired in 2015) • () [] – no evidence it is distinct from Fungom and Bum • [] • []
Retired 2007 • [] – unattested • [] – an old town name, likely referring to
Dêqên • Creole []
Retired 2008 • () [] •
Land Dayak [] – language family name, not individual language •
Ware [] – Ware is listed as extinct in Maho (2009). When an SIL team in Tanzania were not able to find any evidence of it being spoken, the code was retired. • River Kenyah [], River Kenyah [], Kenyah [], Kenyah [] – Any current use is likely either
Mainstream Kenyah [] or
Uma' Lung [] • [] – prison jargon • - [] (Borana & Somali) • Sufrai [] – two languages,
Tarpia and
Kaptiau, which are not close
Retired 2009 •
Aariya [] • [] – name given to several uncontacted groups •
Europanto [] – a jest
Retired 2010 • Chimakum [] – duplicate of
Chemakum [xch] •
Beti (Cameroon) [] – a group name
Retired 2011 •
Ayi (China) [] • (India) [] • []
Retired 2012 • [] •
Pongyong [] •
Elpaputih [] – could be either of two existing languages •
Wirangu-
Nauo [] – the two varieties which do not form a unit
Retired 2013 •
Malakhel [] – likely Ormuri •
Forest Maninka [] – generic
Retired 2014 •
Gugu Mini [] – a generic name • Pidgin [] – never existed • [] – never existed •
Yugh [] – duplicate of
Yug [] •
Lamam [] – duplicate of
Romam []
Retired 2015 •
Mator-Taygi-Karagas [] – duplicate of Mator • Yiddish Sign Language [] – no evidence that it existed •
The [] – duplicate of Oy •
Imraguen (
Mauritania) [] • (''
) [] – perhaps a typo for Boma (Eboma'') •
Bemba [] – a tribal name •
Songa [] – a tribal name •
Daza [] – retired in 2015 (with the reason "Nonexistent") but that decision was reversed in 2023, bringing [dzd] back •
Buya [] •
Kakauhua [] – Kakauhua/
Caucahue is an ethnonym, language unattested – see
Alacalufan languages •
Subi [] – duplicate of Shubi [suj] but that decision was reversed in 2019, bringing [xsj] back • [] – does not exist •
ǂKxʼaoǁʼae ("=/Kx'au//'ein") [] – dialect of
Juǀʼhoan [ktz]
Retired 2016 • [btl] • [cbh] • [cbe] – a Saliba and Guahibo surname • [kox] • [] – uncontacted, and likely either
Wayampi or
Apalaí • [xbx] – generic name for
Parecis, Nambiquaras, or any hostile group (see
Cabixi language for one specific use) • [rna] • (Dravidian) [] •
Xipináwa [] – unattested and may not be distinct • [yri] – dialect of
Carijona And several supposed extinct
Arawakan languages of Venezuela and Colombia: • [] • [] • [] – a Sáliba surname, perhaps just
Piapoco or
Achagua • [] Additional languages and codes were retired in 2016, due to a lack of evidence that they existed, but were not necessarily spurious as languages.
Retired 2017 •
Lua' [] •
Rennellese Sign Language [] – a home sign system, not a full language • [] • [] • [] – no substantive evidence that the language ever existed.
Retired 2018 • [] – no substantive evidence that the language ever existed. • [] • [] – a clan name
Retired 2019 • [] • [] – duplicate of
Kriang [] • [] –
Meena, a tribe and caste name in India
Retired 2020 •
Arma [] • [] • [] •
Barbacoas [] • [] • [] • [] • [] • [] •
Lumbee [] •
Palpa [] • []
Retired 2021 •
Bikaru [bic] – posited based on a poor elicitation of ordinary Bisorio
Retired 2022 • [] • [] •
Judeo-Tunisian Arabic [] – duplicate of
Tunisian Arabic [aeb]
Retired 2023 • [] – duplicate of
Tupinamba [tpn] • [] – duplicate of
Palikur [plu] • [] – duplicate of
Khakas [kjh] • [] •
Parsi []
Retired 2024 • (Cameroon) [] – duplicate of
Suma [sqm] ==Spurious according to
Glottolog==