#endangered languages challenge

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Endangered Languages Challenge, 2/7, Manchu

Names of the language:

The language is called ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ ᡤᡳᠰᡠᠨ (Manchu Gisun, it should be vertically written)  in the language itself, 清文 or  清語 in Chinese, and Manchu in English.

Genealogical affiliation:

Manchu is a Tungusic language of the southern Manchu branch, and it is closest relation is the Jurchen language. There are also many loanwords from Mandarin and Mongolian. Location of the language:

Manchu is still spoken in the historical region of Manchuria, and was the native language of the the Manchus and one of the official languages of the Qing dynasty.  Number of speakers: Although there are 10 million ethnic Manchus in China, there are only 10 native speakers of Manchu left. A 2007 census counted 18 octogenarian residents, but it has of course unfortunately decreased since then. However, thanks to free courses offered for adults by the government, there are also a few thousand L2 speakers.  Endangerment situation:

Manchu is considered critically endangered by UNESCO. The EGIDS level of Manchu is 8b (nearly extinct).  Throughout the 20th century, the PRC state forbid expressions of non-han ethnic cultures in an effort to completely sinicize the country, and that ban held in place until the death of Mao Zedong.  Manchu is still thought of as a foreign language in a Mandarin-speaking country, and many ethnic Manchu choose to learn languages like Mongolian instead. Official/legal status:

Manchu does not hold any official status, but is recognised as an indigenous language.   Documentation status:

Manchu is an incredibly important language for historians studying the Qing dynasty. Texts written in Manchu provide information not available in Chinese texts, and when Chinese contemporary texts have Manchu translations, the Manchu version often aids understanding of the Chinese. The PRC state is supporting revitalisation efforts (somewhat surprisingly) by offering free classes for adults and funding . Manchu associations can be found across the country, including in Taiwan and Hong Kong, to serve as a go-between for Manchu people and the state. 

Sources Wikipedia Ethnologue More wikipedia Omniglot That one youtube channel and also they use the wrong flag

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Endangered languages challenge: 1/7, Chuvash

Names of the language:

The language is called Чăвашла or Чăваш чĕлхи in the language itself, Чувашский язык in Russian, and Chuvash in English.

Genealogical affiliation:

Chuvash is a Turkic language, and is classified as the only remaining member of the Oghuric branch of Turkic languages. This means it is mutually unintelligible with any other Turkic language.

Location of the language:

Chuvash is spoken in the Chuvash republic (aka Chuvashia) in the centre of European Russia, on the bank of the Volga river.   Number of speakers: According to a 2010 census, there are 1,042,989 native speakers of Chuvash within Chuvashia itself, and another 34,000 Chuvash speakers abroad (one of whom works in my university in fact). There are a reported  200,000 L2 users. In a 2002 census,  86% of ethnic Chuvash and 8% of the people of other ethnicities living in Chuvashia claimed knowledge of Chuvash language .

Endangerment situation:

Chuvash is considered endangered by UNESCO. The EGIDS level of Chuvash is 6b (Threatened) - The language is used for face-to-face communication within all generations, but it is losing users. It holds the status of statutory provincial language in Chuvash Republic (1937, Constitution of the Chuvash Republic, Article 8). Chuvash became endangered due to the general Russification of the whole country, with Peter the great pushing education in Russian and limiting career opportunities for non-russian nations, and as a result the Chuvash elite disappeared. Today, Chuvash is taught as a compulsory subject in schools for everyone in the area, but due to the fact Russian dominates in most spheres of life, Chuvash is falling out of use and many children are unlikely to become active users of the language. However, Chuvash still enjoys a rich literary body even today, and according to the Index Translationum by UNESCO, at least 202 books translated from Chuvash were published in other languages since 1979

Official/legal status:

Chuvash is recognised as an official minority language in the Russian federation and holds constitutional status within the Chuvash republic itself. In order to become the president of Chuvashia, it is a constitutional requirement to be fluent enough in Chuvash to comfortably give public addresses.  Documentation status:

Chuvash is incredibly well documented, with full grammars and free courses available online. The Chuvash state produced a TV series to help children and young people learn the language, and it is taught in schools as a compulsory subject. Chuvash literature is still heavily published.  Sources Wikipedia Unesco: Index Translatorium with translations published since the fall of the soviet union Ethnologue Also I just know speakers and people from the area so y’know, I talked to them about it. Not exactly a rigorous academic citation but hey, this is a tumblr post. 

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Endangered languages challenge, 3/7, Komo

Names of the language:

The language has several names,  such as Go-kwom, Tta komo, Madiin, Koma, South Koma, Central Koma, Gokwom and Hayahaya, but the most common term is simply “Komo”. Genealogical affiliation:

Komo is a member of the Koman branch of the Komuz language family. It is also thought to be a member of the controversial Nilo-saharan family. Other relations are Uduk, Opuo, Gwama and Gule (which is thought to be extinct). Also it’s thought Komo may be a dialect of Gwama (even though they are not mutually intelligible and only share 30% cognates) because they don’t know if “Kwama” is the Gwama word for Komo or another word for Gwama and they haven’t done any research about it. Some linguists are also trying to prove a link between Koman languages and the Gumuz languages.

Location of the language:

Komo is the ethnic language of the Kwama people of Ethiopia, Sudan and south Sudan.In Ethiopia, the majority of speakers live in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, in the Mao-Komo special woreda, with some speakers living in the Gambela region too. In Sudan it is mostly located in the An Nil al Azraq region, and in south Sudan, it is found in the Upper Nile state.    Number of speakers: The big problem with estimating the number of Komo speakers is that the censuses don’t seem to care about it all that much. The 2007 census made no mention of it at all, so we only have an estimate from that year.  Endangerment situation:

UNESCO classififes Komo as “definitely endangered, but ethnologue places it at 6a (vigorous) in Sudan and south Sudan, meaning the language is still seeing use in all spheres of life by all ages. In Ethiopia however, it is classified as 6b (threatened).   In 1979 it was estimated that there were around 10,000 speakers, which in 2007 was estimated to be at around 8,500 speakers. Many Komo people are illiterate, but an orthography has been decided and writing workshops are held to teach people to read and write. In Ethiopia, it has been taught in primary schools as a subject from grade 1 since 2013. Official/legal status:

Komo does not seem to hold any official status, to the point of being barely mentioned in Ethiopian censuses. (Censi?). However the Komo language is considered a prestige language in the region, and ethnic group does have a right to receive an education in Komo in their region in Ethiopia, thanks to multilingual education initiatives, even if Amharic is the default language of education in the region.  Documentation status:

Komo is very underresearched- it is unsure what language family it even belongs to. Lots of the studies even contradict each other, so if this reads very self-contradictorarily, that’s why. Many Komo children receive education in Komo and an orthography has been conclusively decided, so Komo as a language is reasonably well documented, and researchers are still in the process of discovering more about it. Sources Wikipedia Omniglot Ethnologue  A sample of spoken Komo, it’s some religious thing because of course it would be I’ll be honest @injerabae​ (huge shoutout to him, he’s an inspiration, and if you’re interested in african linguistics he’s definitely one to follow) can explain the whole classification thing way better than me, in his words Nilo-Saharan is kind of like “Africanist Altaic” so I’d take that part about it being Nilo-saharan with a pinch of salt. Also, many thanks to him for corrections and clarifications on this too.