r/endangeredlanguages • • Oct 19 '24

News/Articles Kawésqar Language (A Linguist's Race to Save It from Extinction)

27 Upvotes

Kawésqar is a language spoken by only 8 people in the world. This language is spoken in southern Chile by the Kawésqar people. This nomadic group spent much of the day canoeing through the fjords and southern channels. Kawésqar, like many other indigenous languages, is considered an "isolated" or "unclassified" language. That is, it is not part of a linguistic family nor does it have links with any other living language (such as, for example, Spanish, which derives from Latin and is part of the Romance languages). This language has "words or phrases" that cannot be translated with just one word in Spanish. In Kawésqar we have words like jerkiár-atǽl, a verb that means 'the movement that the sea makes of ebb and flow'", explains Oscar Aguilera to BBC Mundo. Chilean linguist Oscar Aguilera, 72, has been trying to save this language for almost 50 years, recording its vocabulary, recording audio files for hours and documenting the lexicon. He is the author of a grammar of the Kawesqar language, of a Kawesqar-Spanish and Spanish-Kawesqar dictionary, as well as numerous articles published in various magazines, which give an account of various interesting aspects of this language. However, the linguist believes that there is still much to be done. Being spoken by only eight people, it is among the languages ​​that UNESCO considers to be in grave danger of extinction. Four of them are elderly. Three were born in the 1960s – the last generation to acquire the language from childhood – and only one, who does not belong to the ethnic group, speaks it: Oscar Aguilera. “Behind languages ​​there is a great deal of knowledge and that is why they must be preserved, because they contain unique information about the environment in which the people who speak them live,” says Oscar. Now there is another person who is not from the community interested in learning its grammar: the Chilean president's partner, first lady Irina Karamanos. Looking to the future of the language, Oscar Aguiler's hope lies in the first lady, Irina Karamanos. Perhaps his interest, Oscar says, will actually help revitalize the language of those he considers his true family. Some words in the Kawésqar language:

  • Sea lion → čekéja
  • Dog → kiúrro
  • House → At
  • One → tákso
  • Water → akčólai
  • Snow → asói
  • Canoe → kájef
  • Moon → arkaksélas
  • Whale → ápala
  • Sea → čams

Original BBC article on the Kawésqar language (you can use the translator to translate the page): https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-60377613

Kawésqar Dictionary: https://f.eruditor.link/file/2315984/grant/

Kawésqar alphabet: http://www.kawesqar.uchile.cl/lengua/alfabeto.html

Learning Kawésqar https://youtu.be/7M_BQHK3kks?si=q1UI0axMTu87pmH-


r/endangeredlanguages • • Apr 15 '25

News/Articles Guernesiais language (an endangered language)

47 Upvotes

Guernesiais, also known as Guernésiais or dgèrnésiais, is a Romance language spoken on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

Guernesiais is a language in sharp decline: according to the census carried out in 2001, only 1,327 inhabitants, 2% of the population, speak the language fluently, while 3% can understand it.

Guernesiais shares much with other Norman languages ​​spoken in the Channel Islands, including Sercquiais (from the island of Sark) and Jèrriais (from the island of Jersey).

There is a rich tradition of poetry and songs in Guernesiais, many of which are inspired by the sea, folklore characters and nature.

The most recent dictionary of Guernesiais, Dictiounnaire Angllais–guernesiais by Marie de Garis, was published in 1967 and was reprinted in its fourth edition in 2012. It is considered the most extensive and valuable work on Guernesiais.

Considerable efforts are being made to save the Guernesian language from total extinction, with local schools offering evening and lunchtime classes for adults who wish to learn it on their own.

Since 2003, Guernesiais has been taught in three primary schools as an optional after-school activity. These classes are very popular and parents and other teachers often take part.

In 2021 BBC Radio Guernsey broadcast a 10-minute news bulletin once a week in Guernesiais22 a documentary on the future of Guernesiais was produced for BBC Radio.

The Eisteddfod cultural festival is a public event where attendees can enjoy plays, poetry and music performed in Guernesiais.

There are educational materials available for learning Guernesiais such as Warro, My First Guernesiais Word, a translation of The Gruffalo into the language and other books.

Yan Marquis is a Guernsey language consultant, a teacher and translator of the Guernsey language. He has been at the centre of recent efforts to preserve the language by recording some of its oldest speakers while helping others learn it.

Yan began learning the language at age 18 and began teaching in 2003.

"I realized that its survival was threatened even then, and I realized that, on a personal level, one way to 'save' a language is to learn and speak it," he said.>

Some words in the Guernesiais language:

  • Hello → warro
  • Good morning → baonjour
  • Goodbye → à la perchoïne
  • Water → iaoue
  • Sea → maïre
  • Fish → païssaon
  • Turtle → tortue
  • Sun → solaeil
  • Moon → leune
  • Cat → cat
  • Cow → vacque
  • House → maisaon

Article on the Guernsey language: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crg5r04qzv4o

Vocabulary in Guernesiais: https://language.gg/Free-translation-service


r/endangeredlanguages • • 48m ago

Subreddits and Discord servers for some endangered languages

• Upvotes

1 - Ainu language:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ainu/

2 - Ainu language Discord server: https://discord.gg/hBA6xb7UMF

3 - Jèrriais language:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Jerriais/

4 - Jèrriais language Discord server:
https://discord.gg/GXpTHstap

5 - Livonian language:
https://disboard.org/it/server/902333171062964234

6 - Ladin language:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ladinia/

7 - Mirandese language: https://www.reddit.com/r/mirandes/

8 - Manx language: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaelg/

9 - Manx language Discord server: https://discord.gg/BXUAsuk4WD

10 - Cornish language: https://www.reddit.com/r/CornishLanguage/

11 - Romansh language: https://www.reddit.com/r/romansh/

12 - Istriot language: https://discord.gg/kDq64xdFQQ

13 - Old Prussian: https://discord.gg/mNpQTtV

14 - Wymysorys Language: https://discord.com/invite/PkrsVg2

15 - Votic language: disboard.org/it/server/1059900334534832230

16 - Scottish Gaelic: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaidhlig/

17 - Kamassian language: https://www.reddit.com/r/Kamassian/

18 - Hawaiian language:
https://www.reddit.com/r/olelohawaii/

19 - Maori language: https://www.reddit.com/r/ReoMaori/

20 - Breton language: https://www.reddit.com/r/Breton/

21 - Occitan language: https://www.reddit.com/r/occitan/

22 - Sicilian language: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sicilianu/

23 - Neapolitan language: https://www.reddit.com/r/NeapolitanLanguage/

24 - Ligurian language: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeneise/

25 - Lombard language: https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnLombardLanguage/

If you know of other subreddits or servers dedicated to endangered languages, feel free to share them in the comments.


r/endangeredlanguages • • 11h ago

Is anybody here a native speaker of an Endangered language?

42 Upvotes

According to UNESCO, an "Endangered language" is a language that is spoken by fewer than 100,000 people. There are 2,124 languages in the world that meet this criteria.

If you are a native speaker of an Endangered language, could you please answer the following questions:

*(i) What is the name of your native language?

*(ii) How many speakers (approximately according to your own personal estimate) are able to speak in your native language?

*(iii) Is your native language taught at your local school to all pupils and until what age?

*(iv) Do you know how to read and write in your own native language?

*(v) Are the number of speakers of your native language currently increasing or decreasing?

*(vi) Are all your family members able to speak fluently in your native language?

*(vii) Do you still speak your native language in public places or only at home?

*(viii) Do you personally consider your native language to be thriving or safe or endangered or highly vulnerable?


r/endangeredlanguages • • 16m ago

Marie Wilcox realized she was the last person on Earth who could speak the Wukchumni language fluently, so at 82, she taught herself to use a computer and spent seven years typing a 6,000-word Wukchumni dictionary, the first written record of the language in history, to save it from extinction.

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• Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 10h ago

Support endangered languages! In this video, I tell a rare, chilling folk story in the Votic language (Vaďďa ceelu), a critically endangered Finno-Ugric language spoken by only a handful of people today.

13 Upvotes

A deeply personal and eerie account from the North. After his wife passes away, a widower breaks a sacred traditional taboo: he lies on his bed before six weeks have passed. What follows is a terrifying nighttime encounter...

The video features original Votic audio with English and Russian subtitles to make this rare cultural heritage accessible to everyone.

To my viewers in Estonia, Finland, and Hungary: As fellow Finno-Ugric nations, the preservation of the Votic tongue is a shared treasure. Let me know in the comments if you can spot cognates or familiar grammatical structures matching Estonian, Finnish, or Hungarian!

https://youtu.be/Muo-fwZxpEA?si=9fqHjRO5kAqfjpKl


r/endangeredlanguages • • 2d ago

Keres language: An endangered language of New Mexico

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15 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 2d ago

Site to learn endangered languages

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22 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 3d ago

UNESCO Launches International Initiative to Protect Endangered Languages and Enhance Their Presence in Education and Culture

20 Upvotes

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in collaboration with the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), has launched a new international initiative aimed at protecting endangered languages. This initiative supports the publication of works in indigenous languages and strengthens their presence in education and culture, ensuring their transmission to future generations. The initiative responds to increasing warnings about the rapid decline in global linguistic diversity. 

Over 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide, but half of them could be endangered, according to a new study. It is predicted that 1,500 known languages may no longer be spoken by the end of this century.

In the Kusunda language, spoken by the Kusunda people of western Nepal, there are no words for ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Nor are there any clear indicators of direction. Understanding depends on who is speaking, who is listening, and the context in which words are exchanged. Communication is an exercise in perspective rather than precision.

Because of its unique qualities, Kusunda is considered a ‘language isolate’ – unrelated to any other language around the world. It is also among the world's most critically endangered languages, with just one fluent speaker remaining among a community of fewer than 200 people.

As part of efforts to revitalize Kusunda, a group of students, supported by researcher and ethnographer Uday Raj Aaley and Archive Nepal, published the first-ever compilation of creative literature in the language. Now, it has been selected for inclusion in the IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages, which celebrates the role of children's literature in supporting languages across the globe. 

Curated by UNESCO and the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), this new Collection brings together nearly 170 remarkable titles in more than 150 languages, selected from over 500 submissions from around the world. 

Books include picture books, novels, biographies, graphic novels and nonfiction published between 2018 and 2025 in one or more Indigenous or endangered languages. The aim is to bolster the presence of these languages, particularly in educational and digital realms.

Among the selected titles is Tortoise and Ostrich, a folk tale in N|uu – an ancient Southern African ‘click’ language with one remaining speaker. The story follows two animals who covet a beautiful clay pot and go to extraordinary lengths to possess it. Another selection is “Tamara: The Story of the White Ant in Gurindji Land,” written in the Gurindji language, now spoken by only about 50 people in northern Australia.

The IBBY-UNESCO Collection is one of many initiatives supporting the goals of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly.

At the heart of the decade is a simple message: languages reflect an irreplaceable way of seeing, understanding and experiencing the world. The disappearance of any language is a loss for humanity as a whole. 

Article: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/new-collection-celebrates-childrens-books-indigenous-and-endangered-languages


r/endangeredlanguages • • 2d ago

Videos for learning the Livonian language

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12 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 3d ago

Chauveau: la bibl deü galo an liyn

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4 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 3d ago

Imagine a Finnish core, built with Turkic logic, and heavily mixed with Slavic.

15 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I’ve always been fascinated by how languages evolve, and I recently stumbled upon an incredible linguistic puzzle that I just had to share. We all know how essential the verb "to be" is in European languages for linking a subject to a noun or adjective. But what happens in the Moksha language?

This short video breaks down how this mind-blowing system works:

https://youtube.com/shorts/DnGNakoBbT4?si=hsF-0dvoKVu0_HM9

To any Finnish, Estonian, or Hungarian speakers here — does this look or sound familiar to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts and see if you can spot the shared roots!


r/endangeredlanguages • • 3d ago

Ainu Language Resource

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7 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 4d ago

Bellari language really went extinct?

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10 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 4d ago

Aheri Gondi language

5 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 5d ago

You can translate stuff into Livonian and many other languages on this site (neurotolge.ee)

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11 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 5d ago

An endangered language in the Caucasus - Tat language

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11 Upvotes

I created the subreddit I linked for anyone who wants to learn about and share information regarding this language.

I don't want to bore you by writing down information here that you can read on Wikipedia. Those who want to discuss this language can leave a comment here or share it in the subreddit.


r/endangeredlanguages • • 5d ago

List of languages by time of extinction

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21 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 5d ago

The Sound of Livvi-Karelian: Can Finns and Estonians actually understand this rare language?

12 Upvotes

Hey fellow language lovers! Today I wanted to shed some light on a very unique, beautiful, and unfortunately endangered Eastern Fennic variety — the Livvi-Karelian language (sometimes called the Olonets Karelian dialect). Where is it spoken? Livvi-Karelian is traditionally spoken in the Republic of Karelia (Russia), primarily in the areas around Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, as well as by a small community of speakers in Finland. How many people speak it? Today, it is highly endangered. Estimates vary, but there are only around 15,000 to 20,000 native speakers left who use it fluently in daily life. What is it close to? Livvi-Karelian belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family. Linguistically, it sits right between Finnish and Veps. It sounds incredibly melodic and shares a massive amount of vocabulary with Finnish (especially eastern dialects) and Estonian, but it has its own unique grammar twists, sounds, and historical Slavic influences. I’m running a YouTube channel dedicated to rare Finno-Ugric languages, and I’ve put together a small playlist featuring several videos entirely in Karelian/Livvi-Karelian so people can hear what it actually sounds like:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHh68r_XaWSc&si=8iQ2Qsm6px2G3Dqc

To all the Finns and Estonians here: I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts! If you check out the videos, how much of it can you actually understand? Does it sound like a distant dialect of your own language, or do the differences feel too big? Which words stood out to you the most? Let's discuss in the comments! Passibo! (Thank you!)


r/endangeredlanguages • • 6d ago

irish language revitalization

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30 Upvotes

i wrote this paper back in junior year of high school. definitely not the best writing and i wasnt able to go into many details that i know are extremely important because i was 500 words over the word count at some point. not sure if anyone’s interested or if its even worth reading just thought id share.


r/endangeredlanguages • • 7d ago

A traditional fairy tale in the Votic language (vaďďa ceeli)!

19 Upvotes

A traditional fairy tale in the Votic language (vaďďa ceeli)! Votic is one of the most endangered Finno-Ugric languages in the world, closely related to Estonian and Finnish. Today, it is spoken by only a handful of people.

The story is a powerful, short fable about pathological greed—a man who wanted so much land that he ran himself to death.

I have two questions for you all today:

To my Finnish and Estonian friends:

How much of this language can you actually understand? If you look at the title or listen to the words, does it sound like your native tongue? Let me know your percentage of understanding in the comments!

To everyone else:

The story is about absolute, pathological greed. Have you ever met people like this in real life? People who just can’t stop wanting more, even when it ruins them?

Watch the full Shorts here: https://youtube.com/shorts/ZEUT1kxOwfY?si=7jBoMr5H6xz4m6QR


r/endangeredlanguages • • 7d ago

Oshikwanyama learning escalated into a web app, feedback would be nice

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9 Upvotes

r/endangeredlanguages • • 8d ago

If you're fond of learning the Moksha language, I'll have to warn you...

23 Upvotes

If you're fond of learning the Moksha language, I'll have to warn you... The Moksha language (мокшанский язык) is a Finno-Ugric language belonging to the Mordvinic branch, spoken primarily in the western part of the Mordovia Republic and neighboring regions in Russia. It is closely related to the Erzya language, with which it shares co-official status in Mordovia alongside Russian. The Moksha language sounds beautiful, but what does it hide... What kind of monsters?

https://youtu.be/U-sUTQ5fc6g?si=q42lMUhuoTO3pL2e

Comment down below: how can your language scare poor beginner students?


r/endangeredlanguages • • 8d ago

Gan(赣语) - A millions of speakers, almost no visibility and low-resource Chinese language.

22 Upvotes

Many have heard of Cantonese, which shares many features with Gan, and Hakka, which is a language linguistically difficult to separate from Gan and possibly descended from it. You cannot find much digital resource concerning it, nor there is true input method which enables you to learn.

With no systematical Romanisation system with learner-friendly dictionary, this may be a language with meant to be neglected.


r/endangeredlanguages • • 8d ago

Interrogative sentences in Hajong language

5 Upvotes