From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A list of endangered languages (with fewer than 1000 speakers or with very fast decline).
In order to judge if a language is actually endangered, the number of speakers is less important than the distribution among age cohorts. There may be 500 000 mothertongue speakers of the Breton language over 50 years of age but fewer than 2 000 under 25 years of age - thus Breton almost for sure will die out in the next half century. On the other hand there are only 30 000 Ladin language speakers left, but almost all children still learn it as their mothertongue - thus Ladin in not endangered in the 21. century.
- This page should include a link to the language's page, geographical localization and an aproximative number of speakers
Americas
- Eyak language, Alaska, 1 speaker
- all native american languages of the USA exept Navajo
Asia
- Ainu language, Northern Japan, 15 speakers
- Aramaic language, Lebanon, Kurdistan
- Chukchi, Siberia, circa 10,400 speakers (2001)
- Udmurt language, various parts of Russia
Australia
- all aboriginal languages
Europe
- European Union
- Alsatian language (France) very fast decline
- Aromanian language (Greece) very fast decline
- Basque language (France) very fast decline
- Breton language (France) very fast decline
- Catalan language (France) very fast decline
- Corsican language (France) very fast decline
- South Italian Greek language (Italy) very fast decline
- Italkian (Judeo-Italian) (Italy) probably extinct
- Molise Slavic language (Italy) very fast decline
- Occitan language (France) very fast decline
- Saami languages, (Scandinavia), fewer than 100 speakers
- Scottish Gaelic language (United Kingdom) very fast decline
- Lower Sorbian language, (Germany) very fast decline
- West Flemish (France) very fast decline
- Yevanic (Judeo-Greek) (Greece) probably extinct
- Outside of the European Union
- Belarusian language
- Istro-romanian, Istria Croatia, 500 speakers
- Krimchak (Judeo-Crimean Tatar)
- Livonian language, Estonia, 35 speakers
- Votian, Russia, 50 speakers
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