The extinct languages of the peoples of Russia

Language is the most necessary tool in our life. To date, the world has about six thousand languages. According to UNESCO in the near future, about half of them may lose their last carriers, and therefore completely disappear. It is important to note that languages go not only in the modern world, because even in the distant past it happened that they did not leave a trace.

Classification of underused languages

What languages are classified as endangered? Of course, those that are still used in society, but can disappear in the near future. Thus, scientists have developed a fairly clear classification, which divides the less used languages into the following groups:

• характеризуются абсолютным исключением носителей. Extinct languages are characterized by the absolute exclusion of carriers.
• Languages that are on the verge of eradication are the rarest in the whole world, therefore the number of their carriers is extremely small (as a rule, it does not exceed a dozen). In addition, elderly people living in rural areas speak such languages.
• Disappearing languages are characterized by a sufficient number of carriers (from a few hundred to tens of thousands) of the elderly. Children and adolescents are not categorically trained in such languages.
• Dysfunctional languages that use about a thousand people. Nevertheless, children are still learning these languages, but to a minimum.
• Unstable languages, at any time able to move to another group. It is important to note that they are used by people of absolutely all ages and statuses, although languages have no official fixation.

To which group does the particular language belong?

достаточно богат, что предполагает необходимость их классификации. To the joy or regret, the list of endangered languages is rich enough, which implies the need for their classification. It should be noted that to determine a specific language group, it is important not how many speakers use a particular language, but the tendency to transmit it to the next generation. ». If children are not taught the language, they can easily move from the final group to " extinct languages " in the shortest possible time.

In 2009, the latest version of the Atlas of Endangered Languages of the World was developed, which showed disappointing information that today about 2,500 languages are threatened with extinction (in 2001 this figure was almost three times less, then only 900 languages were in A similar situation). It is important to note that the endangered languages of the peoples of Russia today number 131 units in their grouping. In addition, the population census data show that the number of small nationalities is reduced by a couple of dozen each year. But the nationality includes the corresponding language!

Endangered languages of Russia: Kerek

With the advent of modern civilization, active assimilation of people of different cultural backgrounds takes place. Thus, many nationalities are gradually being eradicated from the face of the earth. Of course, their rare representatives try to preserve and even pass on the traditions and customs of their people to future generations, which is not always the case.

Today in Kerek language only two people speak (according to the last census). Kereks (they often call themselves Ankalgakku) - this is a very small ethnic group of the North, which lives in the Bering District of the Chukotka Autonomous District. The language in question had never had a written language - it was communicated exclusively in family circles. To date, almost five thousand Kerek words have been preserved. The history of this people has a 3000-year history. It all started with living in conditions of natural isolation, followed by resettlement in chopped zones (the 20th century). Kereks formed separate families in some villages of Chukotka. In addition, they underwent assimilation with another small nationality - the Chukchi.

Udege language as one of the smallest

России активно пополняют свои ряды. Annually extinct languages of Russia actively replenish their ranks. So, to date, the Udege language is spoken by no more than a hundred people. This language is distributed in the territory of the Khabarovsk and Primorye Territories of the Russian Federation. It has some signs of the languages of the northern group, therefore it is very similar to Oroch. Udege language in our time is used only by elderly people and solely for the purposes of everyday communication between themselves. It is important to note that young people do not know their native language (all people under 40 should be included here). Currently, several of its dialects are singled out, among which the most famous are the choir, Bikin, and also the Samargin. Thus, the nature of the grammar and syntax of their similar, but in terms of vocabulary and phonetics, you can observe significant differences. However, in the process of migration, they are leveled. It is important to note that the language in question has a written language, which can be proved by the formation of the corresponding alphabet based on the Latin alphabet by E. R. Schneider.

Water language

, а какие пребывают на грани исчезновения? Which languages are extinct , and which ones are on the verge of extinction? Over time, this issue worries the society more and more. And this is not surprising, because the human desire to preserve the native language as long as possible is an adequate reaction to the situation of our time.

Vodsky language, belonging to the Baltic-Finnish grouping of the Uralic language family, is endangered, because today there are no more than twenty of its carriers. One of the language classifications provides information that the vodka language, together with the Estonian and Liv languages, forms the southern subgroup. This dialect is represented by several dialects, subdivided into western dialects, common in rural settlements of Krokolje, Luzhitsy and Peski, and eastern ones occurring in the Koporye region. It should be noted that the differences between these dialects are insignificant. The first grammar of the water language was formed back in the 19th century, and after another century Dmitry Tsvetkov from the village of Krakolje created a water grammar already in his native language.

The Sami Languages

насчитывают немало элементов в своем ряду, куда следует отнести и группу саамских языков, называемых также лопарскими и относящихся к финно-угорским. Today, the endangered languages of the world have many elements in their series, which include the group of Sami languages, also called Lappish, and belonging to Finno-Ugric. Their carriers are the Sami, or Lapps (the first definition, as a rule, sounds slightly differently in different groups of Saami and serves as a Russified term, and the second is one of the variants of names). Among the population under consideration are languages such as uume, pyte, luule, inari, slidish, Babin, Kildin, Tersk and many others. It should be noted that the number of native speakers of the Sami languages around the world is very significant (more than 53,000 people). Nevertheless, no more than twenty people practice such an original talk in the territory of the Russian Federation. In addition, these people, as it turned out, most of them speak Russian. Phonetics and phonology of the Sami language group is characterized by an increased level of complexity, because often words contain long and short vowels and consonants, as well as diphthongs and triphthongs.

What is the reason for the disappearance of languages and how to preserve your native language?

составляют значительную проблему, которая пользуется повышенным общественным вниманием. As it turned out, in the modern world extinct languages constitute a significant problem that enjoys increased public attention. In addition, forecasts show that the trend of extinction of languages will only increase, because the emergence of innovative technologies is rapidly leading to a disappointing conclusion: national minorities are making more and more efforts to recognize their native languages, but often to no avail. This is due to the active development of the Internet. Naturally, a person is unlikely to take seriously the language that is not represented on the World Wide Web.

Thus, for the preservation and prosperity of his native language, he needs to pay much attention, because it serves as a tool for communication, reflection and perception, and also fully characterizes the vision of the overall world picture. Native language fully reflects the relationship between the past, the present and the future, moreover, it is a means of expressing creativity. All the above facts serve as the maximum motivation for the society with regard to the desire for active use, preservation for the longest possible period, as well as a quality transfer to the next generation of their native language.