Central Eurasian Language Grammars project/organising: Difference between revisions

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<accesscontrol>CELG</accesscontrol>
<accesscontrol>CELG</accesscontrol>
This page is here for organising thoughts for the '''Central Eurasian Language Grammars project'''.
This page is here for organising thoughts for the '''Central Eurasian Language Grammars project'''.  See also [[Central Eurasian Language Grammars First Attempt]].


This includes at [[#To-do|to-do list]] and ideas on the [[#Name|name]](s) of the volume(s).
This includes at [[#To-do|to-do list]] and ideas on the [[#Name|name]](s) of the volume(s).
Line 9: Line 9:


== To-do ==
== To-do ==
* Decide target audience
* Decide publisher
=== Organisational stuff ===
=== Organisational stuff ===
* Figure out criteria for what constitutes what kind of language.
* Determine general [[#Criteria|criteria]] for inclusion of a language.
* Decide on whether to include large numbers of Uralic and Iranic languages.
** Decide on whether to include large numbers of Uralic and Iranic languages.
** Decide on whether to include Tibetan varieties, and where to draw the line.
* Figure out criteria for what constitutes what kind of language for [[#Language Organisation]].  A rough explanation of current criteria appears on this wiki at [[Medium density languages]].


=== Getting things moving ===
=== Getting things moving ===
* Decide on people to contact,  
* Decide on people to contact,
 
== Purpose ==
This project's mission is probably something like this:
<blockquote>
In light of the stark lack of serious materials of use to linguists on many languages of Central Eurasia, this project aims to '''clearly''' present '''data''', '''generalisations''', and '''open questions''' about languages which have some [significant] connection to the [various] Central Eurasian Sprachbund[s throughout history], which linguists may find useful as a source for typological and theoretical work, or as a starting place for deeper research on any of these languages.
</blockquote>
 
And, er, copy-edited so it's legible (thanks Tristan):
<blockquote>
we don't think there's enough serious materials for linguists to use when working with central eurasian languages, so we started this project. We aim to produce materials which clearly present data, generalisations, and remaining/unsolved questions about languages that are connected to the various historical central eurasian sparchbunds. We hope linguists will find the materials useful for typological and theoretical work, or as a starting place for deeper research on any of these languages.
</blockquote>
 
== Criteria ==
 
What makes a language worthy of being included?
 
Ideas:
* Perhaps some combination of consideration of number of speakers, lack of good materials, relevance to Central Eurasian cultural/linguistic complex?


== Name ==
== Name ==
Line 27: Line 49:
|-  
|-  
|
|
=== Medium-density ===
=== High-density ===
==== Turkic ====
These languages probably don't deserve a volume of their own: good stuff already exists on them!
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Russian
|Estimate=278M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Japanese
|Estimate=130M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Korean
|Estimate=78M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Turkish
|Language=Turkish
Line 35: Line 69:
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Uzbek
|Language=Fārsi
|Estimate=23.5M speakers
|Estimate=56M speakers
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Azeri
|Language=Azeri?
|Estimate=31M speakers
|Estimate=31M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Hungarian?
|Estimate=15 million speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Finnish??
|Estimate=6M speakers
}}
|}
{| width="100%" style="background-color:#FFFFFF; padding:5px; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; border:1px solid #000;" valign="top"|
|-
|
=== Medium-density ===
==== Turkic ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Uzbek
|Estimate=23.5M speakers
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 70: Line 125:
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Qaraqalpaq
|Language=Uzbeki (Afghan Uzbek)
|Estimate=0.5M speakers
|Estimate=1,451,980 speakers
|EstimateComment=[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=uzs ethnologue]
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 82: Line 138:
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=1,325,382 speakers (2002 census)
|UNESCOstats=1,325,382 speakers (2002 census)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Qaraqalpaq
|Estimate=0.5M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Sakha
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=456,288 speakers (2002 census)
|who1=Nyurguyana Petrova (petrova3@buffalo.edu, native speaker and linguistics student, friend of / recommended by Chris Straughn (U Chicago))
}}
}}


Line 90: Line 156:
|who1=Andrew
|who1=Andrew
|who1comment=current grammar draft
|who1comment=current grammar draft
}}
==== Uralic ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Estonian
|Estimate=1.25M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Mordvin
|Estimate=~1M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Mari (Cheremis)
|Estimate=600,000 speakers
}}
==== Tibeto-Burman ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Khams Tibetan
|Estimate=1.5M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Amdo Tibetan
|Estimate=800'000 speakers
}}
}}


==== IE ====
==== IE ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Pashto
|Estimate=~26M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Balochi
|Estimate=8M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Dari
|Estimate=7.6M speakers
|EstimateComment=[http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=prs ethnologue]
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Tajik
|Language=Tajik
|Estimate=4.5M speakers
|Estimate=4.5M speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Ossetian
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=550,000 speakers (estimate based on the 493,610 speakers reported in the 2002 census of the Russian Federation; also spoken in South Ossetia)
}}
}}


Line 114: Line 222:
|UNESCOstats=458,121 speakers (2002 census)
|UNESCOstats=458,121 speakers (2002 census)
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Sakha
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=456,288 speakers (2002 census)
|who1=Nyurguyana Petrova (petrova3@buffalo.edu, native speaker and linguistics student, friend of / recommended by Chris Straughn (U Chicago))
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Qırımtatar
|Estimate=400,000 speakers
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 140: Line 238:
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=200,000 speakers (approximate)
|UNESCOstats=200,000 speakers (approximate)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Gagauz
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=180,000 (estimate for the Republic of Moldova and the Ukraine based on Schulze 2002)
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 145: Line 248:
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=104,503 speakers (population figure from the 2000 census; the active speakers are much fewer, but no estimate is available; cf. Dwyer 2001)
|UNESCOstats=104,503 speakers (population figure from the 2000 census; the active speakers are much fewer, but no estimate is available; cf. Dwyer 2001)
|who1=Arienne Dwyer (recommended by Mahire Yakup—see above for Uyghur)
|who1=[http://www2.ku.edu/~kuanth/people/faculty_dwyer.shtml Arienne Dwyer] (recommended by Mahire Yakup—see above for Uyghur)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Crimean Tatar
|AlternateNames=Qrımtatar
|UNESCOstats=100,000 (Comrie in the Atlas of the world’s languages (1994): “Maria S. Polinsky advises me that the number of solid first language speakers of Crimean Tatar may not exceed 100,000”; census figures are much higher, but may be inflated); numbers include Krymchak (Judaeo-Crimean Tatar)
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|Estimate=400,000 speakers
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 201: Line 311:
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=50,000 speakers (estimate based on various sources covering both China and Mongolia; according to Skribnik 2003: 102 there are at least 100,000 ethnic Buryat in the region, but “the general trend is that Buryat is being abandoned in favour of more dominant languages”)
|UNESCOstats=50,000 speakers (estimate based on various sources covering both China and Mongolia; according to Skribnik 2003: 102 there are at least 100,000 ethnic Buryat in the region, but “the general trend is that Buryat is being abandoned in favour of more dominant languages”)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Monguor (Huzhu)
|AlternateNames=Mongghul; Mongghuor
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=50,000 speakers (2003 Georg low estimate)
|who1=[http://www2.ku.edu/~kuanth/people/faculty_dwyer.shtml Arienne Dwyer]?
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Monguor
|AlternateNames=Mangghuer
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=25,000 speakers (2003 Slater figure)
|who1=[http://www2.ku.edu/~kuanth/people/faculty_dwyer.shtml Arienne Dwyer]?
}}
}}


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==== IE ====
==== IE ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Ossetic
|Language=Wakhi
|AlternateNames=maybe [[#Medium-density]]?
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=75,000 speakers (The figure is relatively accurate and is based on approximate estimate of the speakers in the borders of four countries: Badakhshan region in Tajikistan, Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan and Tashkurghan disctrict of Xinjiang Prov)
|UNESCOstats=550,000 speakers (estimate based on the 493,610 speakers reported in the 2002 census of the Russian Federation; also spoken in South Ossetia)
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Wakhi
|Language=Sariqoli
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=75,000 speakers (The figure is relatively accurate and is based on approximate estimate of the speakers in the borders of four countries: Badakhshan region in Tajikistan, Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan and Tashkurghan disctrict of Xinjiang Prov)
|UNESCOstats=22,000 (2007 approximate estimate; most members of the ‘Tajik’ nationality in China speak Sarikoli and the rest speak Wakhi)
|Estimate=20,500 speakers
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 227: Line 351:
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=20,000 speakers (The estimate is based on 2001 official census)
|UNESCOstats=20,000 speakers (The estimate is based on 2001 official census)
}}
==== Tibeto-Burman ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Balti
|AlternateNames=grouped with Ladakhi
|UNESCOstatus=vulnerable
|UNESCOstats=unavailable
|Estimate=340'000 speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Dzongka
|AlternateNames=Bhutanese Tibetan
|Estimate=130'000 (470'000 non-native)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Purik
|AlternateNames=grouped with Ladakhi
|UNESCOstatus=vulnerable
|UNESCOstats=unavailable
|Estimate=130'000 speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Ladakhi
|UNESCOstatus=vulnerable
|UNESCOstats=105,000 speakers (estimate, India Census 2001)
|Estimate=125'000
}}
}}


Line 234: Line 385:
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=41,000 speakers (2001 census)
|UNESCOstats=41,000 speakers (2001 census)
|who1=Hiroömi Kanno
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Burushaski
|UNESCOstatus=unsafe
|UNESCOstats=87,000 speakers (2000 census)
|who1=[http://www.livingtongues.org/aboutus.html Greg Anderson]
}}
}}


|}
|}
Line 248: Line 407:


==== Turkic ====
==== Turkic ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Sonkori
|Estimate=at most 35'000 speakers
|EstimateComment=based on Pocelujevskij 1997
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language="Yurt Tatar"
|Language="Yurt Tatar"
Line 257: Line 421:
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=10,000 speakers (estimate based on the 2002 census)
|UNESCOstats=10,000 speakers (estimate based on the 2002 census)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Baraba
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=data unavailable (not known exactly; according to Дмитриева, spoken by older generations of the ethnic group of 8,000 people)
|Estimate=<8'000 speakers
|EstimateComment=Dmitrijeva 1997
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Karagash
|Language=Karagash
|AlternateNames=a "Tatar"/"Noghay" dialect
|AlternateNames=Astrakhan Nogay
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=7,000 speakers (current estimate; not listed separately in the census)
|UNESCOstats=7,000 speakers (current estimate; not listed separately in the census)
Line 281: Line 452:
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=speaker data unavailable (not know exactly, but in the range of a few thousand; the 2002 census figures for Tuba [436], Kumandy [1044] and Chalkan [539] are presumably too low, because some speakers may have registered as (Southern) Altay speakers)
|UNESCOstats=speaker data unavailable (not know exactly, but in the range of a few thousand; the 2002 census figures for Tuba [436], Kumandy [1044] and Chalkan [539] are presumably too low, because some speakers may have registered as (Southern) Altay speakers)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Karaim
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=50 speakers (Trakai, Lithuania), 6 speakers (Western Ukraine), 0 speakers (Crimea)
|EstimateWP=6 speakers (just for Ukrainian dialect maybe?)
|Estimate=~ 500 speakers
|EstimateComment=based on 1989 census, Musajev 1997
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Krymchak
|Estimate=< 500 speakers
|EstimateComment=based on 1989 census, Rebi et al. 1997
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 342: Line 526:
|UNESCOstats=0 speakers (became extinct in the second half of the twentieth century)
|UNESCOstats=0 speakers (became extinct in the second half of the twentieth century)
|who1=Rassadin?
|who1=Rassadin?
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Crimean Turkish
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=data unavailable (subsumed under Crimean Tatar in the censuses)
}}
}}


Line 388: Line 577:
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=7,584 speakers (2002 census of the Russian Federation for Evenki; cf. Evenki (Northern Siberia) and Evenki (Sakhalin); possibly also a small number of speakers in Mongolia)
|UNESCOstats=7,584 speakers (2002 census of the Russian Federation for Evenki; cf. Evenki (Northern Siberia) and Evenki (Sakhalin); possibly also a small number of speakers in Mongolia)
|who1=[http://www.dartmouth.edu/~linguist/faculty/grenoble.html Lenore Grenoble]
}}
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
Line 414: Line 604:


==== IE ====
==== IE ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Bukharan
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=10,000 speakers (1995 census)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Parya
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=7,000 speakers (The estimate is based on research, 2005)
|Estimate=2'500 speakers
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Yazgulami
|Language=Yazgulami
Line 424: Line 625:
|UNESCOstats=1,000 speakers (Approximate estimate, 2006)
|UNESCOstats=1,000 speakers (Approximate estimate, 2006)
}}
}}
==== Other ====
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Ket
|UNESCOstatus=severely endangered
|UNESCOstats=150 speakers (2005 Казакевич estimate including semi-speakers; the census figure of 485 is inflated)
|who1=[http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ Edward Vajda]
}}


|}
|}
Line 439: Line 650:
* '''Old Uyghur'''
* '''Old Uyghur'''
* '''Karakhanid'''
* '''Karakhanid'''
* '''Bulgar'''
* '''Bolgar'''
* '''Khazar'''
* '''Khazar'''
* '''Cuman'''
* '''Cuman'''?
* '''Chaghatay'''
* '''Chaghatay'''
* '''Old Tatar'''
* '''Old Tatar'''
* '''Mamluk Kypchak'''
* '''X-XIth century Oghuz'''
* '''Pecheneg'''
* '''Polovec'''
* '''Old Anatolian'''
* '''Turki'''
* '''Khwarezmian'''


==== Mongol-Xianbeic ====
==== Mongol-Xianbeic ====
Line 455: Line 673:
* '''Sogdian'''
* '''Sogdian'''
* '''Bactrian'''
* '''Bactrian'''
* '''Tokharian A/B'''
* '''Khontanese'''
* '''Khwarezmian/Chorasmian'''
|}
|}
=== Unsorted ===
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Bojnurdy (Iranian Turkic)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Siberian Tatar
|AlternateNames=Includes Lower Chulym
|UNESCOstatus=definitely endangered
|UNESCOstats=data unavailable (counted as Tatar speakers in the Russian census)
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Central Tibetan Languages
}}
{{Infobox Central Eurasian Language
|Language=Silingke
}}


== Size concerns ==
== Size concerns ==
A decent-quality bare-bones grammar of a medium-density language would be a minimum of about 20 pages, and a more full grammar might be as much as 50 pages.  This allows for a maximum of 10-20 languages per volume before a volume starts to get too big.  On the level of the volume, do we stress quantity of languages, or quality of grammars (probably the former, but we do want to fit everything)?  On the level of the individual language/grammar, we probably stress quality over size?  These are things which need to be discussed.
A decent-quality bare-bones grammar of a medium-density language would be a minimum of about 20 pages, and a more full grammar might be as much as 50 pages.  This allows for a maximum of 10-20 languages per volume before a volume starts to get too big.  On the level of the volume, do we stress quantity of languages, or quality of grammars (probably the former, but we do want to fit everything)?  On the level of the individual language/grammar, we probably stress quality over size?  These are things which need to be discussed.

Latest revision as of 03:50, 12 February 2012

<accesscontrol>CELG</accesscontrol> This page is here for organising thoughts for the Central Eurasian Language Grammars project. See also Central Eurasian Language Grammars First Attempt.

This includes at to-do list and ideas on the name(s) of the volume(s).

The bulk of it, though, is ideas for organising the languages by volume (currently #Medium-density, #Low-density, #Critical, and #Extinct / Historic). Along with the languages in each section are UNESCO declarations about the relative endangerment of the language (including estimates of the number of speakers), and also ideas for who could write a chapter on the language.

There's also a few notes on #Size concerns.

To-do

  • Decide target audience
  • Decide publisher

Organisational stuff

  • Determine general criteria for inclusion of a language.
    • Decide on whether to include large numbers of Uralic and Iranic languages.
    • Decide on whether to include Tibetan varieties, and where to draw the line.
  • Figure out criteria for what constitutes what kind of language for #Language Organisation. A rough explanation of current criteria appears on this wiki at Medium density languages.

Getting things moving

  • Decide on people to contact,

Purpose

This project's mission is probably something like this:

In light of the stark lack of serious materials of use to linguists on many languages of Central Eurasia, this project aims to clearly present data, generalisations, and open questions about languages which have some [significant] connection to the [various] Central Eurasian Sprachbund[s throughout history], which linguists may find useful as a source for typological and theoretical work, or as a starting place for deeper research on any of these languages.

And, er, copy-edited so it's legible (thanks Tristan):

we don't think there's enough serious materials for linguists to use when working with central eurasian languages, so we started this project. We aim to produce materials which clearly present data, generalisations, and remaining/unsolved questions about languages that are connected to the various historical central eurasian sparchbunds. We hope linguists will find the materials useful for typological and theoretical work, or as a starting place for deeper research on any of these languages.

Criteria

What makes a language worthy of being included?

Ideas:

  • Perhaps some combination of consideration of number of speakers, lack of good materials, relevance to Central Eurasian cultural/linguistic complex?

Name

Ideas for what to name the various volumes go here:

Language Organisation

Languages are broken down by what volume they should occur in, and then genetic affiliation. Ideas for contributors are included with each language, as well as some info from UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.

High-density

These languages probably don't deserve a volume of their own: good stuff already exists on them!

  • Russian
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 278M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Japanese
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 130M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Korean
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 78M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Turkish
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 63M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
    • Who (idea): Kornfilt?
  • Fārsi
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 56M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Azeri?
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 31M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Hungarian?
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 15 million speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Finnish??
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 6M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)

Medium-density

Turkic

  • Uzbek
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 23.5M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Kazakh
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 12M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
    • Who (last resort): Jonathan
  • Uyghur
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 10M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
    • Who (idea): Arienne Dwyer (recommended by Mahire Yakup (recommended by Eric Schluessel))
    • Who (other recommendations by Eric): "Reyhangul Abliz (Professor at Xinjiang Agricultural University, co-author of Uyghur: A manual for conversation and De Jong's grammar) rayhan10@hotmail.com, tell her I sent you; Abdurishit Yakup (in Germany, wrote an excellent grammar of Turpan Uyghur); Mahire Yakup (at University of Kansas, teaches Uyghur at SWSEEL, PhD student); Frederick de Jong (very, very senior professor at Utrecht, produced the above-mentioned learner's grammar of Uyghur with Reyhangul and others), frederick.dejong@let.uu.nl, again, tell him I sent you..."
  • Turkmen
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 9M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Tatar
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 8M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Kyrgyz
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 3.5M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
    • Who (current gramar draft): Jonathan
  • Uzbeki (Afghan Uzbek)
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 1,451,980 speakers (estimate, ethnologue)
  • Bashqort
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 1,379,727 speakers (2002 census)
  • Chuvash
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 1,325,382 speakers (2002 census)
  • Qaraqalpaq
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 0.5M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Sakha
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 456,288 speakers (2002 census)
    • Who (idea): Nyurguyana Petrova (petrova3@buffalo.edu, native speaker and linguistics student, friend of / recommended by Chris Straughn (U Chicago))

Mongolic

  • Khalkha
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 2.6M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
    • Who (current grammar draft): Andrew

Uralic

  • Estonian
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 1.25M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Mordvin
    • UNESCO status: none
    • ~1M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Mari (Cheremis)
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 600,000 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)

Tibeto-Burman

  • Khams Tibetan
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 1.5M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Amdo Tibetan
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 800'000 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)

IE

  • Pashto
    • UNESCO status: none
    • ~26M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Balochi
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 8M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Dari
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 7.6M speakers (estimate, ethnologue)
  • Tajik
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 4.5M speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Ossetian
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 550,000 speakers (estimate based on the 493,610 speakers reported in the 2002 census of the Russian Federation; also spoken in South Ossetia)

Low-density

These are low density languages.

UNESCO rates most of these languages as unsafe or definitely endangered.

Turkic

  • Kumyk
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 458,121 speakers (2002 census)
  • Karachay-Balkar
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 302,748 speakers (2002 census)
  • Tuvan
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 242,754 speakers (2002 census of the Russian Federation; much smaller numbers of speakers in China and Mongolia)
    • Who (idea): Greg Anderson and/or David Harrison
  • Khorasani
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 200,000 speakers (approximate)
  • Gagauz
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 180,000 (estimate for the Republic of Moldova and the Ukraine based on Schulze 2002)
  • Salar
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 104,503 speakers (population figure from the 2000 census; the active speakers are much fewer, but no estimate is available; cf. Dwyer 2001)
    • Who (idea): Arienne Dwyer (recommended by Mahire Yakup—see above for Uyghur)
  • Crimean Tatar (Qrımtatar)
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 100,000 (Comrie in the Atlas of the world’s languages (1994): “Maria S. Polinsky advises me that the number of solid first language speakers of Crimean Tatar may not exceed 100,000”; census figures are much higher, but may be inflated); numbers include Krymchak (Judaeo-Crimean Tatar)
    • 400,000 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Khakas (Kacha, Sagay, Kyzyl, Koibal, Beltir, Shor)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 52,217 speakers (2002 census)
  • Southern Altay (Altay, Teleut (Telengut), Telengit) (Teleut on lingsib.iea.ras.ru)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 50,000 speakers (estimate based on the 2002 census of the Russian Federation; 65,534 speakers of Altay languages collectively, which may be a slightly inflated figure)
  • Khalaj
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 42,100 speakers (2000 census)
  • Dolgan
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 4,865 speakers (2002 census)

Mongolic

  • Buryat (Trans-Baikal)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 300,000 speakers (estimate for Trans-Baikal Buryat based on the 2002 census: 368,807 speakers of Buryat altogether, which includes a number of Mongolian speakers; cf. Buryat (Cis-Baikal) and Buryat (Manchuria))
  • Oyrat
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 280,000 speakers (estimate based on Birtalan 2003: approximately 150,000 speakers in Mongolia and less than 130,000 in northern Sinkiang, which represent the numerically most significant groups)
  • Kalmyk
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 153,602 speakers (2002 census)
  • Daur (Nonni)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 100,000 speakers (estimate based on Tsumagari 2003)
  • Ordos
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 100,000 speakers (2003 Georg estimate)
  • Buryat (Cis-Baikal)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 50,000 speakers (estimate based on various sources covering both China and Mongolia; according to Skribnik 2003: 102 there are at least 100,000 ethnic Buryat in the region, but “the general trend is that Buryat is being abandoned in favour of more dominant languages”)
  • Monguor (Huzhu) (Mongghul; Mongghuor)
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 50,000 speakers (2003 Georg low estimate)
    • Who (idea): Arienne Dwyer?
  • Monguor (Mangghuer)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 25,000 speakers (2003 Slater figure)
    • Who (idea): Arienne Dwyer?

Tungusic

  • Xibe (maybe should be in #Critical?)
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 27,000 (population figure based on the 2000 census; not all are active speakers)

IE

  • Wakhi
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 75,000 speakers (The figure is relatively accurate and is based on approximate estimate of the speakers in the borders of four countries: Badakhshan region in Tajikistan, Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan and Tashkurghan disctrict of Xinjiang Prov)
  • Sariqoli
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 22,000 (2007 approximate estimate; most members of the ‘Tajik’ nationality in China speak Sarikoli and the rest speak Wakhi)
    • 20,500 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Yaghnobi
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 20,000 speakers (The estimate is based on 2001 official census)

Tibeto-Burman

  • Balti (grouped with Ladakhi)
    • UNESCO status: vulnerable, unavailable
    • 340'000 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Dzongka (Bhutanese Tibetan)
    • UNESCO status: none
    • 130'000 (470'000 non-native) (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Purik (grouped with Ladakhi)
    • UNESCO status: vulnerable, unavailable
    • 130'000 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Ladakhi
    • UNESCO status: vulnerable, 105,000 speakers (estimate, India Census 2001)
    • 125'000 (estimate, wikipedia)

Other

  • Dungan
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 41,000 speakers (2001 census)
    • Who (idea): Hiroömi Kanno
  • Burushaski
    • UNESCO status: unsafe, 87,000 speakers (2000 census)
    • Who (idea): Greg Anderson


Critical

These are moribund and maybe recently dead languages.

Many are classified by UNESCO as severely endangered, critically endangered, or extinct.

Turkic

  • Sonkori
    • UNESCO status: none
    • at most 35'000 speakers (estimate, based on Pocelujevskij 1997)
  • "Yurt Tatar"
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 12,000 speakers (2005 Арсланов)
  • Trukhmen ("Caucasian Turkmen")
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 10,000 speakers (estimate based on the 2002 census)
  • Baraba
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, data unavailable (not known exactly; according to Дмитриева, spoken by older generations of the ethnic group of 8,000 people)
    • <8'000 speakers (estimate, Dmitrijeva 1997)
  • Karagash (Astrakhan Nogay)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 7,000 speakers (current estimate; not listed separately in the census)
  • Shor (Shor on lingsib.iea.ras.ru)
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 6,210 speakers (2002 census)
  • Saryg/Western Yugur
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 4,600 speakers (2000 census)
  • Northern Altay (Tuba, Qumandı, Chalkan/Lebedin/Kuu) (Qumandı on lingsib.iea.ras.ru, Chalkan on lingsib.iea.ras.ru)
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, speaker data unavailable (not know exactly, but in the range of a few thousand; the 2002 census figures for Tuba [436], Kumandy [1044] and Chalkan [539] are presumably too low, because some speakers may have registered as (Southern) Altay speakers)
  • Karaim
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 50 speakers (Trakai, Lithuania), 6 speakers (Western Ukraine), 0 speakers (Crimea)
    • ~ 500 speakers (estimate, based on 1989 census, Musajev 1997)
  • Krymchak
    • UNESCO status: none
    • < 500 speakers (estimate, based on 1989 census, Rebi et al. 1997)
  • Alabugat Tatar ("outlying dialect of Nogay")
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 422 speakers (1987 figure in Арсланов 1988)
  • Dukha (Tuha/Tsaatan)
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 200 speakers (compromise figure based on various sources)
  • Ili Turk
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 120 speakers (1980 R. F. Hahn for the Ethnologue)
  • Urum
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, data unavailable
    • 112 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Tofa / Karagas (Tofalar/Karagas on lingsib.iea.ras.ru)
    • UNESCO status: critically endangered, 40 speakers (specialist estimate; the census figure 378 is inflated)
    • Who (idea): David Harrison and/or Greg Anderson ??
    • Who (idea): Rassadin?
  • Chulym (Middle Chulym?) (Chulym on lingsib.iea.ras.ru)
    • UNESCO status: critically endangered, 35 speakers (specialist estimate)
    • Who (idea): David Harrison and/or Greg Anderson
  • Fu-yü Ğırgıs ("Manchurian Kirgiz")
    • UNESCO status: critically endangered, 5 speakers (estimate based on various sources reporting less than 10 speakers)
  • Khotong
    • UNESCO status: none
  • Kamas Turk (an extinct outlying dialect of Khakas spoken by the last speakers of Kamas (Samoyed))
    • UNESCO status: extinct, 0 speakers (recently extinct)
  • Soyot (Soyot on lingsib.iea.ras.ru)
    • UNESCO status: extinct, 0 speakers (became extinct in the second half of the twentieth century)
    • Who (idea): Rassadin?
  • Crimean Turkish
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, data unavailable (subsumed under Crimean Tatar in the censuses)

Mongolic

  • Daur (Hailar)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 5,000 speakers (estimate based on Tsumagari 2003)
  • Eastern/Shira Yugur
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 3,000 speakers (based on Junast 1981 estimate of one third of the (then) total population of 9,000 Yugur speaking Shira Yugur)
  • Khamnigan Mongol
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 2,000 speakers of Manchurian dialect (2003 Janhunen estimate)
    • less than 50 speakers of the Mongolian dialect (estimate, Shimunek estimate, based on preliminary fieldwork in summer 2006)
  • Manchurian Ölöt
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 1,000 speakers (rough estimate)
  • Daur (Amur)
    • UNESCO status: critically endangered, (overall vitality: definitely endangered) 400 speakers (2003 Tsumagari estimate)
  • Khövsgöl Uryangkhay
    • UNESCO status: critically endangered, 10 speakers (specialist estimate)

Tungusic

  • Solon
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 10,000 speakers (estimate based on the 2000 census and other sources)
  • Evenki
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 7,584 speakers (2002 census of the Russian Federation for Evenki; cf. Evenki (Northern Siberia) and Evenki (Sakhalin); possibly also a small number of speakers in Mongolia)
    • Who (idea): Lenore Grenoble
  • Evenki (Manchuria)
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 4,000 speakers (estimate based on Chinese census figures and other sources; includes all speakers in the official Oroqen nationality as well as under 1,000 speakers of the Manchurian Reindeer Tungus dialect and the approximately 1,000 Evenki-speaking Khamnigan)
  • Manchu (Amur)
    • UNESCO status: critically endangered, 10 speakers (compromise figure based on various sources)
  • Ongkor Solon
    • UNESCO status: extinct, 0 speakers (the last fluent speaker died in the 1990s; there may still be a few people who know some isolated phrases or words)

Uralic

  • Kamas/Koibal (Samoyedic)
    • UNESCO status: extinct, 0 speakers (the last speaker, Klavdia Plotnikova, died in 1989)

IE

  • Bukharan
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, 10,000 speakers (1995 census)
  • Parya
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 7,000 speakers (The estimate is based on research, 2005)
    • 2'500 speakers (estimate, wikipedia)
  • Yazgulami
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 6,000 speakers (Official statistics, 2003)
  • Ishkashimi
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 1,000 speakers (Approximate estimate, 2006)

Other

  • Ket
    • UNESCO status: severely endangered, 150 speakers (2005 Казакевич estimate including semi-speakers; the census figure of 485 is inflated)
    • Who (idea): Edward Vajda


Extinct / Historic

Most of these won't be able to have full grammars written on them, and many won't be able to have more than "present level of knowledge about the language" written. Maybe this volume should be of a slightly different nature.

Turkic

  • Orkhon/Yenisei
  • Old Kirgiz?
  • Old Uyghur
  • Karakhanid
  • Bolgar
  • Khazar
  • Cuman?
  • Chaghatay
  • Old Tatar
  • Mamluk Kypchak
  • X-XIth century Oghuz
  • Pecheneg
  • Polovec
  • Old Anatolian
  • Turki
  • Khwarezmian

Mongol-Xianbeic

  • Classical Mongolian
  • Kitan
  • Tabgach
  • Middle Mongol

IE

  • Scythian
  • Sogdian
  • Bactrian
  • Tokharian A/B
  • Khontanese
  • Khwarezmian/Chorasmian

Unsorted

  • Bojnurdy (Iranian Turkic)
    • UNESCO status: none
  • Siberian Tatar (Includes Lower Chulym)
    • UNESCO status: definitely endangered, data unavailable (counted as Tatar speakers in the Russian census)
  • Central Tibetan Languages
    • UNESCO status: none
  • Silingke
    • UNESCO status: none

Size concerns

A decent-quality bare-bones grammar of a medium-density language would be a minimum of about 20 pages, and a more full grammar might be as much as 50 pages. This allows for a maximum of 10-20 languages per volume before a volume starts to get too big. On the level of the volume, do we stress quantity of languages, or quality of grammars (probably the former, but we do want to fit everything)? On the level of the individual language/grammar, we probably stress quality over size? These are things which need to be discussed.

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