Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Camalal, Chamali чамалинский язык, çamalaldub miçʿçʿ, чамалалдуб мичIчI, ჭამალალური ენა,
CLASSIFICATION		Northeast Caucasian, Avaro-Andic, Nakh-Daghestanian
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3; Glottolog
LANGUAGE CODE		cji, cham1309
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Gakvarian-Gadirian (Gakvari Gadyri) Gigatl
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (8)

Information from: “Gakvarian Chamalal (Dagestan and Chechnya) - Language Snapshot” . Kristian Roncero (2021) , Peter K. Austin · ELPublishing

Threatened

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
9,000
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
19,000 (Alieva)
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Chamalal are often counted as Avar in official censuses

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

Children and young adults more often use Russian when communicating among themselves, particularly on phones and social media. Adults and children of the diaspora use the language less frequently and fluently.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

The Dagestan region is multilingual, so Chamalal is not stigmatised. Wives from other regions acquire the language. Education takes place in Russian, and Avar is taught marginally as a mother tongue.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Avar
Russian
neighboring languages
Arabic

PLACES: Traditionally spoken in Tsumada District of Dagestan and Šarojskij District of Chechnya in Russia, with migration to the plains and larger cities

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
5,000
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
5,000
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Data for the number of native speakers and the ethnic population come from Kibrik (1990).

DATE OF INFO: 1990

PLACES: Russia;

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
12,000
Native speakers worldwide

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
5,000
Native speakers worldwide

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
4,000-6,000
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
Scripts (Writing system): none

PLACES: Upper Gakvari, Lower Gakvari, Agvali, Tsumada, Richagnik, Gadyri, Gigatl', Kvankhi

Ethnic population
4000

DATE OF INFO: 1967

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
Scripts (Writing system): None

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "The Chamalals are a numerically small people who occupy a few dozen villages in the Tsumada district of Dagestan. Their settlements are located on the left bank of the middle reaches of the Andi-Koisu river. The major Chamalal villages are Lower-Gaquar, Agual, Tsumada, Urukh, Gachitl, Quenkh, Gigatl and Gadór."

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
4,000
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
4000

DATE OF INFO: 1967

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
Scripts (Writing system): None
More on Orthography: Avar is used in writing.

				2003	UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages		UNESCO				B. Heine and M. Brenzinger	Heine, B. and M. Brenzinger. 2003. "UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages." UNESCO.	HHOLD	4000		1967			Schools	Avar, Russian								"The Chamalals are a numerically small people who occupy a few dozen villages in the Tsumada district of Dagestan. Their settlements are located on the left bank of the middle reaches of the Andi-Koisu river. The major Chamalal villages are Lower-Gaquar, Agual, Tsumada, Urukh, Gachitl, Quenkh, Gigatl and Gadór."
0199255911				2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures	Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer	Oxford University Press		New York			2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																	42.55,46.05
			16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)	M. Paul Lewis	SIL International		Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	5,000	5,000	1990	1000-9999	Data for the number of native speakers and the ethnic population come from Kibrik (1990).				Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Russia;
			3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger		UNESCO Publishing		Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		12,000		10000-99999					Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)							42.5712,46.0739
					World Oral Literature Project					http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			5,000		1000-9999					Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
ISSN: 1740-6234	Language Snapshots	June		2021	Gakvarian Chamalal (Dagestan and Chechnya) - Language Snapshot	Peter K. Austin	ELPublishing	Language Documentation and Description		http://www.elpublishing.org/docs/1/20/ldd20_05.pdf	Kristian Roncero	Roncero, Kristian. 2021. Gakvarian Chamalal (Dagestan and Chechnya) - Language Snapshot. Language Documentation and Description 20, 64-74. http://www.elpublishing.org/PID/227		19,000 (Alieva)	9,000		1000-9999	Chamalal are often counted as Avar in official censuses	government, media, education, religion	Avar, Russian, neighboring languages, Arabic	The Dagestan region is multilingual, so Chamalal is not stigmatised. Wives from other regions acquire the language. Education takes place in Russian, and Avar is taught marginally as a mother tongue.	Threatened (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	11	Children and young adults more often use Russian when communicating among themselves, particularly on phones and social media. Adults and children of the diaspora use the language less frequently and fluently.	12	11	Traditionally spoken in Tsumada District of Dagestan and Šarojskij District of Chechnya in Russia, with migration to the plains and larger cities		42.3928, 45.5626
070071197X		3	1	2007	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages		Routledge		Abingdon		Christopher Moseley	Moseley, Christopher. 2007. Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, 1 edn. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 070071197X	ll_pub		4,000-6,000		1000-9999			Avar, Russian		Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Upper Gakvari, Lower Gakvari, Agvali, Tsumada, Richagnik, Gadyri, Gigatl', Kvankhi
9985-936922				1993	The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire	Andrew Humphreys and Krista Mits				http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook		"The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire." edited by Andrew Humphreys and Krista Mits. Online: http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook.		4000	4,000	1967	1000-9999		Education	Avar, Russian		Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Chamalal

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

9,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

12,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,000-6,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,000

Discussion

Chamalal

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

9,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

12,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,000-6,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,000

Discussion

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Sources of information

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