Endangered Languages Project

"The Ket language belongs to the Ket Assan (Yenisey) group of the Paleo-Asiatic languages. Kott (Kot), Arin, Assan (Asan) also belong to this group but these people have been assimilated by either the Khakass, Evenks or Russians. The Kets are the only living people of the western Paleo-Asiatic group. The generic origin of the language is not clear, but it is assumed that it is related to the Sino-Tibetan or North-Caucasian languages. " - The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire

ALSO KNOWN AS		Imbak, кетский язык, Yenisei Ostyak, Yenisey Ostiak, Imbatski-Ket, Остыганна ӄа’
CLASSIFICATION		Yeniseian, Northern Yeniseian
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		ket
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Red Book on Endangered Languages: Northeast Asia” . Juha Janhunen; Tapani Salminen (2000)

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~500
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
~1,100
CHILDREN
very few
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
children speakers: generally very few, but the situation varies depending on locality; recent field data suggest that there may still exist linguistically intact families or even communities

DATE OF INFO: 1993

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Degree of speakers' competence: from rudimentary to good; however, Russian is spoken universally as a second language; some knowledge of Northern Selkup is also not uncommon.

PLACES: Russia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: on the middle and upper Yenisei and its tributaries, mainly between the Yelogui and Turukhan basins; today concentrated in a few villages, notably Kellog and Farkovo, in northern Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
>500
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1989

TRANSMISSION

PLACES: Siberia, Russian Federation

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Middle and Upper Yenisay and it's tributaries.

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
150
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
537
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
1,113
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
In 1989 it was reported that 48.3%% of the ethnic population were native speakers.

DATE OF INFO: 1989

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

MORE ON VITALITY

"The population of the Kets has been more or less stable, but the percentage of native language speakers is on the decline. In 1926 there were 1,225 speakers, but after 53 years only about 500 were reported -- less than half of the population. "

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Russian

Scripts (Writing system)

Cyrillic script

PLACES: Russian Federation

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: The Ket inhabit the Yenisey Basin (Sym, Kureika, Yeloguy, Podkamenaya Tunguska) in East Siberia. This area, in the middle reaches of the Yenisey (about 1,000--1,500 km from north to south), is administratively in the Turukhansk and Baikit districts of the Krasnoyarsk Region in the Russian Federation.

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
800
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~600
Native speakers worldwide

TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "No children are learning it since parents prefer to speak to them in Russian."

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
190
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
1,494
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
190. Ethnic population: 1,494

PLACES: Russia;

			2007	Europe and North Asia	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	211-282	C. Moseley	London & New York: Routledge					Tapani Salminen	Salminen, Tapani. 2007. "Europe and North Asia." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by C. Moseley. 211-282. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD		>500	1989	100-999						Severely Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14				Siberia, Russian Federation	Middle and Upper Yenisay and it's tributaries.
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.																		64.0,87.0
		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	1,494	190		100-999	190. Ethnic population: 1,494					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Russia;
	August		2008	Peter K Austin's top 10 endangered languages					The Guardian			http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/aug/27/endangered.languages	Peter Austin	Austin, Peter. 2008. "Peter K Austin's Top 10 Endangered Languages." In The Guardian, Online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/aug/27/endangered.languages.			~600		100-999			Russian	"No children are learning it since parents prefer to speak to them in Russian."		Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13
		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		150		100-999						Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)							62.6236,87.7148
			2000	Red Book on Endangered Languages: Northeast Asia							UNESCO	http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/nasia_report.html	Juha Janhunen; Tapani Salminen	Juha Janhunen; Tapani Salminen. 2000. "UNESCO RED BOOK ON ENDANGERED LANGUAGES: NORTHEAST ASIA." Online: http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/nasia_report.html		~1,100	~500	1993	100-999	children speakers: generally very few, but the situation varies depending on locality; recent field data suggest that there may still exist linguistically intact families or even communities		Russian, Northern Selkup	Degree of speakers' competence: from rudimentary to good; however, Russian is spoken universally as a second language; some knowledge of Northern Selkup is also not uncommon.	all	Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12			14	Russia	on the middle and upper Yenisei and its tributaries, mainly between the Yelogui and Turukhan basins; today concentrated in a few villages, notably Kellog and Farkovo, in northern Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia
				World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			800		100-999						Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
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.		1,113	537	1989	100-999	In 1989 it was reported that 48.3%% of the ethnic population were native speakers.	Language of education, culture, and administration	Russian			Severely Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		"The population of the Kets has been more or less stable, but the percentage of native language speakers is on the decline. In 1926 there were 1,225 speakers, but after 53 years only about 500 were reported -- less than half of the population. "	14	14	Russian Federation	The Ket inhabit the Yenisey Basin (Sym, Kureika, Yeloguy, Podkamenaya Tunguska) in East Siberia. This area, in the middle reaches of the Yenisey (about 1,000--1,500 km from north to south), is administratively in the Turukhansk and Baikit districts of the Krasnoyarsk Region in the Russian Federation.

Ket

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~500

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

>500

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

537

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

800

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~600

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

190

Discussion

Ket

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~500

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

>500

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

537

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

800

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~600

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

190

Discussion

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