Ainu (China)
[aka Aynu, Aini, Abdal]Classification: Turkic
·threatened
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Threatened
60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
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< 12,000
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12,000
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classified under the Uyghur nationality in China
- DATE OF INFO
- 2002
- DOMAINS OF USE
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- SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
-
- MORE ON VITALITY
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The domain of language use is decreasing since everyone is bilingual in Uyghur which has long been the lingua franca of the Xinjiang region. Plus, Mandarin serves as the medium of education and the official language of China.
- SPEAKER ATTITUDE
- positive
- GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
- no
- INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
- no
- OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
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Uyghur; Mandarin
- LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS
Ainu speakers are Muslims who only marry within their own group. Though Ainu belongs to the Iranian languages, it has been heavily influenced by Uyghur which is Turkic due to long term contact.
- More on Orthography
no orthographies
- PLACES
- China
- LOCATION DESCRIPTION
The speakers of Ainu are Muslims scattering all over the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (Hotan/Hetian (和田), Yutian (于闐), Kargilik/Yecheng (葉城), Yining (伊寧), and Ürümqi (烏魯木齊), among others).