• Threatened

  60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

• < 12,000

  Native speakers worldwide
• Ethnic population

  12,000

• MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS

  classified under the Uyghur nationality in China

DATE OF INFO

2002

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

MORE ON VITALITY

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

• 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).

• 6,570

  Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO

2000

PLACES

China;

• Threatened

  20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

• 6,570

  Native speakers worldwide