Also Known As:
Gold, Nanaj, Hezhen, Goldi, Hezhe, Heche, Sushen, Juchen, Goldisch, nānai, Akani, Birar, Kile, Samagir, Goldische, Nanay, 赫哲語, 那乃語, 赫真語, Нанай, Нанайэ, Nanaj, Nanaje, нанайский языкж
Dialects & Varieties
- Kuro-Urmi
- Samagir
- Ussuri
- Torgon
- Sunggari
- Birar
- Kila
- Akani
錫伯語赫哲語鄂塭克語鄂倫春語研究 [A study of Sibe, Nanai, Evenki, and Oroqen
Tang, Ge 唐戈. 2008. 錫伯語赫哲語鄂塭克語鄂倫春語研究 [A study of Sibe, Nanai, Evenki, and Oroqen]. Beijing: The Ethnic Publishing House 民族出版社.
Severely Endangered
100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~180
Native Speakers Worldwide
Speaker Number Trends
Speaker Number Trend 5
A small percentage of the community speaks the language, and speaker numbers are decreasing very rapidly.
5
Domains of Use
Domain Of Use 4
Used mainly only in the home and/or with family, and may not be the primary language even in these domains for many community members.
4
Transmission
Transmission 4
Many of the grandparent generation speak the language, but younger people generally do not.
4
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
0
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
4640 (as of 2000)
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
Due to the socio-economic pressure, the Nanai don't feel the need to pass down their language. No monolingual Nanai speakers. Intermarriage with other linguistic groups is not uncommon.
Location and Context
Countries
China; Russia
Location Description
Heilongjian Province 黑龍江省, China
Government Support
no
Institutional Support
no
Speakers' Attitude
negative
Other Languages Used By The Community
Mandarin
Number of Other Language Speakers:
all
Domains of Other Languages:
all
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
No results found.
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
Nanai is not written down in China. The Nanai used to have rich oral literature. But because the medium for education and mass media is Mandarin, children have exposure only to Mandarin. The Nanai hence fail to pass down their oral tradition.
Recent Resources
Nanai-Russian dictionary contains 12,800 words most frequently used.
The paper is devoted to the contemporary sociolinguistic situation of Nanai language (one of Tungusi