Endangered Turkic Languages
World Languages
In today's world, there are 6,500 - 7,000 languages.
The languages of small-population communities make up half of the world's languages. A significant portion of these languages is at risk of disappearing in the near future.
More than 70% of the approximately 6,500 known languages today will no longer exist by the end of the 21st century.
Endangered Languages
According to UNESCO, more than 200 languages have disappeared over the past 60-70 years.
Today, 538 languages are critically endangered, 502 languages are in serious danger, and 607 languages are vulnerable.
Unfortunately, Turkic languages/dialects are also included in this list. This situation worsened, especially due to the language policies pursued by the Soviet Russia in the 20th century.
Lost Heritage
Languages at risk of extinction are those that are not sufficiently or at all transmitted between generations, causing the number of speakers to decline over time.
The disappearance of languages also means the disappearance of cultures, which in turn leads to the loss of the knowledge and heritage that languages and cultures have preserved and carried throughout human history.
Before the Last Voices are gone
Esteemed scholars Süer Eker and Ülkü Çelik Åžavk are leading an international research project titled "Endangered Turkic Languages", with the motto "Before the Last Voices are gone"
This project is supported by the International Turkic Academy and Hoca Ahmet Yesevi University.
Raising Awareness
The project aims to study and introduce Turkic communities with small populations and limited speakers, bringing their languages and cultures together under common themes.
It seeks to share knowledge and documents with the public, raise awareness and sensitivity regarding endangered Turkic languages and cultures, and establish a shared academic foundation for future theoretical studies, documentation efforts, language revitalization, and other related activities.
Turkic Languages
The project covers lesser-spoken Turkic languages, from Fu-Yü Kyrgyz in northeastern China to Karaim in Lithuania, the westernmost part of Europe; from Dolgan, spoken in the Taymyr Peninsula, to Qashqai, found in Iran near the eastern shores of the Persian Gulf.
Disclaimer: The information and visuals used on this page are taken from the red book of the four-volume "Before the Last Voices rae gone" project, titled "Endangered Turkic Languages," published by the International Turkic Academy.
Our Commitment
Turkology Institute is committed to preserving endangered Turkic languages and safeguarding the accumulated cultural heritage that is at risk of being lost. As part of its cultural responsibility, the institute aims to pass this heritage on to future generations.
To revitalize endangered Turkic languages, the institute not only raises awareness but also participates in various support activities. These include following academic publications, promoting the teaching of these languages, and creating demand for language learning resources. In the future, the institute aims to expand and diversify these efforts further.