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The

Languages of the Caucasus

in the 2010 edition of the

UNESCO Atlas

of the

World's Languages in Danger

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The 2010 edition of the United Nations' Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization's interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger was recently published on the UNESCO website. The online, interactive version of the Atlas can be consulted here, and the print edition can be purchased here.

Compared with the 2009 edition of the Atlas, the only change in status i.e. vulnerability seems to concern Abaza (Russian Federation — Karachayevo-Cherkassia; [North-]West Caucasian/Abkhaz-Abazin), which has unfortunately been downgraded from "unsafe/vulnerable" to "definitely endangered".

The following list for 2010 was compiled from the 2010 online edition of the Atlas:

"VULNERABLE/UNSAFE"

Name of Language: Abkhaz
Spoken in: Georgia [de jure]—Abkhazia
Classification: [North-]West Caucasian/Abkhaz-Abazin

Adyge
Russian Federation—Adygheia
[North-]West Caucasian/Circassian

Avar
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic

Chechen
Russian Federation—Chechnya
Nakho-Daghestanian/Nakh/Veinakh

Dargwa
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian

Ingush
Russian Federation—Ingushetia
Nakho-Daghestanian/Nakh/Veinakh

Kumyk
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Altaic/Turkic/Western Turkic/Ponto-Caspian

Lak
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian

Lezgian
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Nuclear Lezgic/East Lezgic

Ossete
Russian Federation—North Ossetia, and Georgia [de jure]—South Ossetia
Indo-European/Indo-Iranian/Iranian/Eastern/Northeastern

Tabasaran
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Nuclear Lezgic/East Lezgic

* * *

"DEFINITELY ENDANGERED"

Abaza
Russian Federation—Karachayevo-Cherkassia
[North-]West Caucasian/Abkhaz-Abazin
(downgraded from "unsafe" since 2009)

Agul (Aghul)
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Nuclear Lezgic/East Lezgic

Akhvakh
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Andi
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Archi
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic

Bagvalal
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Bezhta
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Tsezic/East Tsezic

Botlikh
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Chamalal
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Godoberi
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Hinukh
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Tsezic/West Tsezic

Homshetsma (Hamshen)
Turkey
Indo-European/Armenian

Hunzib
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Tsezic/East Tsezic

Inkhokvari (Khvarshi)
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Tsezic/West Tsezic

Juhur (Tat)
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Altaic/Turkic/Western Turkic/Uralian

Karata
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Khvarshi
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Tsezic/West Tsezic

Laz
Turkey
Kartvelian/Zan

Mingrelian
Georgia
Kartvelian/Zan

Nogay
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Altaic/Turkic/Western Turkic/Aralo-Caspian

Pontic Greek
Turkey
Indo-European/Greek/Attic

Rutul
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Nuclear Lezgic/West Nuclear Lezgic

Svan
Georgia
Kartvelian/Svan

Tindi
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Avar-Andic/Andic

Tsakhur
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Nuclear Lezgic/West Nuclear Lezgic

Tsez
Russian Federation—Daghestan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Tsezic/West Tsezic

* * *

"SEVERELY ENDANGERED"

Bats
Georgia
Nakho-Daghestanian/Nakh

Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
Georgia
Afro-Asiatic/Semitic/Central Semitic/Aramaic/Eastern Aramaic/Central Eastern Aramaic/Northeastern Central Eastern Aramaic

Budukh
Azerbaijan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Nuclear Lezgic/South Nuclear Lezgic

Homshetsma (Hamshen)
Georgia [de jure]—Abkhazia
Indo-European/Armenian

Khinalug
Azerbaijan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Khinalugh

Kryz
Azerbaijan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Nuclear Lezgic/South Nuclear Lezgic

Tat
Azerbaijan
Altaic/Turkic/Western Turkic/Uralian

Udi
Georgia and Azerbaijan
Nakho-Daghestanian/Lezgic/Udi

* * *

"CRITICALLY ENDANGERED"

none

* * *

"EXTINCT"

Ubykh
Russian Federation—Krasnodarskii Krai, and Turkey
[North-]West Caucasian/Ubykh

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For a list of UNESCO's 6 "Major Evaluative Factors of Language Vitality", which are used to measure the degree of vulnerability of a language, please go to this page.