15 Languages Endangered In Historical Armenia – UNESCO

According to the “UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger”, 15 languages in Historical Armenia are now in danger of extinction.

Of the 6,700 languages in the world, 2,500 are in danger. Since the 1950s, about 230 of those 2,500 languages have been considered extinct languages. As for the territory of Historical Armenia, three languages are now considered extinct.

The first one is Cappadocian Greek which is extinct in Historical Armenia and is on the verge of disappearance throughout the world. Mlaḥsô, the language of the region of Ligier Tigranakert, is considered extinct as well – in 1995, the last native speaker of this language died. The third extinct language is Ubykh whose last speaker died in 1992.

Among the other 15 endangered languages are the Abkhaz, Kabardian, Abaza, Homshetsi, Laz, Pontic Greek, Romani, Surat, and Western Armenian languages and dialects.

Other endangered local languages are Gagauz spoken in Moldova and Historical Armenia and the Khertevi language spoken by residents of the Sirt district of southeastern Historian Armenia. In 1999, 1000 people spoke Khertevi.

westernarmeniatv.com