Languages of the Caucasus in the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2009 edition)

The 2009 edition of the United Nations' Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization's interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger has just been published (21 February 2009, "World Language Day") on the UNESCO website. The Atlas can be consulted here, or downloaded (as a 20MB .pdf file) here.

The Atlas lists around 50 languages - Caucasian, or spoken in the wider Caucasus - which it considers to be endangered. The colour-code key runs from white ("unsafe") to black ("extinct"), via yellow ("definitely endangered"), orange ("severely endangered"), and red ("critically endangered").

Should one compile the language data for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Russian Federation and Turkey, one would end up with the following list:

"UNSAFE"

Name of Language: Abaza
Spoken in: Russian Federation—Karachayevo-Cherkassia
Classification: [North-]West Caucasian/Abkhaz-Abazin

Abkhaz
Georgia [de jure]—Abkhazia
[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"

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

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.