DOCUMENTATION OF ENDANGERED LANGUAGES AS CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE OF PRESERVING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN EURASIA [ARTICLE]

Abstract

Based on contemporary estimates, between 50% and 80% of the world’s linguistic diversity will disappear during the 21st century. This means that out of estimated 6,500 languages currently spoken in the world, over 3,500 will seize to be used. While every language manifests a unique wealth of human knowledge accumulated over millennia, sadly multiple languages in Central and Northern Eurasia are at risk. Often, these languages and language varieties are little known outside their immediate communities and are less studied by the academic community, which exacerbates the problem even further