kjh ISO 639
Хакас тілі (Xakas tili) Autonyms
Khakas
Visualizations
A language of Russian Federation
- ISO 639
- kjh
- Alternate Names
- Abakan Tatar, Hakass, Khakhass, Xakas, Yenisei, Yennisej Tatar
- Autonym
- Хакас тілі (Xakas tili)
- Population
- 42,600 in Russian Federation (2010 census). Spoken by about 10% of the population of Khakasia (Salminen 2007). 1,500 monolinguals (2002 census). Ethnic population: 73,000 (2010 census). Total users in all countries: 42,610.
- Location
- Kemerovo province; Khakassia republic; Krasnoyarsk krai: north; all north of Altai mountains; scattered throughout Russia.
- Language Maps
- Central Russian Federation, China
- Language Status
- 2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial language in Khakassia Republic (1995, Constitution of the Republic of Khakassia, Article 69).
- Classification
- Turkic, Northern
- Dialects
- Sagai (Sagaj, Saghai), Kyzyl (Khyzyzl, Xyzyl), Koibal (Xoibal), Kamass (Kamassian), Kachin (Kaca, Khaas, Xaas), Shor, Beltir. The Koybal dialect was spoken by the descendants of the speakers of the Koybal dialect of Kamas [xas]. Kamas was an outlying dialect of Khakas spoken by the last speakers of Kamas (Samoyed) [xas] and their descendants until recently when it as well became extinct (Salminen 2007). Lexical similarity: 49% with Chuvash [chv]; 50% with Turkish [tur]; 53% with Northern Azerbaijani [azj]; 56% with Yakut [sah]; 59% with Turkmen [tuk]; 61% with Uyghur [uig] and North Uzbek [uzn]; 63% with Karachay-Balkar [krc]; 65% with Bashkort [bak]; 66% with Kazakh [kaz]; 67% with Tatar [tat]; 69% with Kyrgyz [kir] and Tuvan [tyv]; 75% with Southern Altai [alt].
- Language Use
- Struggle to maintain culture and language. In some rural areas children learn it, but in cities Russian [rus] is typically the only language (Salminen 2007). Home, community. Used by all. Positive attitudes, but rural speakers want their children to learn the national language for economic advancement. Most also use Russian [rus], especially at work, school, public transport, government, and for most written communication.
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L1: 50% (2007 SIL). Literacy rate in L2: 95% in Russian [rus]. Khakas books often self-published and difficult to obtain. Taught as subject in primary schools. Literature. Newspapers. Radio. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 2009. In urban areas, marked interest in Khakas language revival. Fewer young people speak Khakas than previous generations, but more children study it in school than 20 years ago.
- Writing
- Cyrillic script [Cyrl].
- Other Comments
- Traditional religion, Christian.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Khakas
Also Spoken in
- Location
- Heilongjiang province: Fuyu county north of Qiqihar.
- Dialects
- Sagai, Beltir, Kacha, Kyzyl, Shor, Kamassian.
- Language Status
- 8b (Nearly extinct)
- Language Use
- Elderly only. Shifted to Mandarin Chinese [cmn].
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Buddhist, traditional religion. View other languages of China
Language Name
Khakas
User Population
10 in China (Salminen 2007). Ethnic population: 880.
