Preservation and revitalisation of endangered languages of the ethnic minority groups in China

Out of more than 120 languages spoken in China, 50% are endangered and do not have a writing system.

UNESCO Office Beijing has been extending its assistance to the preservation and revitalisation of endangered languages of selected ethnic minority groups in China in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Social Science. Project for each language consists of field recording, transcription of daily discourse using the International Phonetic Alphabet, support to the introduction of mother tongue education into the formal education system, and so forth. Research has already been completed for the minority languages of "Uygur", "Anong", "She", and "Manchu", while research on "Hezhen" (population estimated around 4,300) and "Tujia" languages is ongoing.

Project period: 2001 - 2004

Fecha de Comienzo 09 Jul 2004
Fecha de Término 09 Jul 2004
Organización líder UNESCO Beijing Office

© 2003 - UNESCO