ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Wakhi language and some of the causes behind its endangerment which eventually may lead the population that speaks this small language to be in danger of disappearing. It provides an accurate picture of the state of the Wakhi language across borders. The Wakhi language is one of the Pamiri languages that belong to the eastern branch of the Iranian languages family. Wakhi speakers are people of Iranian descent who live across four countries – Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China. Northern Pamiri languages have very close ties with each other and thus the speakers of any of these languages can easily understand each other while communicating. The lack of written form or writing system is another threat to endangered languages. Hence, the Wakhi speakers of the four countries speak to each other in an oral form but cannot communicate in a common written form. Another danger for Wakhi language is labour migration.
