ABSTRACT
The study of the endangered languages of Central Asia has been at the margins of scholarship on the languages and cultures of the Central Asian nations. Despite the considerable work on the documentation and the linguistic aspects of the endangered languages by Western and local scholars, the historical development of these languages, their social functions and vitality in the current socio-economic context of the region remains wanting. The bulk of these languages survived for centuries in the isolated ravines of the Zarafshan and the Pamir Mountains as well as the adjacent regions of Hindu Kusha and Karakorum. Today, their survival is tested by the globalisation processes, ecological factors and socio-economic conditions of the countries which embrace them. The revival of national and ethnic identities at home and in diasporas and promotion of cultural expressions by the minority groups seem to enhance the vitality of these languages and prolong their survival for a foreseeable future. This chapter provides overview of the historical development of the endangered languages of the region and explores prospects for their development in the current century.
