Seke, translated as the “golden language”, proudly originates from the Mustang district of Nepal. An unwritten language, Seke is known to be spoken in a mere five villages – Chuksang, Chaile, Gyakar, Tangbe, and Tetang, which are situated near the border of Tibet. Today, there are approximately 700 Seke speakers left worldwide. This language, with its three dialects—Tangbe, Tetang, and Chuksang, is considered one of the most endangered languages globally.
The State of Endangered Languages
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) criteria states that a language becomes extinct when nobody speaks or remembers it. To create greater understanding and awareness, UNESCO has categorized languages based on the degree of endangerment. These categories include Vulnerable, Definitely Endangered, Severely Endangered, Critically Endangered, and Extinct.
These categories reflect the intergenerational language transmission with different levels of language usage and proficiency among generations.
Understanding Endangerment Categories
In the context of a “Safe” language, it is spoken by all generations, and intergenerational transmission is uninterrupted. A language falls under “Vulnerable” if most children speak it, but usage may be limited to specific domains.
A language is deemed “Definitely endangered” when children no longer learn it as mother tongue at home, followed by a more severe stage, “Severely endangered”, where the language is spoken only by grandparents or older generations.
In the penultimate phase of endangerment, languages are considered “Critically endangered”. At this stage, the youngest speakers are grandparents and older, and they speak the language partially and infrequently. Ultimately, when no speaker of the language remains, it is declared “Extinct”.
| Endangerment Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Safe | Spoken by all generations, intergenerational transmission is uninterrupted. |
| Vulnerable | Most children speak the language, but it may be restricted to certain domains. |
| Definitely endangered | Children no longer learn the language as mother tongue in the home. |
| Severely endangered | Spoken by grandparents and older generations; the parent generation may understand it, they do not speak it to children or among themselves. |
| Critically endangered | The youngest speakers are grandparents and older, and they speak the language partially and infrequently. |
| Extinct | No speakers left. |
The Risk Status of Indian Languages
Currently, UNESCO has recognized 42 Indian languages as Critically Endangered, which means the youngest speakers of these languages are grandparents and older, speaking the language only partially and infrequently. This alarming fact furthers the importance of preservation efforts to prevent these languages from becoming extinct. In this context, languages like Seke are invaluable cultural heritage that must be preserved for future generations.
