Language
Preservation
Which languages of the community are endangered, by which source, and how members can help document them.
01Endangerment at a glance
02Endangered languages
Languages with at least one entry rated threatened or worse.
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کوردی / KurdîKurdish (Sorani, Kurmanji, Southern Kurdish)
Western Iran: Kurdistan, Kermanshah, West Azerbaijan, Ilam, and North Khorasan
Threatened
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ܣܘܪܝܝܐAssyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia)
Urmia and Salmas, and Tehran
Shifting
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Judeo-Persian
Iranian Jewish communities, written in the Hebrew script
Extinct
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خلجKhalaj
Markazi province
Threatened
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اچمیLari (Achomi)
Southern Fars and Hormozgan, and Gulf states
Threatened
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سمنانیSemnani
Semnan
Threatened
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هەورامیHawrami (Gorani)
Hawraman, Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces
Threatened
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براہوئیBrahui
Sistan and Baluchestan
Threatened
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ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡀMandaic
Khuzestan, the Mandaean community
Extinct
03Every entry
The UNESCO World Atlas of Languages first, to verify until it can be read; beside it, Glottolog’s Agglomerated Endangerment Status for each entry, with the source it rests on.
| Language | UNESCO Atlas | Glottolog entry | Status (AES) | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persian (Farsi) | To verify | Western Farsi | Not endangered | 1 (National) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| South Azerbaijani (Azerbaijani Turkish) | To verify | South Azerbaijani | Not endangered | 3 (Wider communication) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Kurdish (Sorani, Kurmanji, Southern Kurdish) | To verify | Central Kurdish | Not endangered | 1 (National) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Kurdish (Sorani, Kurmanji, Southern Kurdish) | To verify | Northern Kurdish | Threatened | 6b (Threatened) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Kurdish (Sorani, Kurmanji, Southern Kurdish) | To verify | Southern Kurdish | Threatened | 6b (Threatened) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Gilaki | To verify | Gilaki | Not endangered | 4 (Educational) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Mazandarani | To verify | Mazanderani | Not endangered | 5* (Developing) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Luri and Bakhtiari | To verify | Northern Luri | Not endangered | 6a (Vigorous) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Luri and Bakhtiari | To verify | Bakhtiari | Not endangered | 6a (Vigorous) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Luri and Bakhtiari | To verify | Southern Luri | Not endangered | 6a (Vigorous) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Balochi | To verify | Southern Balochi | Not endangered | 5* (Developing) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Balochi | To verify | Western Balochi | Not endangered | 5* (Developing) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Balochi | To verify | Eastern Balochi | Not endangered | 5* (Developing) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Talysh | To verify | North-Central Talysh | Not endangered | At risk | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Armenian (Iranian Armenian) | To verify | Eastern Armenian | Not endangered | 1 (National) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia) | To verify | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Shifting | Endangered | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Judeo-Persian | To verify | Judeo-Persian | Extinct | 10 (Extinct) | Hammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath and Bank. Glottolog 5.3. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. (2025) Verified |
| Arabic (Khuzestani and Gulf Arabic) | To verify | Gilit Mesopotamian Arabic | Not endangered | 3 (Wider communication) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Arabic (Khuzestani and Gulf Arabic) | To verify | Gulf Arabic | Not endangered | 3 (Wider communication) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Turkmen | To verify | Turkmen | Not endangered | 1 (National) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Qashqai | To verify | Qashqa’i | Not endangered | 6a (Vigorous) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Khalaj | To verify | Khalaj Turkic | Threatened | Vulnerable | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Laki | To verify | Laki | Not endangered | 6a (Vigorous) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Lari (Achomi) | To verify | Larestani | Threatened | Vulnerable | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Semnani | To verify | Semnani-Biyabuneki | Threatened | Vulnerable | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Tati (Takestani) | To verify | Takestani | Not endangered | At risk | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Hawrami (Gorani) | To verify | Gurani | Threatened | Vulnerable | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Brahui | To verify | Brahui | Threatened | Vulnerable | Moseley (ed.). Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edition. UNESCO Publishing. (2010) Secondary source |
| Mandaic | To verify | Neo-Mandaic | Moribund | Severely Endangered | Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source |
| Mandaic | To verify | Classical Mandaic | Extinct | 9 (Second language only) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Georgian (Fereydani) | To verify | Georgian | Not endangered | 1 (National) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Dari | To verify | Dari | Not endangered | 1 (National) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
| Tajik | To verify | Tajik | Not endangered | 1 (National) | Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source |
Sources Hammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath and Bank. Glottolog 5.3. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. (2025) Verified; Campbell, Lee, Okura, Simpson and Ueki. The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ElCat). (2022) Secondary source; Moseley (ed.). Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edition. UNESCO Publishing. (2010) Secondary source; Eberhard, Simons and Fennig (eds.). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 28th edition. SIL International. (2025) Secondary source; UNESCO. World Atlas of Languages. (2025) To verify
04Documentation archives
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Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR)
ELAR To verify
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Endangered Languages Project (ElCat)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and partners To verify
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World Atlas of Languages
UNESCO To verify
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Glottolog
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Checked 2026-10-23 Verified
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PHOIBLE
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Checked 2026-10-23 Verified
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World Atlas of Language Structures (WALS)
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Checked 2026-10-23 Verified
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Universal Dependencies
Universal Dependencies Checked 2026-10-23 Verified
05How members can help
- Record a speaker, with their consent, and deposit it in an archive.
- Point us to a dictionary, grammar or recording under an open licence.
- Correct an entry: every page links to the corrections form.
- Teach: heritage schools need teachers for every language.
Shared listings
Sharing opens soon
Organisations, services, resources and public places shared by members, each linked to its official site.
Cite this page
- APA
Iranian Diaspora Cooperation & Development Council. (2026). Preservation. iranians.global. https://iranians.global/language/preservation/
- Chicago
Iranian Diaspora Cooperation & Development Council. 2026. “Preservation.” iranians.global. https://iranians.global/language/preservation/.
- BibTeX
@misc{idcdc2026_language_preservation, author = {{Iranian Diaspora Cooperation \& Development Council}}, year = {2026}, note = {Licence: CC BY 4.0}, title = {Preservation}, url = {https://iranians.global/language/preservation/}, howpublished = {https://iranians.global/language/preservation/}, }- RIS
TY - ELEC AU - Iranian Diaspora Cooperation & Development Council DA - 2026/// PY - 2026 ID - idcdc2026_language_p N1 - Licence: CC BY 4.0 TI - Preservation UR - https://iranians.global/language/preservation/ ER -
06Research and sources
Recent and relevant work on this page’s subject, from approved open scholarly sources. Metadata and links only. Titles stay as published. Not yet reviewed.
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Christiane Bulut · 2021 · The Turkic Languages
ChapterCrossrefOpenAIRE
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The Gypsy Languages of Iran: An Overview
Hassan Rezai Baghbidi · 2025 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB)
ChapterOpenAlexOpen access
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FARDIN MANSOURI, masoud golchin · 2024 · مسائل اجتماعی ایران
ArticleDOAJOpen access
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Languages of Iran and South Asia
2020 · Languages of the World
ChapterCrossrefOpenAIRE
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Languages of Iran: Language identification questionnaire
Parisa Sabethemmatabadi, Erik Anonby · 2021 · Borealis
DatasetDataCite
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Khan A, Humza AU, Ali K et al. · 2026 · J Am Coll Clin Pharm
ArticleEurope PMC
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Anousha Sedighi (ed.). Iranian and Minority Languages at Home and in Diaspora
Saloumeh Gholami · 2023 · Abstracta Iranica
ArticleOpenAlexOpen accessCC-BY-SA
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Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI) questionnaire
Erik Anonby, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali, Geoffrey Haig et al. · 2020 · Borealis
DatasetDataCite
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Language contact and multilingualism in Iran
Shahrzad Mahootian · 2018 · Oxford University Press (OUP)
ArticleOpenAIRE
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Caroline Kohlmayer · 2026 · Bulletin électronique de l’Institut d’étude de l’islam et des sociétés du monde musulman (ISMM)
ArticleDataCite
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Mortaza Taheri-Ardali, Mansour Bozorgmehr, Erik Anonby · 2026 · Journal of Iranian Linguistics
ArticleOpenAIREOpen access
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Helen Giunashvili · 2019 · Unpublished
ArticleDataCite
Sources, licences and fetch dates: Crossref (Metadata facts, any use; abstracts may be publisher-owned and are never shown), 2026-10-23; DataCite (CC0 1.0 (DataCite metadata)), 2026-10-23; DOAJ (Metadata CC0 1.0 (DOAJ); articles under their own open licences), 2026-10-23; Europe PMC (Metadata reusable; full text under each article’s licence), 2026-10-23; OpenAIRE (CC BY 4.0 (OpenAIRE Graph)), 2026-10-23; OpenAlex (CC0-1.0 data; metered API (free key)), 2026-10-23.