Editing Language revitalization (section)

=== Asia ===
==== Hebrew ====
{{Further|Revival of the Hebrew language}}
The [[revival of the Hebrew language]] is
the only successful example of a revived dead language.<ref name="GrenobleWhaley" /> The [[Hebrew language]] survived into the medieval period as the language of [[Jewish liturgy]] and [[rabbinic literature]]. With the rise of [[Zionism]] in the 19th century, it was revived as a spoken and literary language, becoming primarily a spoken [[lingua franca]] among the early Jewish immigrants to [[Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem|Ottoman Palestine]] and received the official status in the 1922 constitution of the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate for Palestine]] and subsequently of the [[State of Israel]].<ref>{{cite book |surname=Bar-Adon |given=Aaron |title=The Rise and Decline of a Dialect: A Study in the Revival of Modern Hebrew |year=1975 |publisher=Mouton |url={{Google books|mC80vwEACAAJ|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=9783111803661}}</ref>

==== Sanskrit ====
{{Further|Sanskrit revival}}
There have been recent attempts at reviving [[Sanskrit]] in India.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/10000-plus-growth-in-sanskrit-speakers/cid/1351306 |title=10000-plus growth in Sanskrit speakers |website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pratidintime.com/latest-census-figure-reveals-increase-in-sanskrit-speakers-in-india/ |title=Latest census figure reveals increase in Sanskrit speakers in India |date=July 15, 2018}}</ref><ref name="BBC-2014-Mattur">{{Cite news |date=22 December 2014 |title=Indian village where people speak in Sanskrit|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30446917|access-date=30 September 2020}}</ref> However, despite these attempts, there are no first language speakers of Sanskrit in India.<ref name=sreevastan-thehindu-sanskrit/><ref name="Ruppel2017">{{cite book|last=Ruppel|first=A. M.|title=The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXQ3DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA2|year=2017|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-08828-3|page=2|quote=The study of any ancient (or dead) language is faced with one main challenge: ancient languages have no native speakers who could provide us with examples of simple everyday speech}}</ref><ref name="KachruKachru2008-1">{{cite book|last=Annamalai|first=E. |editor=Braj B. Kachru |editor2=Yamuna Kachru |editor3=S. N. Sridhar |title=Language in South Asia |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2n4sFGDEMYC&pg=PA223 |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46550-2 |pages=223– |chapter=Contexts of multilingualism |quote=Some of the migrated languages ... such as Sanskrit and English, remained primarily as a second language, even though their native speakers were lost. Some native languages like the language of the Indus valley were lost with their speakers, while some linguistic communities shifted their language to one or other of the migrants’ languages.}}</ref> In each of India's recent decennial censuses, several thousand citizens{{efn|6,106 Indians in 1981, 49,736 in 1991, 14,135 in 2001, and 24,821 in 2011, have reported Sanskrit to be their mother tongue.<ref name=sreevastan-thehindu-sanskrit/>}} have reported Sanskrit to be their mother tongue. However, these reports are thought to signify a wish to be aligned with the prestige of the language, rather than being genuinely indicative of the presence of thousands of L1 Sanskrit speakers in India. There has also been a rise of so-called "Sanskrit villages",<ref name="BBC-2014-Mattur"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cteindia.org/five-indian-villages-where-sanskrit-is-spoken/|title=Five Indian villages where sanskrit is spoken|date=4 August 2024 }}</ref> but experts have cast doubt on the extent to which Sanskrit is really spoken in such villages.<ref name=sreevastan-thehindu-sanskrit>{{cite news |title=Where are the Sanskrit speakers? |last=Sreevastan |first=Ajai |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/where-are-the-sanskrit-speakers/article6299433.ece |date=10 August 2014 |location =Chennai |access-date=11 October 2020 |quote=Sanskrit is also the only scheduled language that shows wide fluctuations — rising from 6,106&nbsp;speakers in 1981 to 49,736 in 1991 and then falling dramatically to 14,135&nbsp;speakers in 2001. “This fluctuation is not necessarily an error of the Census method. People often switch language loyalties depending on the immediate political climate,” says Prof. Ganesh Devy of the People's Linguistic Survey of India. ... Because some people “fictitiously” indicate Sanskrit as their mother tongue owing to its high prestige and Constitutional mandate, the Census captures the persisting memory of an ancient language that is no longer anyone's real mother tongue, says B. Mallikarjun of the Center for Classical Language. Hence, the numbers fluctuate in each Census. ... “Sanskrit has influence without presence,” says Devy. “We all feel in some corner of the country, Sanskrit is spoken.” But even in Karnataka's Mattur, which is often referred to as India's Sanskrit village, hardly a handful indicated Sanskrit as their mother tongue.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://detechter.com/seven-sanskrit-speaking-villages-in-india/ |title=Seven Indian villages where people speak in Sanskrit |date=September 24, 2017 |website=Detechter}}</ref>

==== Soyot ====
{{Main|Soyot language}}

The [[Soyot-Tsaatan language|Soyot language]] of the small-numbered [[Soyot]]s in [[Buryatia]], [[Russia]], one of the [[Siberian Turkic languages]], has been reconstructed and a Soyot-[[Buryat language|Buryat]]-[[Russian language|Russian]] dictionary was published in 2002. The language is currently taught in some elementary schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lingsib.iea.ras.ru/en/languages/soiot.shtml |last=Rassadin |first=V.I. |title=The Soyot Language |work=Endangered Languages of Indigenous Peoples of Siberia |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |access-date=2021-07-18}}</ref>

==== Ainu ====
{{Main|Ainu language}}
The [[Ainu language]] of the indigenous [[Ainu people]] of northern Japan is currently moribund, but efforts are underway to revive it. A 2006 survey of the [[Hokkaido]] Ainu indicated that only 4.6% of Ainu surveyed were able to converse in or "speak a little" Ainu.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TpdTRuAm8R4C&pg=PA219 |title=Cultural Diversity, Heritage and Human Rights: Intersections in Theory and Practice |first1=Michele |last1=Langfield |first2=William |last2=Logan |first3=Mairead Nic |last3=Craith |date=November 27, 2009 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=9780203863015 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> As of 2001, Ainu was not taught in any elementary or secondary schools in Japan, but was offered at numerous language centres and universities in Hokkaido, as well as at Tokyo's [[Chiba University]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oScUXmAkRXIC&pg=PA340 |title=Can Threatened Languages be Saved?: Reversing Language Shift, Revisited : a 21st Century Perspective |first=Joshua A. |last=Fishman |date=January 1, 2001 |publisher=Multilingual Matters |isbn=9781853594922 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

==== Manchu ====
{{Main|Manchu language}}
In China, the [[Manchu language]] is one of the most endangered languages, with speakers only in three small areas of Manchuria remaining.<ref>Tsunoda, Tasaku. Language Endangerment and Language Revitalization. Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter, 2005. 28. Print.</ref> Some enthusiasts are trying to revive the language of [[Manchu people|their ancestors]] using available dictionaries and textbooks, and even occasional visits to [[Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County]] in [[Xinjiang]], where the related [[Xibe language]] is still spoken natively.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125452110732160485
|date=2009-10-05 |title=In China, the Forgotten Manchu Seek to Rekindle Their Glory
|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |first=Ian |last=Johnson |access-date=2009-10-05}}</ref>

==== Spanish ====
{{Main|Spanish language in the Philippines|Philippine Spanish}}
In the Philippines, a local variety of Spanish that was primarily based on [[Mexican Spanish]] was the ''lingua franca'' of the country since Spanish colonization in 1565 and was an official language alongside [[Filipino language|Filipino]] (standardized [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]) and [[Philippine English|English]] until 1987, following the ratification of a new constitution, where it was re-designated as a voluntary language.

As a result of its loss as an official language and years of marginalization at the official level during and after American colonization, the use of Spanish amongst the overall populace decreased dramatically and became moribund, with the remaining native speakers left being mostly elderly people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lgpolar.com/page/read/119|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604061553/http://lgpolar.com/page/read/119 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-06-04 |title=La Guirnalda Polar - Artículo por Guillermo Gómez Rivera [Educadores y sabios adredemente olvidados] |website=www.webcitation.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2016/04/12/actualidad/1460464651_728256.html |title=Los últimos del español |trans-title=The last of the Spanish |first=José Manuel Abad |last=Liñán |newspaper=El País |date=May 9, 2016 |via=elpais.com |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/june98/05_37_013.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991009202835/http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/june98/05_37_013.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 9, 1999 |title=PHILIPPINES: Torn Between Two Colonisers -- Spain and America |date=October 9, 1999}}</ref>

The language has seen a gradual revival, however, due to official promotion under the administration of former President [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/ra_12/RA09187.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604061454/http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/ra_12/RA09187.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-06-04 |title=Republic Act No.9187 |website=congress.gov.ph}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ulap.gov.ph/reso2006-28.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902192237/http://www.ulap.gov.ph/reso2006-28.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 2, 2007 |title=Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines Website |date=September 2, 2007}}</ref> Schools were encouraged to offer Spanish, French, and Japanese as foreign language electives.<ref>{{Cite web |title=June 4, 2009 DO 55, s. 2009 – Guidelines On Offering Foreign Languages Like Spanish, French, And Nihongo (Japanese) As Elective Subjects in the Third and Fourth Year Levels of High School {{!}} Department of Education |url=https://www.deped.gov.ph/2009/06/04/do-55-s-2009-guidelines-on-offering-foreign-languages-like-spanish-french-and-nihongo-japanese-as-elective-subjects-in-the-third-and-fourth-year-levels-of-high-school/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-12 |language=en-US}}</ref> Results were immediate as the job demand for Spanish speakers had increased since 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20081119-173154/Demand-for-Spanish-speakers-growing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905182822/http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20081119-173154/Demand-for-Spanish-speakers-growing |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-09-05 |title=Demand for Spanish speakers growing - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos |website=www.webcitation.org}}</ref> As of 2010, the [[Instituto Cervantes]] in Manila reported the number of Spanish-speakers in the country with native or non-native knowledge at approximately 3 million, the figure albeit including those who speak the Spanish-based creole [[Chavacano Language|Chavacano]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.elcastellano.org/noticia.php?id=505 |title=El Castellano: Noticias - el retorno triunfal del español a las Filipinas |access-date=2018-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629084919/http://www.elcastellano.org/noticia.php?id=505 |archive-date=2010-06-29 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Complementing government efforts is a notable surge of exposure through the [[Mass media in the Philippines|mainstream media]] and, more recently, [[Music streaming|music-streaming]] services.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20071206-105314/Spanish_on_comeback_trail_in_Philippines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619103528/http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20071206-105314/Spanish_on_comeback_trail_in_Philippines |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-06-19 |title=Spanish on comeback trail in Philippines - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos |website=www.webcitation.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/rielcano_en/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/elcano/elcano_in/zonas_in/spanish+language+culture/ari27-2009 |title=Inicio}}</ref>

==== Western Armenian ====
{{Main|Armenian language}}

The [[Western Armenian]] language, has been classified as a [[endangered language|definitely endangered language]] in the ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]'' (2010),<ref>{{Cite book| edition = 3rd ed. entirely revised, enlarged and updated.| isbn = 978-92-3-104095-5| publisher =  UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage Section| last1 = Moseley| first1 = Christopher| last2 = Nicolas| first2 = Alexandre| title = Atlas of the world's languages in danger / editor-in-Chief, Christopher Moseley ; cartographer, Alexandre Nicolas.| location = Paris| series = Memory of peoples series| date = 2010 |url= https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000187026}}</ref> as most speakers of the dialect remain in diasporic communities away from their homeland in Anatolia, following the [[Armenian genocide]]. In spite of this, there have been various efforts<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ohanesian |first=Liz |date=2023-04-20 |title=Western Armenian Is An Endangered Language. A New Generation In LA Is Learning It |url=https://laist.com/news/western-armenian-is-an-endangered-language-a-new-generation-in-la-is-learning-it |access-date=2023-05-29 |website=LAist |language=en}}</ref> to revitalize the language, especially within the [[Armenians in Los Angeles|Los Angeles community]] where the majority of Western Armenians reside.

Within her dissertation, Shushan Karapetian discusses at length the decline of the Armenian language in the United States, and new means for keeping and reviving Western Armenian, such as the creation of the Saroyan Committee or the Armenian Language Preservation Committee, launched in 2013.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Karapetian |first=Shushan |date=2014 |title="How Do I Teach My Kids My Broken Armenian?": A Study of Eastern Armenian Heritage Language Speakers in Los Angeles |url=https://escholarship.org/content/qt7jq085nr/qt7jq085nr.pdf?t=nk2emk |journal=Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, University of California}}</ref> Other attempts at language revitalization can be seen within the [[University of California, Irvine|University of California in Irvine]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-03 |title=Keeping a language alive |url=https://news.uci.edu/2018/12/03/keeping-a-language-alive/ |access-date=2023-05-29 |website=UCI News |language=en-US}}</ref> Armenian is also one of the languages Los Angeles County is required to provide voting information in.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Multilingual Services Program |url=https://www.lavote.gov/home/voting-elections/voter-education/multilingual-services-program/multilingual-services-program |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=www.lavote.gov}}</ref> The DPSS (California Department of Social Services) also identifies Armenian as one of its "threshold languages".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language Access Services |url=https://my.dpss.lacounty.gov/public/en/home/epolicy/office-operations/civil-rights/lang-services.html |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=my.dpss.lacounty.gov}}</ref>

==== Other Asian ====
In Thailand, there exists a [[Chong language]] revitalization project, headed by Suwilai Premsrirat.<ref name=Suwilai>{{cite web |last1=Premsrirat |first1=Suwilai |title=Chong Language Revitalization Project |url=http://www.mekongwatch.org/PDF/Suwilai_Part1.pdf |website=Mekong Watch |publisher=Mahidol University |access-date=22 June 2019}}</ref>