User:Rgoel1/Language selection

Introduction

Three Potential Languages

1. Walon / Walloon
2. Balti
3. Ingush

Walon / Walloon

Morphological Typology

Predominantly fusional, borrowing from Germanic languages. Inflectional endings that combine grammatical category. Uses suffixes and no gender difference in definite articles/possessives.

Basic Information

• Speakers: 600,000 individuals with some knowledge, ~300,000 active speakers.
• Geography: Predominantly spoken in Wallonia, Ardennes (located in southern Belgium). Small population in Door County, Wisconsin, as well.
• Related Languages: Belongs to the "langues d'oïl" family of languages.
• Status of Transmission: Classified as "definitely endangered" by UNESCO. Decreased generational transmission with the dominance of French and predominantly spoken by individuals over the age of 65. Efforts being made by theatre companies to keep it alive.
• Orthography: Common orthography, Rifondou walon, established in the 1990s. Diasystemic.
• ISO Codes: 639-1 (wa), 639-2 (wln), 639-3 (wln).

Resource Estimation

Should be relatively easy to find; grammar, theatre excerpts, and numerous contemporary comic translations available.

Sources

• Omniglot, Walloon
• Wikipedia, Walloon language
• Ethnologue, wln

Balti

Morphological Typology

Analytic/agglutinative. Limited inflectional morphology. Old Tibetan morphological features.

Basic Information

• Speakers: ~300,000-400,000 native speakers.
• Geography: Spoken predominantly in Baltistan (Pakistan) and Kargil district (Kashmir).
• Related Languages: Sino-Tibetan family; Ladakhi, Purik.
• Status of Transmission: Taught as first language within traditional communities, not taught in schools.
• Orthography: Originally in Tibetan script but replaced by Perso-Arabic form (more common) Modified letters introduced for Balti sounds.
• ISO Codes: 639-3 (bf).

Resource Estimation

Limited but available; older religious literature, dictionaries, stories, etc.

Sources

• Omniglot, Balti
• Wikipedia, Balti language
• Ethnologue, bft

Ingush

Morphological Typology

Eight forms: absolutive, ergative, genitive, dative, allative, instrumental, lative and comparative. Uses suffixation for tense. Agglutinative.

Basic Information

• Speakers: ~350,000-400,000 speakers.
• Geography: Speakers mostly reside in Ingushetia and another parts of Russia.
• Related Languages: Chechen.
• Status of Transmission: Vulnerable status. Not taught in schools but used actively.
• Orthography: Cyrillic, historically Arabic and Latin.
• ISO Codes: 639‑2 (inh), 639‑3 (inh).

Resource Estimation

Dictionaries, grammar, and other material available (religious texts, media, etc.).

Sources

• Ingush, Walloon
• Wikipedia, Ingush language
• Ethnologue, inh,,,