Peculiarities of the Tatar language in China and the threat of its extinction

language contact constitutes a significant external factor influencing language evolution. While linguistic interactions are typically bidirectional, minority languages are more susceptible to interference from dominant languages, resulting in variations across phonological, lexical, and grammatical dimensions. The Tatar ethnic group in China, recognized as one of the nation's smallest minority populations, has maintained close historical ties with the Han, Uyghur, and Kazakh communities. Over time, their language has assimilated substantial linguistic elements from these neighboring groups, evolving into a distinct hybrid form of Tatar language. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Tatar language faced critical endangerment, though recent decades have witnessed a gradual mitigation of its endangered status. Interethnic marriage has emerged as both a primary catalyst for the hybrid characteristics of Tatar language and a crucial factor in its survival despite endangerment. Based on field research data, this study systematically examines the hybrid features of Tatar language across phonological, grammatical, lexical, and semantic dimensions, while analyzing the language's endangered status, its recent mitigation, and contributing factors through the lens of language usage patterns.

language contact, Chinese Tatar language, characteristics of mixed language, maintenance of endangered languages, reduction of endangered language status