Vulnerable Languages
Vulnerable Languages Project
Every three months,
another language goes extinct
1,500 languages could disappear by the end of the century

Left: Gamsutle, an abandoned village in the Dagestan mountains. Photo: soas.ac.uk. Right: Kaleb Schmidt, Chittu (A Sparrow, Lak), woodcut from a wooden uchantan.

About the Project
A culture forgotten and shoved in the back of the closet. A girl who spotted its power.
Vulnerable Languages began as a school project. I didn't know much about the Lak language or people, but I knew that my culture was in danger of dying out. I decided to do something about it, and worked together with my grandfather to create a readily available resource where the Lak language could be preserved and learned by anyone. This website is the next stage of my passion project, aiming at creating a community of those who care about preserving vulnerable languages and cultures.
Endangered language of ancient symbols - very few can read it today.
Kaleb Schmidt, Sacred Hunt
Print from the artist's ancestral home façade in Kara, a Lak village in Dagestan.
Project Team
  • Eva Medyarova
    Project Leader
    Eva is a high school student who was born and raised in Thailand. She is Lak, but she has never met most of her relatives or been to Dagestan. She wants to better connect to her culture by learning and preserving the endangered Lak language.
  • Makhmud Kurbanov aka Grandpa
    Lak Language Expert Speaker
    Makhmud was born in Kuli, a Lak village in the mountains of Dagestan. He grew up speaking Lak, and learnt Russian as a second language. A geologist by profession, he discovered many mineral ores in the North Caucasus Mountains.
Let's Create a Community
If you'd like to join our community and contribute to preserving vulnerable and endangered languages, send email to evaericavazif@gmail.com or connect on Social Media.
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