Abstract

This paper investigates the dynamics that Uyghur diaspora communities utilise to maintain their mother tongue alive in Europe and Turkiye. In recent years, the Uyghur language in China has been restricted in education, public life, publications, and media. These restrictions have contributed to the classification of Uyghur as an endangered language (Reyhan 2021). Complex challenges of political and linguistic pressures from the external homeland and the opportunities for linguistic freedom in their host counties are leading many Uyghurs in the diaspora to actively want to keep their mother tongue survive as cultural resistance to the language policy in the homeland. Drawing on the findings from fieldnotes, interviews and observations gathered with Uyghur diaspora communities in Europe and Türkiye, this paper examines the strategies through which Uyghur diaspora work to keep their mother tongue alive, and explores how the preservation of the Uyghur language across borders within Uyghur diaspora communities generates benefits for cultural identity, community well-being, the safeguarding of unique knowledge systems, and the advancement of human rights. By examining the interplay between linguistic continuity and transnational belonging, this study argues that mother tongue preservation is not merely a cultural practice but a critical mechanism for sustaining resilience and empowerment among Uyghur diaspora populations. This study contributes to scholarship on how diaspora communities confront challenges of sustaining their native languages amidst political and linguistic crisis in their homeland.

Reference:

Reyhan, Dil.2021. ‘Uyghur: from a lingua franca to an endangered language’. In Inalco. No.10, 2021.