Documenting Eynu: A Case Study of Language Contact

Eynu is an alleged threatened contact language of Uyghur [Turkic; China] and Iranian languages, spoken in scattered enclaves in southwestern Xinjiang, China. We conducted fieldwork on the language in 2018 and provided a most up-to-date documentation of the language. Based on the data collected, we claim that Eynu is best classified as a Turkic language, since the majority of its grammar patterns with Uyghur. However, certain phonological and morphological features attest to language contact, notably with Persian languages. In addition, diachronic analysis with the help of previous data attest to an ongoing process of lexical replacement and language attrition.