Äynu language
| Äynu | |
|---|---|
| ئەينۇ, Äynú | |
Äynu in Uyghur script. | |
| Pronunciation | Ainu pronunciation: [[ɛjˈnu]] |
| Native to | China |
| Region | Xinjiang |
| Ethnicity | Äynu |
Native speakers | 12,000 (2017) |
| Arabic script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aib |
| Glottolog | ainu1251 |
| ELP | Ainu (China) |
Map showing locations of Äynu (red) within Xinjiang | |
Äynu (also known as Abdal) is a Turkic cryptolect spoken in Western China. It is spoken by the Äynu, a nomadic people, who use it to keep their communications secret from outsiders.
The grammar of Äynu is mostly Turkic, essentially Uyghur, while its vocabulary is mainly derived from Persian and other Iranian languages. Some linguists call it a mixed language, but other linguists argue that it does not meet the technical requirements of a mixed language.