Sarikoli is an Indo-European Pamir language spoken in China and Pakistan. Although Sarikoli is generally referred to as “Tajik,” it is only distantly related to Tajik as spoken in Tajikistan, and contains very different words and grammar. Most Sarikoli speakers reside in China, and they typically use the Chinese or Uyghur languages for general intra-ethnic or more formal communication. There is also a small community of Sarikoli speakers in Pakistan near the Chinese border. Sarikoli is used as the main language by adults for communication amongst friends and family, but Sarikoli children attend school in the Uyghur or Chinese languages, and Sarikoli is not taught in school. Most communication between children is conducted in Chinese and Uyghur.