The number of native speakers is quite reduced among the younger generations, yet the people of the older generation speak the Khanty language well. Poor language proficiency among the younger generations is due to several factors. First of all, most children receive their education in boarding schools, and therefore do not see their family for a significant part of the year, having no contact with the older relatives they could speak Khanty with. Another factor is the disappearance of traditional occupations leading to people moving to multinational villages and cities, where it becomes more difficult to preserve their native language. Secondly, there are internal changes in the language itself as it needs to be adapted to modern realities. Still, preservation and development are not impossible, as any language can successfully express both the traditional culture and the newly emerged areas of life.

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