American Indian languages dying

UALAPAI MOUNTAIN PARK, Ariz., July 27 (UPI) -- A decreasing number of American Indians can speak or understand their ancestral Indian language, experts say.

The Arizona Republic reported Sunday that tribal leaders are offering special immersion courses to teach American Indian children their traditional tongue.

Loretta Jackson-Kelly, historic preservation officer for the Hualapai Tribe, says there is hope a tribal camp southeast of Kingman, Ariz., the tribe's Pai language will survive.

"A lot of people don't realize the implications," she said. "Language loss means you lose your identity."

The Indigenous Language Institute says only 20 of the 175 surviving American Indian dialects are expected to survive through 2050.

"It's clear that the languages are disappearing," said Leanne Hinton, professor emeritus in the linguistics department at the University of California at Berkeley. "It's also clear that, over the last 10 or 20 years, there's a very strong effort to keep them alive or regain them."