American Indian languages dying

Published: July 27, 2008 at 8:46 PM

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."

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Scandal-ridden Spitzer gives ethics talk (17 min)
No short-term yuan appreciation seen (57 min)
NHL: Montreal 4, Phoenix 2 (59 min)
Distracted man drives Bugatti into lagoon
COL FB: Rutgers 31, South Florida 0
Tagliabue to head a study of USOC
NFL: San Francisco 10, Chicago 6
fark
Fired is what you get for thinking with the little Florida, and not listening to the big Florida....
Drew's list of 'seasonal' stories is woefully incomplete without "annual turkey baster search"
Experts wonder if the upswing in retail theft may be connected to the unemployment rate. What the...
MPAA shuts down an entire town's wi-fi because one person illegally downloaded a movie. Take that,...
Verizon has found a way to charge you for accidental keystrokes
Coming to a hipster douche near you: 1890s fashion. 'Cause nothing says "manly" like knee socks,...