American Indian Languages

The languages of the American Indians are great assets to the people of the nation. To me personally they represent an ethereal piece of the culture and lives of the American Indians. They are also, like all languages, invaluable tools to be used by the people of America. For example, code talkers in World War II used the Navajo language of the Southwestern tribes to send unbreakable coded messages over the radio.

It is estimated that of the Earth's 6000 languages nearly half of them are moribund, or about the die, stagnant. This is to say that the only speakers of these languages are adults that do not pass them down to the next generation. It is estimated that in the next half-century most of these languages will have died, leaving 600. A tiny 10%.

In America alone we're seeing this decline of languages. All of the 50 languages in California have earned the status moribund, most Native American youth are learning English primarily and not learning much, if any, of their ancestral languages. This is something that needs to be fixed. Language is not only an invaluable tool, but it is an inheritance from your ancestors, an inheritance you can pass onto your own children. Language is a facet of the culture and customs of the people that speak it. The languages of the Native Americans cannot be left to die, we must move to save as much as we can. In doing so we will breed a whole new generation of proud America Indian descendants that will be productive members of an American society and proud and wholesome members of their own tribal societies.

Endangered Languages
Navajo Language
Perspectives on a Native American Language Family