Keeping languages alive: A different kind of conservation (fwd link)

[Phillip E Cash Cash]

Keeping languages alive: A different kind of conservation

How Arizona State University's Center for Indian Education is working with
Southwest tribes to document and revitalize the language and culture of
indigenous people.

Fri, Apr 06 2012 at 3:44 PM EST
By Pete Zrioka, Arizona State University
USA

Languages have a history of being lost in the United States. Through the
process of cultural assimilation, many immigrants settle here and lose
linguistic ties to their home countries in a few generations.

Historically, this was a commonplace, even deliberate process for many
European settlers. It is a fundamentally different matter, however, when
Native Americans begin to lose their languages. This is their place of
origin, the stronghold of cultural and linguistic identity. When a language
ceases to be spoken in its homeland, it is at risk of vanishing forever.

To prevent that from happening, Arizona State University’s Center for
Indian Education (CIE) is working with Southwest tribes to document and
revitalize the languages of indigenous people. One partnership is with the
Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, who reside along the Colorado River, straddling
the tri-state area of Needles, Calif., Mohave Valley, Ariz., and Laughlin,
Nev.

Access full article below:
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/keeping-languages-alive-a-different-kind-of-conservation
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