Chickasaw Nation: The Fight to Save a Dying Native American Language (fwd link)

[Phil Cash Cash]

Chickasaw Nation: The Fight to Save a Dying Native American Language

   - [image: Mary-Ann
Russon]<http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/reporters/mary-ann-russon>
   - By Mary-Ann Russon <http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/reporters/mary-ann-russon>

   May 8, 2014 11:06 GMT




A 50,000 year-old indigenous Native American tribe that has weathered the
conquistadors, numerous wars with the Europeans, the American Revolution
and the Civil War is now fighting to preserve its language and culture by
embracing modern technology.

There are 6,000 languages spoken in the world but linguists fear that 50%
of them will become extinct within the next century. In the US, 175 Native
American languages are spoken, but fewer than 20 are expected to survive
the next 100 years.

The language of the Chickasaws, known as "Chikashshanompa", is a
3,000-year-old living language that is categorised by Unesco as being
"severely endangered".

The last remaining monolingual speaker of this language, Emily Johnson
Dickerson, 93, died in December. Now the tribe is scrambling to make sure
that its language does not become lost.

Access full article below:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chickasaw-nation-fight-save-dying-native-american-language-1447670
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ilat/attachments/20140508/71e5ffc6/attachment.htm>