Linguists believe most of the approximately 40 Native languages spoke in the Midwest will die out within the next few decades.
'Unfortunately, I think it's going to be very difficult for native Midwestern languages such as Ojibwe and Potawatomi to survive beyond the next 20 or 30 years," Anthony Aristar, a Wayne State University linguist, told The Boston Globe.
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan offers classes in Ojibwe at its college. Instructor George Roy calls teaching the language "a battle to hold onto our own cultural identity."
According to the National Endowment for the Humanities, of the 400 languages with 100 or fewer fluent speakers, 74 of them are Native languages.
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As tribal speakers dwindle, a rush to teach their words
(The Boston Globe 5/31)
Uphill battle to keep Native languages alive
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
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