The Alaska Native Language Center, established in 1972 in Fairbanks, Alaska, is a research center focusing on the research and documentation of the Native languages of Alaska. It publishes grammars, dictionaries, folklore collections and research materials, as well as hosting an extensive archive of written materials relating to Eskimo, North Athabaskan and related languages. The Center provides training, materials and consultation for educators, researchers and others working with Alaska Native languages. The closely affiliated Alaska Native Language Program offers degrees in Central Yup'ik and Inupiaq at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and works toward the documentation and preservation of these languages.
Language map
editIn 1974, Michael Krauss published a language map of Alaska, which he later updated in 1982. It has remained the standard since then. In the summer of 2011, the Alaska Native Language Center made an update to Krauss's map.[1] One of the biggest reasons for this update was that some of the names of these languages had changed over the years. While there was not a dramatic change in the updated map, the new edition is entirely digital.[2]
Alaska Native languages
edit| Language | Population | Speakers | Percent Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahtna | 500 | 80 | %16.00 |
| Aleut | 2,200 | 300 | %13.64 |
| Alutiiq/Sugpiaq | 3,000 | 400 | %13.33 |
| Dena'ina | x | x | x |
| Deg Xinag | 275 | 40 | %14.55 |
| Eyak | 50 | 0 | %0.00 |
| Gwich'in | 1,100 | 300 | %27.27 |
| Haida | 600 | 15 | %2.50 |
| Hän | 50 | 12 | %24.00 |
| Holikachuk | 200 | 12 | %6.00 |
| Inupiat | 13,500 | 3,000 | %22.22 |
| Koyukon | 2,300 | 300 | %13.04 |
| Tanana | 380 | 30 | %7.89 |
| Tanacross | 220 | 65 | %29.55 |
| Tlingit | 10,000 | 500 | %5.00 |
| Tsimshian | 1,300 | 70 | %5.38 |
| Upper Kuskokwim | 160 | 40 | %25.00 |
| Upper Tanana | x | x | x |
| Yup'ik, Central Alaskan | 21,000 | 10,000 | %47.62 |
| Yupik, Siberian | 1,100 | 1,050 | %95.45 |
- Information in this table was retrieved from the Alaska Native Languages Center. [1]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Ben Anderson (2011-07-15). "Alaska's indigenous languages map gets updated, for first time in 30 years". Archived from the original on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ Gary Holton (2011). "Indigenous People and Languages of Alaska". Retrieved 2011-11-12.