Re: Klingons

Tom Wier scripsit:

> <sigh> Unfortunately, this should be of no particular suprise to
> anyone here.  There are *tons* of languages which have just a
> handful of speakers left (as any cursory reading of the ethnologue
> will show), and so the sad fact is that the Onion, in this case, has
> some serious content to it. ;)
No it doesn't.  Here's what the Ethnologue says:

# 148,530 speakers including 7,616 monolinguals (1990 census) out
# of 219,198 ethnic Navaho (1990 USA Census Bureau). Northeastern
# Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, southeastern Utah, and a few in
# Colorado. Na-Dene, Nuclear Na-Dene, Athapaskan-Eyak, Athapaskan,
# Apachean, Navajo-Apache, Western Apache-Navajo. Language use is
# vigorous. The people prefer the name 'Dine'. Bible 1985. NT 1956-1959.
# Bible portions 1910-1994.

I find it hard to believe that 150,000 speakers have shrunk to a
thousand or less in a mere ten years.  It sounds to me like the
number of speakers has gotten mixed up with the population figures.

http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/stabilize/ii-policy/hypotheses.htm
(which is dated 1996) says that 18% of Navajo kindergarteners are
monolingual in Navajo and 28% are bilingual. This is down from 20
years ago, where 95% had Navajo and most were monolingual, but
hardly incipient language death just yet.

--
John Cowan                                   cowan@ccil.org
       I am a member of a civilization. --David Brin