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Re: Klingons

From:Ed Heil <edheil@...>
Date:Wednesday, July 28, 1999, 2:31
As I said, one can assume the statistics are made up.

The Onion probably picked on Navajo because it was fairly easy to get
information about to weave into the story; ironically, the reason this
is so is because it's not nearly so endangered as many languages.

Heck, my stepfather speaks fluent Navajo...

Ed Heil ------------------------------- edheil@postmark.net

John Cowan wrote:

> 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 >