A language is a system of arbitary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures or written symbols which communicate thoughts or feelings.
Human spoken and written languages can be described as a system of symbols (sometimes known as lexemes) and the grammars (rules) by which the symbols are manipulated. The word "language" is also used to refer to common properties of languages.
Language learning is normal in human childhood. Most human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for symbols which enable communication with others around them. There are thousands of human languages, and these seem to share certain properties, even though many shared properties have exceptions.
More on [ Language ]
Languages of the Americas :: Natural
Issues and Activism :: Native Americans
Preservation :: Language

Endangered Languages: Revival and Revitalization - Essay on the struggle to save dying American Indian languages.
Meta Description: [ Article about the endangered languages of the Americas and the linguistic revival and revitalization of those languages. ]
First People's Language Resources - Extensive list of sites regarding teaching, study and preservation of indigenous North American tongues.
500
First Peoples Languages - Compilation of audio samples, mailing lists, fonts and software, and resources for native Canadian languages.
Indian Languages of Western Oregon - Fact sheets on the geographic regions for several Athapaskan, Penutian, Salishan, and Hokan languages
Indigenous People's Languages - Essay and links on American Indian and other indigenous languages.
Meta Description: [ This system is dedicated to the indigenous peoples of the world and to the enrichment it can bring to all people. ]
404
Intertribal.net - Software and multimedia technology to support language recovery worldwide. Vocabulary and syllabary demo downloads. General native interest links.
Meta Description: [ InterTRIBAL.net is a service of Profit Systems Software to support tribal language and cultural recovery efforts worldwide. ]
Language Geek - Fonts, keyboard mapping, and other orthographical aids for Native North American languages.
Linguistic ‘Silent Spring’ On Tap - Article about language loss and revival among the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes.
Linguistic Classification of American Indians - Alphabetical list of tribes and languages and four systems of classification.
Meta Description: [ Linguistic classification of american indians ]
Linguistic Families of the Native Languages - Article on Canadian Indian language families from the Quebec History Encyclopedia.
Native American Culture: Languages - List of links to sources of information about many American Indian languages.
Meta Description: [ Native American languages - a list of links to sources of information about, and places to learn, many American Indian, languages. ]
404
Native American Fonts - Index of links to fonts for various Amerindian languages, both those that use modified English alphabet and those with different writing systems.
Native American Language Programs - Audiotapes and workbook for Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Kiowa, Sioux, Cheyenne, Diné, Apache, Muskogee/Creek, Mohawk, Lenape/Delaware, Ojibwe, and Passamaquoddy. Secure ordering, links.
Meta Description: [ Native American language lessons & dictionaries that have been developed in conjunction with tribal language retention committees and/or have the endorsement and approval of that nation. ]
Native Language Web Sites - Links to resources for many different indigenous languages.
Native Languages - Frequently updated list of American Indian linguistic resources.
Native Languages : Speakers of the Earth - Language learning programs in Cherokee, Choctaw, Lakota Sioux, Navajo, Mohawk, Apache, Kiowa, and other Native American languages. Also cultural and shopping resources.
Meta Description: [ We offer language learning programs in Cherokee, Choctaw, Lakota Sioux, Navajo, Mohawk, Apache, Kiowa, and many other native american languages. ]
Native Village Language Library - American Indian language resources.
Salish and Neighboring Languages - Conference reports on Salish and other languages. Some links given.
404
SSILA Native Languages Page - List of links to sites featuring the indigenous languages of the Americas.
Teaching Indigenous Languages - Articles on teaching, revitalizing, and stabilizing indigenous languages, indigenous language policy, dropout prevention and teacher training.
Meta Description: [ Information on teaching and revitalizing
indigenous languages ]
The Peopling of the Americas - Article on the synthesis of linguistic and genetic data with particular reference to Joseph Greenberg's Amerind theory.
TRAILS - Software packages for archiving and teaching indigenous languages.
| Sen. Barack Obama on learning foreign languages | |
| Next Video | |