Alaska Native languages

Language preservation

Alaska Native languages are being recorded and transcribed today in the hopes of having them revitalized through the use of these published dictionaries and grammar books. The languages are being recorded in their native tongue as speakers tell stories that are then written in both English and that language's alphabet. These alphabets are relatively new to the languages since they did not typically have a written version of the language before the influence of non-Native Alaskans.

About 20 native languages are being worked with by the Alaska Native Language Center (ANLC). In current time, the languages are being re-taught to the villagers through classes that are of help in the villages around Alaska and Canada. At the same time, people who are interested in Alaska Native languages can also learn through university campus classes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. These languages are not limited solely to Alaska since their speakers were among northern North America before state and country borders were established. One of these Athabaskan languages is documented to be found in Southeast Alaska, along the interior and eastern border of Alaska, into Northern Canada, and then on into western Greenland.

In 2014, legislation passed in the state of Alaska to revise the official state language that formerly only included English. This law, effective as of 2015, recognizes Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Unangax, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian as official state languages. However, this does not require the government to print documents or record other government actions in these languages. Additional legislation in relation to the preservation of Alaska's native languages is the House Concurrent Resolution 19 that recognizes the current status of native languages as a "linguistic emergency." While controversy over the use of "emergency" arose, the bill was eventually passed.

Intersection of language and culture

Many Alaska Native languages are characterized within high context cultures. This means that the deliverance of messages is as much through nonverbal cues such as body language, silence, and eye contact. As a result, communication within Alaskan Native languages is not parallel to communication in the majority spoken English. This miscommunication lies in the use of context, as English within the Euro-American culture is considered to be low context, thus dependent on explicit deliverance of a message rather than contextually. A study on bilingual speakers in college settings notes the complications of Alaska Native speakers in predominantly English taught settings as a lack of understanding this cultural context. For instance, many Alaska Native languages determine silence to be a sign of respect and a demonstration that one is listening. However, in the Euro-American context, silence may be seen as a lack of understanding or lack of engagement.

Practice of Alaska Native languages often follows a didactic pattern, using stories and anecdotes to teach morals and lessons. For example, Tlingit culture follows this anecdotal pattern which emphasizes the role of the speaker and the listener. This is indicative of the importance of oral tradition in Tlingit culture, where information is passed down from elders to young learners.

List of Alaska Native languages

• Inuit-Yupik-Unangan (Eskimo-Aleut)
  • Unangan (Aleut)
  • Alutiiq (Sugpiaq)
  • Central Alaskan Yup'ik (with Cup'ik and Cup'ig)
  • St. Lawrence Island Yupik
  • Inupiaq
• Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit (Na-Dene)
  • Tlingit
  • Eyak
  • Athabaskan
    • Ahtna
    • Denaʼina
    • Deg Xinag
    • Holikachuk
    • Upper Kuskokwim
    • Koyukon
    • Lower Tanana
    • Tanacross
    • Upper Tanana
    • Gwich'in
    • Hän
• Haida
• Tsimshian

Demographics

• Information in this table was retrieved from the Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council.