Yurok Tribe seeing success with language revitalization effort

Thursday, February 7, 2013  

The Yurok Tribe of California is seeing success with its language revitalization efforts.

In the 1990s, only six elders could speak the language fluently. Yurok is now offered in five public schools and the classes are leading to a new generation of speakers.

"The schools had a big negative impact on us. It's how we lost our language," language staff members James Gensaw, 31, told The Los Angeles Times. "Now the schools are helping us to keep it alive."

At last count, there were more than 300 basic Yurok speakers, 60 with intermediate skills, 37 who are advanced and 17 who are conversationally fluent, the Times reported.

Get the Story:
Revival of nearly extinct Yurok language is a success story (The Los Angeles Times 2/7)

High school in California looking to offer Yurok language class (5/17)