Learning a Native American language

Xiaomanyc 小马在纽约, 5/6/21; Xochitl, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

White guy shocks locals when he speaks rare Native American language

I’ve always wanted to learn a Native American language, but it’s been extremely difficult to find anyone from whom to learn one as most indigenous American languages are considered critically endangered or already extinct.

So a couple months ago I was extremely excited to be in touch with someone who could teach me Navajo, the original language of the Dineh people who live mostly in the Navajo Nation (reservation) located in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Less than 200,000 people speak Navajo in the entire world. It is hands down the hardest language I’ve ever studied, with extremely challenging pronunciation and one of the most complex grammatical systems of any extant language.

It’s so complex that it was used by US military code talkers as the basis for a secret communication system during World War II. But even though many young people no longer speak it, the older generation often still does.

So after a month of studying the language, we flew out to New Mexico to find locals to practice with. Thanks to Raycon for sponsoring this video. Go to buyraycon.com/xiaomanyc for 15% off orders. Brought to you by Raycon. I’ll be donating 100% of the sponsorship profits to NavajoStrong, a nonprofit that supports the Navajo community. To find out more about or donate to NavajoStrong, go to: navajostrong.org.

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