Saving Languages

Every day, fifth-grader Kenuel Latham learns math, science, and reading. But during music class, Kenuel does something unusual. He and his class sing in a language most people don’t know. It’s called Yup’ik, and it’s an indigenous language of Alaska. That means it originates from that particular place. It’s also one of 20 Native Alaskan languages in danger of being lost.

Languages like Mandarin and English are widely spoken around the world. But indigenous languages are spoken by smaller communities in a specific region. Some languages have only a handful of living speakers.

Every day, fifth-grader Kenuel Latham learns math, science, and reading. But during music class, Kenuel does something unusual. He and his class sing in a language most people don’t know. It’s called Yup’ik. That’s a language from Alaska. It’s one of 20 Native Alaskan languages in danger of being lost.

Languages like Mandarin and English are widely spoken around the world. But languages like Yup’ik are spoken by smaller communities in a specific region. Some languages have only a handful of living speakers.

One of the ways to keep these languages alive is to teach them. That’s why Kenuel learns Yup’ik at his school. But there are more endangered languages around the world. A project called Wikitongues wants to help. 

Daniel Udell is the co-founder of Wikitongues. “I became curious about being able to hear someone speak and learn about their culture,” Udell says. But he couldn’t find many videos of native speakers. 

One of the ways to keep these languages alive is to teach them. That’s why Kenuel learns Yup’ik at his school. But there are more endangered languages around the world. A project called Wikitongues wants to help. 

Daniel Udell is the co-founder of Wikitongues. “I became curious about being able to hear someone speak and learn about their culture,” Udell says. But he couldn’t find many videos of native speakers.