The future of America's endangered languages

Almost 90 percent of Native American languages could go extinct by 2050. Is there any hope?

Members of the Navajo Code Talkers Association
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

First came Star Wars in 2013. Then came Finding Nemo in 2014. Two box office successes, both having hit theaters years earlier, suddenly became subjects of media buzz all over again. Star Wars had a big premiere at a national festival, while Finding Nemo ended up back in the pages of The Wall Street Journal and Time.

Nothing had changed in the plot, the characters, or the images on screen. What was different was the language — in this case, the movies had been dubbed into Navajo by voice actors from around the Southwest. The brainchild of Manuelito Wheeler, who directs the Navajo Nation Museum in Arizona, the films did something that classroom lessons couldn't: They brought one of America's oldest languages into conversation with some of America's most popular films.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Matt Hansen has written and edited for a series of online magazines, newspapers, and major marketing campaigns. He is currently active in press freedom and safety research with Global Journalist Security.