"Awa'ahdahaanda'laxsa'a'ch'i" in Eyak means "Thank you for coming here." Eyak does not have to die with Marie Smith Jones. There is so much participation in Alaska, France, and elsewhere in the world. What makes a language extinct or endangered, is that it loses its currency in the marketplace. There is strong participation coming out of Anchorage, but in order for languages like Eyak to stay vibrant, it needs to be used in retail stores and bank transactions.
@orionasmb Even if the UN cared the power remains in the hands of the people to save their language.The UN can't make people learn a language and use it.Languages die because the population dies off or because people stop caring and decide to use another language because it gives them more advantages in the world.
@papillonaquatique Almost correct. Languages die because it ceases to be passed down to children for a variety of reasons, usually societal pressures not because they "stop caring" or that another language gives more advantages (after all, being bilingual is more advantageous than being monolingual).
@kmj2000 There are tribes that refuse to pass on their language because they believe theirs is no longer as good as another. That in my opinion is to stop caring. Also in certain areas of the world speaking in a lesser known language will get you and your people viewed upon as outcasts so being bilingual is not necessarily a good thing.
The participants of the Symposium on Linguistic Rights, United Nations, Geneva, 24-04-2008 (3xw)linguistic-rights(a dot)org will remember her and the Eyak people...
Thanks for posting this. Her death is very sad, for her language is now officially extinct. I hope and pray that Eyak families will teach their children the language that it might be revived once again.
"Awa'ahdahaanda'laxsa'a'ch'i" in Eyak means "Thank you for coming here." Eyak does not have to die with Marie Smith Jones. There is so much participation in Alaska, France, and elsewhere in the world. What makes a language extinct or endangered, is that it loses its currency in the marketplace. There is strong participation coming out of Anchorage, but in order for languages like Eyak to stay vibrant, it needs to be used in retail stores and bank transactions.
uphamtimothy 1 month ago
Is there any site where I can find this language(dictionary)??
BabyJane4444 1 year ago
@BabyJane4444
alaskabliss 1 year ago
shame that she died...
I hope this becomes a lesson to the UN to help save more languages in the future, as one language dies every ten days
RIP
orionasmb 3 years ago 2
@orionasmb Even if the UN cared the power remains in the hands of the people to save their language.The UN can't make people learn a language and use it.Languages die because the population dies off or because people stop caring and decide to use another language because it gives them more advantages in the world.
papillonaquatique 2 years ago
@papillonaquatique Almost correct. Languages die because it ceases to be passed down to children for a variety of reasons, usually societal pressures not because they "stop caring" or that another language gives more advantages (after all, being bilingual is more advantageous than being monolingual).
kmj2000 1 year ago
@kmj2000 There are tribes that refuse to pass on their language because they believe theirs is no longer as good as another. That in my opinion is to stop caring. Also in certain areas of the world speaking in a lesser known language will get you and your people viewed upon as outcasts so being bilingual is not necessarily a good thing.
papillonaquatique 1 year ago
R.i.p
Gtroopers 3 years ago 2
Chief Marie Smith Jones peace be with you and your people
alfonsodonate 3 years ago 3
The participants of the Symposium on Linguistic Rights, United Nations, Geneva, 24-04-2008 (3xw)linguistic-rights(a dot)org will remember her and the Eyak people...
EsperantoTv 3 years ago 5
beautiful, beautiful
anomalousnyc 4 years ago 5
Live on. Pride.
heyshersher 4 years ago 3
Thanks for posting this. Her death is very sad, for her language is now officially extinct. I hope and pray that Eyak families will teach their children the language that it might be revived once again.
Scott70401 4 years ago 4
Ha muerto una lengua, es una pena. Hay que conservar las lenguas del mundo.
Kabrales 4 years ago 2