The Tlingit language ( /ˈklɪŋkɪt/; Tlingit: Lingít ) is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada. It is a branch of the Na-Dené language family. Extensive effort is being put into revitalization programs in Southeast Alaska to revive and preserve the Tlingit language and its culture.
Russian Orthodox missionaries were the first to develop a written version of Tlingit, using the Cyrillic script to record and translate it, when the Russian Empire had contact with Alaska and the coast of North America down to Sonoma County, California. Later, American missionaries developed a written version of the language in the Latin alphabet.
Read more about Tlingit Language: History, Classification, Geographic Distribution, Dialects, Phonology, Writing System, Grammar
Famous quotes containing the word language:
“Language is an archeological vehicle ... the language we speak is a whole palimpsest of human effort and history.”
—Russell Hoban (b. 1925)