NationStates Jolt Archive

Out of curiosity, how many people here, among those who live in a country with an Indigenous minority, speak an Indigenous language?

Apologies to those left out of the poll. Having only ten options (and needing to be concise in each) limits things.

There's probably dozens around here that are spoken by a few people - but hell no, I don't speak any Indian languages. :p I doubt I could even find a real Indian to talk to if I did.

I wish I did.

No, I don't speak any of the Sami languages, and since I don't live in Norrland, I have little need to.

I guess it does not count if you speak the language of an indigenous majority?

No, I don't speak any of the Sami languages, and since I don't live in Norrland, I have little need to.

*nods*

Sweden, Norway, Finland and that little part of north-western Russia are special cases in the sense that the Sami aren't found throughout the country. So it's quite understandable for someone in the south of Sweden not to speak a Sami language.

I think there's well over a hundred indigenousness languages in the US that are still spoken by someone. No need to know any of them, though. I've never encountered an Amerindian who didn't speak English and I've never heard of anything like that occurring in this country.

I think there's well over a hundred indigenousness languages in the US that are still spoken by someone. No need to know any of them, though. I've never encountered an Amerindian who didn't speak English and I've never heard of anything like that occurring in this country.

According to a site someone posted here recently, there's a couple U.S.-Indians who speak only their tribe's language - it's a miniscule number though, of course. :p

I guess it does not count if you speak the language of an indigenous majority?
Or if you DON'T speak the language of an indigenous majority. Case in point: Ireland. Or should it be indigenous language of the majority? :confused:

I think there's well over a hundred indigenousness languages in the US that are still spoken by someone. No need to know any of them, though. I've never encountered an Amerindian who didn't speak English and I've never heard of anything like that occurring in this country.

Have you never been curious about learning one of your country's native languages, though?

One of the reasons I'm interested is because I once met a white New Zealand woman who speaks Maori. When she was a kid her parents had thought it important for her to know the language of her country's Indigenous people.

But then, NZ has just one Indigenous language, unlike for example Australia, the US or Canada.

If I recall correctly it's possible for anyone to learn Maori at school in New Zealand. Is there anything similar to this in the US or anywhere else?

Have you never been curious about learning one of your country's native languages, though?

One of the reasons I'm interested is because I once met a white New Zealand woman who speaks Maori. When she was a kid her parents had thought it important for her to know the language of her country's Indigenous people.

But then, NZ has just one Indigenous language, unlike for example Australia, the US or Canada.

If I recall correctly it's possible for anyone to learn Maori at school in New Zealand. Is there anything similar to this in the US or anywhere else?

He's probably underestimating the number of indigenous languages in the U.S. by an order of magnitude when he says 100 - there's a ton, and which do you choose? There's also the lack of people to speak it with. Maybe if you're from a small town in Oklahoma or something bordering on Cherokee Nation, you'd have some fun with it, but there's basically no speakers of most of them.

Out of curiosity, how many people here, among those who live in a country with an Indigenous minority, speak an Indigenous language?


I guess I would qualify even though Tamil is spoken by more than 60 million Tamils in India. But we are a minority compared to 1 billion :p

I guess I would qualify even though Tamil is spoken by more than 60 million Tamils in India. But we are a minority compared to 1 billion :p

Hmmm... I suppose that would count, yes. ;)

If I recall correctly it's possible for anyone to learn Maori at school in New Zealand. Is there anything similar to this in the US or anywhere else?

Some schools do have classes that teach Native American languages. My school had one that taught Cherokee.

Some schools do have classes that teach Native American languages. My school had one that taught Cherokee.

Thanks. That's very interesting.

Did many non-Cherokee attend?

Thanks. That's very interesting.

You're welcome.

Did many non-Cherokee attend?

I never took the class, so I don't know. If I ever go back to school, though, I probably will.

I'm from Poland and speak polish. That should be good enough, shouldn't it?

I'm from Poland and speak polish. That should be good enough, shouldn't it?

Is it the indigenous language? Probably is, but there's a lot of gypsies/roma/tsiganes/whatever you call them in Poland that might claim to be the original people, even if they're nomadic. ;)

Is it the indigenous language?
All indigenous peoples that lived here are long* gone, they were driven out, assimilated or exterminated.
;)
*I mean, like 1000+ years. Except Old Prussians. They held until Teutonic Order killed them off around AD 1400 or so.

All indigenous peoples that lived here are long* gone, they were driven out, assimilated or exterminated.
;)
*I mean, like 1000+ years. Except Old Prussians. They held until Teutonic Order killed them off around AD 1400 or so.

Interesting. I guess I can see why Sienkiewicz and Reymont left that out of their novels. :p Although I remember there being a lot of gyspies bugging people in "Chłopi" so I guessed they might have been there since the beginning. ;)

I'm an Indigenous Lombard, living in Lombardy, and I can speak Milanese, that is a dialect of Insubrian (or West Lombardic), a romance language of the same family of Rumantsch, Castellano, Langue d'Hoc and Català.

Yes, in Lombardy, expecially in Milan, Lombards are a minority (<25%).

Btw, I also speak the language of other two italian minorities (the Südtiroler and the Walser), that is, German.

added: I forgot, I can also speak Latin.

I didn't vote, but I guess the indigenous language over here is not dutch (old dutch and its ancestors was imported to here when the Franks settled). I've got no clue what the indigenous language should be, probably something from a Celtic/Germanic Belgae tribe (Menapii or Tungri). So nowadays it's extinct.

Since not all indigenous people speak their language, I chose to vote that I am from Canada, and speak an indigenous language, rather than simply stating that I am indigenous.

If I recall correctly it's possible for anyone to learn Maori at school in New Zealand. Is there anything similar to this in the US or anywhere else?

There are various public school boards across Canada that offer indigenous languages somewhere within their district (to aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike). In Edmonton, for example, you can take Cree immersion. However, we also have Blackfoot and Nakoda-Sioux in the area, and yet these languages aren't taught.

What I do like is that in many cases, if you wish to take Native Studies, you are required to learn an indigenous language as part of the program.

No, I don't speak any of the Sami languages, and since I don't live in Norrland, I have little need to.

But isn't Swedish the native language of Sweden? At least the Southern parts of it?

Like English, it's the native language of England, or Castillian, Catalan, Gallego, etc are the native languages of Spain.

He's probably underestimating the number of indigenous languages in the U.S. by an order of magnitude when he says 100 - there's a ton, and which do you choose? There's also the lack of people to speak it with. Maybe if you're from a small town in Oklahoma or something bordering on Cherokee Nation, you'd have some fun with it, but there's basically no speakers of most of them.

Unless you're headed for a career where you'll be dealing with native people, it's true...learning the language might be fun, but without the chance to really use it, it's sort of a waste of time.

I think there is definitely more opportunity in Canada to learn, and use an indigenous language, than there is in the US.

I speak Irish (although not as well as I used to thanks to a lack of practice) and I can always cheat and claim Ullans as a language (although I don't believe it myself)

But isn't Swedish the native language of Sweden?

Sweden has several native languages, Swedish is but one of them. The language of the indigenous (and thus, the type of indigenous language the OP was concentrating on) people of the North, however, is Sami.

At least the Southern parts of it?

Not the only one, there are for instance Elfdalian and Jamtlandic... not to mention, of course, Finnish; Finland was a Swedish land for hundreds of years and Sweden has a substantial Finnish-speaking minority, like today's Finland has a substantial Swedish-speaking minority.

I think there is definitely more opportunity in Canada to learn, and use an indigenous language, than there is in the US.

I think you're right. The indigenous groups in the US were more effectively and thoroughly forced to drop their native languages and adopt English. However, there is a resurgence lately among some groups of the indigenous languages and cultures.

My university offers a few classes in Ojibwe (https://bulletins.cmich.edu/crdesc.asp?sid=161001&sub=Ojibwe). From what I understand the professors who teach Ojibwe are from the tribal college, and some of our professors go teach some classes there in a sort of exchange program. Since the tribe and the university are the two biggest entities in town there's a great deal of cooperation.

Well don't know if it counts as indigenous or not, and I'm not even cockney myself but I have been down here in the proper part of London(Thats the SE for those that don't know) for 30 odd years, and so have picked up a fair amount of cockney.

Now I used the expression 'Iron' the other day at work, we were talking about pub quiz team names, and one of the chaps here who has the unfourtunate position of being a Westham supporter said, 'We should call our selves the irons!'
The Irons being the nickname of Westham, I said 'what coz your all gay?' and paused for the laugh.

Well blow me, it didn't come, instead I got a full round of blank faces around the office as nobody got the referance at all.

Cockney slang is it dying I wonder?

I speak Irish (although not as well as I used to thanks to a lack of practice) and I can always cheat and claim Ullans as a language (although I don't believe it myself)
Yay! How did you learn it? As a child from the old folks or in school, or from the books? I tried to learn Irish Gaelic - I was fascinated by the language, it so... different. I still have the Buntus Cainte book and cassettes (!) I bought online in the book store in Dublin - but I just couldn't grasp it, couldn't put together the text and the sounds. I guess I needed a teacher.