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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Americas > United States > Navajo

Navajo

A language of United States

ISO 639-3nav

Population  149,000 (1990 census). 7,616 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 178,030 (2000 census).
Region  Northeast Arizona, northwest New Mexico, southeast Utah; a few in Colorado.
Language map  Southwestern United States of America
Alternate names   Navaho
Classification  Na-Dene, Nuclear Na-Dene, Athapaskan-Eyak, Athapaskan, Apachean, Navajo-Apache, Western Apache-Navajo
Language use  Vigorous in some families. L1 speakers among first graders are 30% versus 90% in 1968 (1998).
Language development  Bible: 1985–2000.
Writing system  Latin script.
Comments  Prefer the name ‘Diné’.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

Blount, Turner. 1953. "Obtaining criticism of a Bible translation."

Edgerton, Faye. 1962. "Some translation problems in Navaho."

Fuller, Eugene. 1982. A study of Navajo language maintenance and shift.

Fuller, Eugene. 1984. "Educational language planning in a Navaho community."

Hill, Faith. Created: n.d.. Using the reading of Navajo as a bridge to English for unschooled adults.

Malone, Dennis L. and Isara Choosri. 2007. "Stabilizing indigenous languages, a Symposium report."  Available online

Pike, Kenneth L. and Alton L. Becker. 1964. "Progressive neutralization in dimensions of Navaho stem matrices."

Pittman, Richard S. 1987. "The ‘register-language’ structure of Navajo."

Vernacular Publications

Haaʼíshaʼ daʼíídíiltah. n.d..

Haaˀíshąˀ dinékˀehjí beeˀakˀedaˀdiilchííł. 1967.

Keys to writing Navajo. 1973.

Learning English. [1965].

Let’s read. 1951.

Naanish hanishtá. [1958].

Perceptual development. n.d..

Practice books 1, 2. 1952.

Primers 1-3. 1947.

Speckle and other stories. n.d..