Last speaker of language
Encyclopedia
Any language
is determined to be an extinct language
when the last native
or fluent speaker of that language dies.
There are some 500 languages out of a total of 6000 being classified as nearly extinct because "only a few elderly speakers are still living".
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
is determined to be an extinct language
Extinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
when the last native
Native Speaker
Native Speaker is Chang-Rae Lee’s first novel. In Native Speaker, he creates a man named Henry Park who tries to assimilate into American society and become a “native speaker.”-Plot summary:...
or fluent speaker of that language dies.
There are some 500 languages out of a total of 6000 being classified as nearly extinct because "only a few elderly speakers are still living".
Chronology
- Chesten MarchantChesten MarchantChesten Marchant or Cheston Marchant, who died in 1676 at Gwithian, Cornwall is believed to have been the last monoglot Cornish speaker, as opposed to other speakers such as Dolly Pentreath who could also speak English.-References:...
(died 1676), believed to have been the last monoglotMonoglottismMonoglottism or, more commonly, monolingualism or unilingualism is the condition of being able to speak only a single language...
CornishCornish languageCornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
speaker, as opposed to other speakers such as Dolly PentreathDolly PentreathDolly Pentreath, or Dorothy Pentreath was probably the last fluent native speaker of the Cornish language, prior to its revival in 1904 and the subsequent small number of children brought up as bilingual native speakers of revived Cornish.She is often stated to have been the last monoglot speaker...
who could also speak English - Margaret McMurrayMargaret McMurrayMargaret McMurray appears to have been one of the last native speakers of a Lowland dialect of Scottish Gaelic in the Galloway variety....
(died 1760), the last native speakers of a LowlandScottish LowlandsThe Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
dialect of Scottish Gaelic in the Galloway varietyGalwegian GaelicGalwegian Gaelic is an extinct dialect of Scottish Gaelic formerly spoken in southwest Scotland. It was spoken by the independent kings of Galloway in their time, and by the people of Galloway and Carrick until the early modern period. It was once spoken in Annandale and Strathnith... - Dolly PentreathDolly PentreathDolly Pentreath, or Dorothy Pentreath was probably the last fluent native speaker of the Cornish language, prior to its revival in 1904 and the subsequent small number of children brought up as bilingual native speakers of revived Cornish.She is often stated to have been the last monoglot speaker...
(died 1777), possibly the last fluent native speaker of the Cornish languageCornish languageCornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
, was monoglot until her twenties - Frances JohnsonFrances JohnsonFrances Johnson or Gwísgwashãn was the last fluent speaker of the Takelma language of Oregon, United States. She worked with linguist Edward Sapir to document the language while living on the Siletz Reservation....
, the last fluent speaker of the Takelma languageTakelma languageTakelma was the language spoken by the Takelma people. It was first extensively described by Edward Sapir in his graduate thesis, The Takelma Language of Southwestern Oregon...
of OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States - Walter SutherlandWalter Sutherland (Norn)Walter Sutherland of Skaw on the island of Unst in Shetland was reported to be the last native speaker of Norn, a Germanic language which had once been spoken throughout Shetland, Orkney and Caithness...
(died ca. 1850), the last speaker of NornNorn languageNorn is an extinct North Germanic language that was spoken in Shetland and Orkney, off the north coast of mainland Scotland, and in Caithness. After the islands were pledged to Scotland by Norway in the 15th century, it was gradually replaced by Scots and on the mainland by Scottish... - NikonhaNikonhaNikonha, also known as Waskiteng and Mosquito, was the last full-blooded speaker of Tutelo, a Virginia Siouan language. He is reported to have been around 106 when he died at Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, Ontario in 1871; this would give him a birth date of ca...
(ca. 1765–1871), the last full-blooded speaker of TuteloTutelo languageThe Tutelo language is a member of the Virginian branch of Siouan languages that was originally spoken in what is now Virginia and West Virginia, as well as in the later travels of the speakers through North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, and finally, Ontario...
(though partial knowledge of this language continued among mixed CayugaCayuga nationThe Cayuga people was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee , a confederacy of American Indians in New York. The Cayuga homeland lay in the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between their league neighbors, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west...
-Tutelo descendants for some time.) - Trugernanner (ca. 1812–1876), considered to be the last full-blood speaker of a Tasmanian language; however, Fanny Cochrane SmithFanny Cochrane SmithFanny Cochrane Smith, was a Tasmanian Aborigine, born in December 1834. She is considered to be the last fluent speaker of a Tasmanian language, and her wax cylinder recordings of songs are the only audio recordings of any of Tasmania's indigenous languages.-Life:Fanny Cochrane's mother and...
, who spoke one of the Tasmanian languages, outlived her - John DaveyJohn Davey (Cornish speaker)John Davey or Davy was a Cornish farmer who was one of the last people with some traditional knowledge of the Cornish language. Jenner states that he level of his ability in the language is unclear, but was probably restricted to a few words and phrases...
(1812–1891), was a CornishCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
farmer who was one of the last people with some traditional knowledge of the Cornish languageCornish languageCornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate... - Tuone UdainaTuone UdainaTuone Udaina was the last speaker of the Dalmatian language. He was the main source of knowledge about his parents' dialect, that of the island of Veglia , for the linguist Matteo Bartoli, who recorded it in 1897...
(died 1898), the last speaker of the Dalmatian languageDalmatian languageDalmatian was a Romance language spoken in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and as far south as Kotor in Montenegro. The name refers to a pre-Roman tribe of the Illyrian linguistic group, Dalmatae... - Fanny Cochrane SmithFanny Cochrane SmithFanny Cochrane Smith, was a Tasmanian Aborigine, born in December 1834. She is considered to be the last fluent speaker of a Tasmanian language, and her wax cylinder recordings of songs are the only audio recordings of any of Tasmania's indigenous languages.-Life:Fanny Cochrane's mother and...
(1834–1905), considered to be the last fluent speaker of a Tasmanian languageTasmanian languagesThe Tasmanian languages, or Palawa languages, were the languages indigenous to the island of Tasmania. Based on short wordlists, it appears that there were anywhere from five to sixteen languages on Tasmania.... - Fidelia FieldingFidelia FieldingFidelia Hoscott Fielding , also known as Dji'ts Bud dnaca , was the last native speaker of the Mohegan Pequot language...
(1827–1908), MoheganMoheganThe Mohegan tribe is an Algonquian-speaking tribe that lives in the eastern upper Thames River valley of Connecticut. Mohegan translates to "People of the Wolf". At the time of European contact, the Mohegan and Pequot were one people, historically living in the lower Connecticut region...
PequotPequotPequot people are a tribe of Native Americans who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut. They were of the Algonquian language family. The Pequot War and Mystic massacre reduced the Pequot's sociopolitical influence in southern New England...
language - John Mann (1834-?), the last attested native Cornish languageCornish languageCornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
speaker, part of a group of children who conversed in Cornish, interviewed in 1914 at the age of 80. - IshiIshiIshi was the last member of the Yahi, the last surviving group of the Yana people of the U.S. state of California. Ishi is believed to have been the last Native American in Northern California to have lived most of his life completely outside the European American culture...
(ca. 1860–1916), the last member of the Yahi, the last surviving group of the Yana peopleYana peopleThe Yana people were a group of Native Americans indigenous to Northern California in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the western side of the range. The Yana-speaking people comprised four groups: the Northern Yana, the Central Yana, the Southern Yana, and the Yahi...
who spoke YanaYana languageYana is an extinct language isolate formerly spoken in north-central California between the Feather and Pit rivers in what is now Shasta and Tehama counties.... - Sally NobleSally NobleSally Noble was the last speaker of the Chimariko language. She worked with linguist and ethnologist J.P. Harrington to record what she remembered of the language. ....
(died 1922), the last speaker of the Chimariko languageChimariko languageChimariko is an extinct language isolate formerly spoken in Trinity County in northwestern California by Chimariko peoples.-Genetic relations:... - Ascencion Solorsano (died 1930), indigenous languageIndigenous languages of the AmericasIndigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
Mutsun - Watt Sam and Nancy Raven (died in the late 1930s), the two last fluent speakers of the Natchez languageNatchez languageNatchez was a language of Louisiana. Its two last fluent speakers, Watt Sam and Nancy Raven, died in the late 1930s. The Natchez nation is now working to revive it as a spoken language.-Classification:...
- Isabel MeadowsIsabel MeadowsIsabel Meadows was the last fluent speaker of the Rumsen Ohlone language and a primary Rumsen consultant to J.P. Harrington.Her father, James Meadows, was a professional whaler and her mother, Loretta Onesimo, was Rumsen Ohlone....
(1846–1939), the last fluent speaker of the RumsenRumsenRumsen is one of eight language divisions of the Ohlone Native American people of Northern California...
Ohlone languageOhlone languagesThe Ohlone language family also known as "Costanoan", is a family of languages of the San Francisco Bay Area spoken by the Ohlone peoples. It is a member of the hypothetical Penutian language phylum or stock, and the Utian language family... - Mary YeeMary YeeMary J. Yee was the last first-language speaker of the Barbareño language, which was also the last Chumash language to have first-language speakers....
(1897–1965), the last first-language speaker of the Barbareño languageBarbareño languageBarbareño is one of the extinct Chumash languages, a group of Native American languages previously spoken along the coastal areas of Southern California from as far north as San Luis Obispo to as far south as Malibu, California. The last first-language speaker of Barbareño was Mary... - Ned MaddrellNed MaddrellEdward "Ned" Maddrell was a fisherman from the Isle of Man who was the last surviving native speaker of the Manx language.Following the death of Mrs. Sage Kinvig Edward "Ned" Maddrell (1877 – December 27, 1974) was a fisherman from the Isle of Man who was the last surviving native speaker of the...
(1877–1974), the last surviving native speakerFirst languageA first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
of the Manx languageManx languageManx , also known as Manx Gaelic, and as the Manks language, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, historically spoken by the Manx people. Only a small minority of the Island's population is fluent in the language, but a larger minority has some knowledge of it... - Armand LunelArmand LunelArmand Lunel was a French writer and the last known speaker of Shuadit , a now-extinct Occitan language...
(1892–1977), JewishJewish languagesJewish languages are the various languages and dialects that developed in Jewish communities around the world.Although Hebrew was the daily speech of the Jewish people for centuries, by the fifth century BCE, the closely related Aramaic joined Hebrew as the spoken language in Judea and by the third...
dialect of Occitan language - Alf PalmerAlf PalmerAlf Palmer , or Jinbilnggay in his native language, was the last native speaker of the Australian aboriginal language Warrungu. He lived in Townsville, Queensland, Australia....
(ca. 1891–1981), the last native speaker of the AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n aboriginal language WarrunguWarrunguWarrungu is an Australian Aboriginal language, one of the dozen languages of the Maric branch of the Pama–Nyungan family. It was formerly spoken in the area around Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Its last native speaker was Alf Palmer, who died in 1981.Before his death, linguists Tasaku Tsunoda... - Jack ButlerJack Butler (Jiwarli)Jack Butler was the last native speaker of the Jiwarli language of Australia.As the last speaker, he was the primary source for the documentation of the language. He was the son of a white father, a shepherd named Dick Butler, and an aboriginal Australian mother, Silver...
(1901–1986), Jiwarli language of Australia - Roscinda NolasquezRoscinda NolasquezRoscinda Nolasquez was a Cupeño, and the last speaker of the Cupeño language of Southern California. She made a serious effort late in her life to help document and preserve the Cupeño language, working among others with linguists Jane Hill and Roderick Jacobs.-External links:*...
(1892–1987), the last speaker of the Cupeño languageCupeño languageCupeño is an extinct Uto-Aztecan language, formerly spoken by the Cupeño people of Southern California, USA, who now speak English. Roscinda Nolasquez was the last native speaker of Cupeño.-Morphology:...
of Southern CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego... - Klavdiya PlotnikovaKlavdiya PlotnikovaKlavdiya Zakharovna Plotnikova-Andzhighatova was the last living speaker of the Kamassian language . Her father was a Russian named Zakhar Perov and her mother was a Kamassian named Afanasiya Andzhighatova...
(ca. 1895–1989), the last speaker of the Kamassian languageKamassian languageKamassian or Kamas is an extinct Samoyedic language, included by convention in the Southern group together with Mator, Koibal, and Selkup . The last native speaker, Klavdiya Plotnikova, died in 1989. Kamassian was spoken in Russia, east of the Ural mountains, by Kamasins.A historical name for Kamas... - Morndi MunroMorndi MunroMorndi or Billy Munro was the last fluent speaker of the Unggumi language of Western Australia.-References:...
(died in the 1990s), the last fluent speaker of the Unggumi language of Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... - Tevfik EsençTevfik EsençTevfik Esenç was a Circassian exile in Turkey and the last known fully competent speaker of the Ubykh language.Esenç was raised by his Ubykh-speaking grandparents for a time in the village of Hacı Osman in Turkey, and he served a term as the muhtar of that village, before receiving a post in the...
(1904–1992), the last known fully competent speaker of the Ubykh languageUbykh languageUbykh or Ubyx is an extinct language of the Northwestern Caucasian group, spoken by the Ubykh people... - Algy PatersonAlgy PatersonAlgy Paterson was the last fluent speaker of the Martuthunira language of Western Australia.Algy's father was a European, which made him eligible to be removed from his family by the authorities under the policy now known as the Stolen Generation. His family avoided this by hiding in the bush,...
(died 1995), the last fluent speaker of the Martuthunira languageMartuthunira language-Phonology:Martuthunira has a fairly standard Australian phonology. R.M.W. Dixon uses it as a prototypical example in his 2002 book Australian Languages: Their nature and development.-Consonants:The laminal stop has a voiced allophone between vowels....
of Western Australia - Truman Washington DaileyTruman Washington DaileyTruman Washington Dailey, also known as Mashi Manyi and Sunge Hka , was the last native speaker of the Otoe-Missouria dialect of Chiwere , a Native American language...
(1898–1996), the last native speaker of the Otoe-Missouria dialect of ChiwereChiwere languageChiwere is a Siouan language originally spoken by the Missouria, Otoe, and Iowa peoples, who originated in the Great Lakes region but later moved throughout the midwest and plains. The language is closely related to Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago... - Red Thunder CloudRed Thunder CloudRed Thunder Cloud , whose English name was Cromwell Ashbie Hawkins West and who was also known as Carlos Westez, was the last native speaker of the Catawba Indian language. His obituary was later published in this language in the New York Times...
(1919–1996), the last native speaker of the CatawbaCatawba (tribe)The Catawba are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. They live in the Southeast United States, along the border between North and South Carolina near the city of Rock Hill...
Indian language - Vyie (died 1997), the last native speaker of the Sirenik Eskimo language
- Carmel CharlesCarmel CharlesMary Carmel Charles was an author and the last fluent speaker of the Nyulnyul language of Western Australia.. She was born to the Nyulnyul tribe in the Kimberley region of Western Australia at the Beagle Bay Mission....
(1912–1999), the last fluent speaker of the Nyulnyul language of Western Australia - Big Bill NeidjieBig Bill NeidjieBig Bill Neidjie was the last surviving speaker of the Gaagudju language, an indigenous language from northern Kakadu after which the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park is named. He was a senior elder of Kakadu National Park and a traditional owner of the Bunitj estate in northern Kakadu,...
(ca. 1920–2002), Gaagudju languageGaagudju languageGaagudju is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language formerly spoken in Arnhem Land, northern Australia, in the environs of Kakadu National Park. Its last speaker, Big Bill Neidjie, died on 23 May 2002.-Classification:Gaagudju has traditionally been classified with the Gunwinyguan languages...
of the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia - Marie Smith Jones (1918–2008), indigenous Eyak languageEyak languageEyak is an extinct Na-Dené language that was historically spoken by the Eyak people, indigenous to southcentral Alaska, near the mouth of the Copper River.The closest relatives of Eyak are the Athabaskan languages...
of Southcentral Alaska - Ms. Boro (died 2009), the last fluent speaker of the Aka-Kora languageAka-Kora languageThe Kora language, Aka-Kora, is an extinct Great Andamanese language, of the Northern group. It was spoken on the northeast and north central coasts of North Andaman and on Smith Island....
of the Andaman IslandsAndaman IslandsThe Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east... - Viktors Bertholds (1921–2009), believed to be the last native speaker of the Livonian languageLivonian languageLivonian belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. It is a nearly extinct language, with one of its last native speakers having died in February 2009. It is closely related to Estonian...
- William Rozario (died 2009) last known speaker of Cochin Indo-Portuguese Creole
- Pan Jin-yuPan Jin-yuPan Jin-yu was the last remaining speaker of the Pazeh language of Taiwan. She was born the fifth of six children in 1914 to Kaxabu-speaking parents in Puli. Later, she was adopted by parents who were Pazeh speakers living in Auran village , which is now part of Puli township. She was said to be...
(1914–2010), the last speaker of the Pazeh languagePazeh languagePazeh is the language of the Pazeh, a Taiwanese aboriginal people). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family. Kulun was a dialect. There was only one remaining native speaker of Pazeh proper, 96-year-old Pan Jin-yu. Since her death, however, the language is extinct...
of TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... - Boa Sr.Boa Sr.Boa Sr. was an Indian Great Andamanese elder. She was the last surviving person who remembered any Bo, a language of the Great Andamanese language family.She was born around 1925.Boa Sr...
(ca. 1925–2010), Andamanese languageAndamanese languagesThe Andamanese languages form a proposed language family spoken by the Andamanese peoples, a group of Negritos who live in the Andaman Islands, a union territory of India. Its validity is disputed...
Aka-BoAka-Bo languageThe Bo language, Aka-Bo , is an extinct Great Andamanese language, of the Northern group. It was spoken on the west central coast of North Andaman and on North Reef Island of the Andaman Islands in India...
Living last speakers
- Doris McLemoreDoris McLemoreDoris Jean Lamar McLemore is the last fluent speaker of the Wichita language, a Caddoan language spoken by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, indigenous to Oklahoma....
(born 1927), the last fluent speaker of the Wichita languageWichita languageWichita is a moribund Caddoan language spoken in Oklahoma by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. Only one fluent speaker remains, Doris McLemore, although in 2007 there were only three first language learners still alive...
. - Cristina CalderónCristina CalderónCristina Calderón of Robalo, Puerto Williams, on Navarino Island, Chile, is the last living full-blooded Yaghan person. By 2004, Calderón and her sister-in-law Emelinda Acuña were the only two remaining native speakers of the Yaghan language...
(born c. 1928), became the last speaker of the Yaghan languageYaghan languageYagán , also known as Yámana and Háusi Kúta, is one of the indigenous languages of Tierra del Fuego, spoken by the Yagán people...
in 2005. - Edwin BensonEdwin BensonEdwin Benson is the last speaker of the Mandan language. He was born in 1931 on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. He has been involved in efforts to teach the basics of Mandan to youth....
(born 1931), the last speaker of the Mandan languageMandan language-Genetic relations:It was initially thought to be closely related to the languages of the Hidatsa and the Crow tribes. However, since the Mandan language has been in contact with Hidatsa and Crow for many years, the exact relationship between Mandan and other Siouan languages has been obscured and...
. - Charlie MunguldaCharlie MunguldaCharlie Mungulda of Northern Territory, Australia, is the last native speaker of the Amurdag language.- References :...
, the last native speaker of the Amurdag languageAmurdag languageAmurdag is an Indigenous Australian language historically spoken in the Northern Territory of Australia. According to a report by the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, it is an endangered language...
. - John SteckleyJohn SteckleyDr. John L. Steckley is a Canadian scholar specializing in Native American Studies and the indigenous languages of the Americas.Steckley has a Ph.D. in education from the University of Toronto. He has taught at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario since 1983....
, reportedly the last known speaker of the Wyandot languageWyandot languageWyandot is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known variously as Wyandot, Wyandotte, Wendat, or Huron. It was last spoken primarily in Oklahoma and Quebec...
(not a native speaker) - Verdena ParkerVerdena ParkerVerdena Parker is the last fluent speaker of the Hupa language, an Athabaskan language spoken by the Hoopa Valley Tribe, indigenous to northern California. While other children of her generation were sent to boarding schools, isolating them from their families, Parker was raised by her grandmother,...
, last fluent speaker of the Hupa languageHupa language-External links :* * overview at the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages*...
.