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Preferred term

current status of indigenous languages  

Definition

  • When the first English colony was established at Jamestown in 1607, some 350 indigenous languages were spoken on the North American continent. The effects of settler encroachment on Native American lands, forced relocation of entire tribal groups from one area of the country to another, overt efforts to eliminate native-language use in boarding schools, and now mass media and technology have all taken a great toll on indigenous North American languages, as described in this entry. [Source: Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education; Indigenous Languages, Current Status]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/current_status_of_indigenous_languages

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