12 المتحدثون المعروفة الأخير من اللغة 12 Last Known Speakers Of A Language

Endangered languages have been in the news recently with the launch
in February of UNESCO’s electronic edition of its Atlas of the Worlds
Languages in Danger. According to UNESCO, half of the 6500 languages
spoken today are in danger of disappearing before the century ends.
Hundreds of languages have already died, some of these long ago and with
no fanfare, but sometimes the death of a language is recorded and we
know exactly who last spoke it. It is these people I’d like to honor.
This list is in no particular order and is not an exhaustive list, but I
think it is representative and shows that language death is not
restricted to one part of the world. The people below came from all
walks of life and, some seemed indifferent or unaware of their status,
while others became campaigners and tried to pass their knowledge onto
others. It is interesting that many of those in the latter category
lived long lives, almost defiantly trying to battle the inevitable.12Dolly Pentreath
died 1777



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Last known speaker of: traditional Cornish
According to her gravestone, which can still be visited today, Dolly
Pentreath was the last known speaker of Cornish. Dolly, who only learned
English as an adult and whose last words reportedly were “Me ne vidn
cewsel Sawznek!” (“I don’t want to speak English!”), had a fierce
reputation and was known for smoking her pipe and using profane
language. Some thought her to be a witch. There is some controversy as
to Dolly’s status as the last known speaker of Cornish, with some
arguing that John Davey who died in 1890 should have that honor, others
stating that Cornish has never really died out.
Fun Language Fact – Efforts to revive Cornish have
been moderately successful and Cornish gained official recognition
under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2002,
and in 2008 a Standard Written Form was agreed upon.
11Ned Maddrell
circa 1878 – 1974



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Last known speaker of: traditional Manx
As with Dolly Pentreath, there is some controversy as to Ned
Madrell’s status, however he deserves credit for the role he played in
linguistic preservation. Ned, a fisherman from Cregneash, travelled far
and wide but spent his last decades on The Isle of Man teaching younger
revivalists and recording his conversations to preserve the language.
He is remembered as being a cheerful man who was proud of his minor
celebrity status.
Fun Language Fact – There have been efforts to
revive Manx since Ned Madrell’s death and there is now a primary school,
Bunscoill Ghaelgagh, where children are taught solely in Manx.10Tevfik Esenç
1904 – 1992



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Last known speaker of: the Ubykh language
The Ubykh language is a North Caucasian language originally spoken
along the shores of the Black Sea until its speakers were forced out by
the Russians. They eventually settled in Turkey, and it was there that
language died. Tevkik Esenc was an intelligent man who spoke several
languages and he worked with linguistics to record the language as he
was well aware of his status as the last speaker. Some of these
recordings are available on Youtube.
Fun Language Fact – Ubykh was in the Guinness Book
of Records for being the language with the most number of consonants.9Alf Palmer
circa 1891 – 1981



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Last known speaker of: Warrunga
Little is known about Alf Palmer or Jinbilnggay as he was known in
his native language. He was born and died in Townsville, Queensland,
Australia and, like many on this list, was keen to play his role in
trying to preserve the language. He worked with linguists from Japan and
Australia and proved inspirational in alerting linguists to language
loss. He is pictured on the left above.
Fun Fact – These very linguists returned to
Townsville a few years ago and are working with Alf Palmer’s descendants
in attempts to revive the language.8Fidelia Fielding
1827 – 1908



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Last known speaker of: the Mohegan Pequot Language
Fidelia Fielding or as she called herself Dji’ts Bud dnaca (Flying
Bird) is remembered as being something of a loner who kept to herself.
However she should not be dismissed and she is an important and
respected figure in the history of the Mohegan people. She was one of
the last people to live the traditional Mohegan lifestyle and she
mentored Mohegan anthropologist Gladys Tantaquidgeon. After her death,
four of her diaries were found. These are now housed in the Museum of
the American Indian in New York City and have been studied in efforts to
revive the language.
Fun Fact – On May 24, 1936, an estimated 1,000
people gathered at the Ancient Burial Grounds of the Mohegans, Fort
Shantok State Park in Montville, to pay tribute to “Flying Bird”.7Tuone Udaina
died 1898



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Last known speaker of: Dalmatian
Tuane Udaina was not actually a native speaker of Dalmatian. He
picked it up from secretly listening to his parents’ private
conversations. Despite this, and the fact that he was deaf and had not
spoken the language for 20 years, he was approached by linguist Matteo
Bartoli in 1897 to try to record the language. Previous documentation of
the language dated from the 13th – 16th century. Sadly, Bartoli’s
original work (in Italian) was lost, existing only in a German
translation, until 2001 when it was re-translated into Italian. Udaina
himself also met an unfortunate end, being blown up by a landmine on
10th June 1898.
Fun Language Fact – Dalmatian, a Romance language
with some similarities to Romanian, was spoken in the Dalmatia region of
Croatia, with each town having its own different dialect of the
language.




6Big Bill Neidjie
circa 1920 – 2002



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Last known speaker of: the Gagudju language
Big Bill Neidjie was always something of a local legend. He was born
on the East Alligator River in Northern Territory, Australia. He had a
traditional upbringing and was taught to hunt by his father and
grandfather. He was known throughout for his physical strength and
physique as well as for his commitment to conservation issues and the
rights of indigenous Australians. His fame grew when he was featured in
National Geographic Magazine in 1988 and he was awarded the Order of
Australia in 1989.
Fun Language Fact – Like a number of indigenous
Australian languages, in Gagudju it was taboo to discuss traditional
secrets, passed from generation to generation, with outsiders. When Bill
became aware of his fate, he faced the dilemma of breaking taboo or
letting his culture die completely. He chose to break taboo and pass the
secrets on to a select number of people.5Shanawdithit
1801-1829



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Last known speaker of: the Beothuk language (and
last member of the Beothuk)
Considered one of the most notable people from Newfoundland,
Shanawdithit had quite a sad short life. Having lost most of her family
either to TB or attacks from the British, who regarded her people as
thieves, she spent the last few years of life working as a servant
before also dying of TB. Shanawdithit was taught some English by the
philanthropist William Epps Cormack, in whose house she spent some time.
She proved talented at drawing, and it is through these that we know
about the lifestyle of the Beothuk. There is a sad postscript to her
life, her skull was taken to the Royal College of Physicians in London,
where it remained until it was given to the Royal College of Surgeons in
1938. Unfortunately, her skull was destroyed and lost during the Blitz.
The rest of her remains are buried in St John’s, Newfoundland.
Fun Language Fact – There is debate as to whether
Beothuk is a language isolate, unlike any other, or whether it is
related to Algonquian languages spoken in Quebec and Labrador.4Armand Lunel
1892 -1977



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Last known speaker of: Shuadit (Judeo-Provençal)
Writer, librettist, philosopher and teacher, Lunel was born in
Aix-en-Provence, France, where his family had lived for centuries, but
later moved to Monaco. His writings were in French and he wrote about
everyday Jewish life in Provence. 1968, a recording was made of Lunel
singing in his language but he died before another recording could be
made.
Fun Language Facts – The origins of Judeo Provencal
are something of a mystery to linguists, documents in the language go
back to the 11th century. Its use declined rapidly after the French
Revolution.3Ishi
1860 – 1916



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Last known speaker of: the Yana language (and last
member of the Yahi)
Of all the things we know about Ishi, his name isn’t one of them.
Ishi is simply a pseudonym meaning “man” in Yana, the language of the
Yahi. It was considered taboo in in Yahi society to say ones own name,
so Ishi’s real name died with him. His story – that he went into hiding
after his family was killed, before being found by a group of butchers-
has continued to intrigue. Documentaries, films and stage plays have
all been made about him and many aspects of his life are still
contested. Sadly, Ishi did not have the long life that others on this
list have enjoyed, dying of tuberculosis in 1916.
Fun Language Fact – Thanks to linguist Edward Sapir,
who worked with Ishi, Yana is relatively well documented compared to
other extinct American languages.2Marie Smith Jones
1918 – 2008



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Last known speaker of: Eyak
When Marie Smith Jones died early last year she received obituaries
from respected sources all round the world, perhaps indicating that
language death is not just an interest of a few linguists. Smith, the
last full-blooded Eyak, only really became politically active after the
death of her sister in the 1990s made her the last speaker. She had
declined to teach her children the language because of social stigma
attached to it. However in her later years, she helped work on an Eyak
dictionary, became active in environmental concerns and twice spoke at
United Nations on peace and indigenous languages.
Fun Language Fact – Eyak was originally spoken near
the mouth of the copper river in Alaska. It has now become a symbol in
the fight against language death. It is the first known native Alaskan
language to become extinct.1Soma Devi Dura
circa 1926



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Last known speaker of: Dura
Coincidentally, mere days before Marie Smith Jones died, British news
sources made us aware of the plight of 82-year old Soma Devi Dura, the
last know speaker of the Dura language of Nepal. Soma Devi Dura is
partially blind, deaf and in failing health but is described as being a
rich source of songs and folklore in the Dura tongue. Kedar Nagila, who
is studying for a PhD in Nepalese languages has been working with Dura
and trying to get her medical help. As of April 2008, Dura was still
alive, but news of her since then has dried up.
Fun Language Fact – Dura is one of over 120
languages spoken in Nepal, but due to a “one-nation, one-language”
policy instituted by the Shah dynasty, up to 96% of these are threatened
with extinction.