List of endangered languages in North America facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Language Endangerment Status
by UNESCO Atlas of the World’s
Languages in Danger category |
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| Extinct (EX) | |
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| Endangered | |
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Related topics
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 UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger categories |
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Imagine a language that only a few people still speak. An endangered language is a language that is at risk of disappearing forever. This usually happens when only a small number of people still speak it. If a language loses all its native speakers, it becomes an extinct language, meaning it's gone for good.
UNESCO, a part of the United Nations, helps us understand how much danger a language is in. They have four main levels of language endangerment, from "safe" (not in danger) to "extinct" (gone):
- Vulnerable: The language is spoken by most children, but it might be limited to certain areas.
- Definitely endangered: Children are not learning the language as their main language at home.
- Severely endangered: The language is spoken by grandparents and older generations. Parents might understand it, but they don't speak it to their children.
- Critically endangered: The youngest speakers are grandparents or older, and they speak the language only partly and not very often.
North America is a huge continent in the northern hemisphere of Earth. It's surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the North Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the North Pacific Ocean to the west and south. The Caribbean Sea is to its southeast, and South America is also nearby.
Today, North America has 256 living languages. Sadly, 238 of these are in danger of disappearing. That means about 92% of languages in North America are dying out! The United States has the most languages at risk, with 143 out of 219. Canada is next, with 75 out of 94 languages in danger. Greenland has two languages, and neither is currently at risk.
Endangered Languages in Canada
Many languages spoken by Indigenous peoples in Canada are facing the risk of disappearing. Here are some of them:
| Language | More Info | Speakers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver language | 300 speakers in 1991. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Bella Coola language | Also known as Nuxalk language. | 3 (2022) 20 (2002) 700 (1991). | |
| Cayuga language | 40 to 60 speakers in 2002. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Chinook Wawa language | Also known as Chinook Jargon language. | 83 in Canada (1962). Total: 100. | |
| Northern Haida language | See Haida language. | 30 in Canada (1995). Total: 45. | |
| Southern Haida language | See Haida language. | 10 (1995). Total: 500. | |
| Haisla language | 25 (1991) 1,000 (1977). | ||
| Heiltsuk language | Also called Hai?zaqvla. | 300 (1991). | |
| Han language | 7 or 8 in Canada (1997). Total: 300. | ||
| Inuiuuk | ᐃᓄᐃᐆᒃ | 40 in Nunavut (2012). | University of Central Lancashire |
| Kutenai language | Also called Kutanaxa. | 6 in Canada (2002). Total: 12. | |
| Maritime Sign Language | |||
| Michif language | About 600 speakers in 1998. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Munsee language | 7 or 8 (1991). Total: 400. | ||
| Oneida language | Fewer than 250 speakers in 1991. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Onondaga language | 50 to 100 speakers in 1991. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Potawatomi language | 100 speakers. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Plains Sign Talk | |||
| Salish language | Red Book of Endangered Languages | ||
| Straits Salish language | 20 in Canada (2002). Total: 3,000. | ||
| Sechelt language | Also known as Shishalh language. | 40 (1990) 550 (1977). | |
| Sekani language | 30 to 40 (1997). Total: 600. | ||
| Seneca language | 25 speakers in 1991. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Squamish language | 15 (2002). Total: 2,300. | ||
| Tagish language | 2 (1995). Total: 400 possibly. | ||
| Tahltan language | 35 (2002). Total: 750. | ||
| Tlingit language | 145 speakers in Canada in 1998. | Red Book of Endangered Languages | |
| Tsuut’ina language | Also: Tsuu T'ina language, Sarsi language, Sarcee language. | 50 (1991). | Red Book of Endangered Languages |
| Tuscarora language | 7 or 8 in Canada (1991). Total: 11 to 13. | ||
| Western Abnaki language | 20 (1991). Total: 1,800 (including Eastern Abnaki in USA). |
Endangered Languages in the United States
The United States is home to many Indigenous languages, and sadly, a large number of them are critically endangered. Here are some examples:
| Language | More Info | Speakers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achumawi language | 10 non-fluent speakers (1997). Total: 1,000. | ||
| Alutiiq language | 30 speakers (2009). Total: 1,000. | ||
| Ahtena language | 80 (1995). Total: 500. | ||
| Kiowa Apache language | 18 (1990 census). Total: 1,000. | ||
| Lipan Apache language | 2 or 3 (1981). Total: 100. | ||
| Arikara language | 20 (1997). Total: 3,000. | ||
| Atsugewi language | 3 (1994). Total: 200. | ||
| Caddo language | 25 (1997). Total: 3,371. | ||
| Cahuilla language | 7 to 20 (1994). Total: 35. | ||
| Chetco language | 5 (1962). Total: 100 possibly. | ||
| Chinook language | 12 speakers of Kiksht dialect (1996). Total: 300 possibly. | ||
| Chinook Wawa language | 17 in the USA (1990 census). | ||
| Clallam language | 10 (1997). Total: Several thousands. | ||
| Coeur d'Alene language | 5 (1999). Total: 800. | ||
| Comanche language | Less than 130 (less than 1% of 13,000 tribal members as of 2006). | ||
| Coos language | 1 or 2 (1962). Total: 250. | ||
| Degexit'an language | 20 to 30 (1997). Total: 250 to 300. | ||
| Gros Ventre language | 10 (1977). Very few semi-speakers in 2000. Total: 1,200. | ||
| Northern Haida language | 15 in the USA (1995). Total: 600 in the USA. | ||
| Hän language | 7 or 8 in Alaska (1995). Total: 14. | ||
| Hawai'i Sign Language | A few users out of about 6,000 profoundly deaf people in Hawaii (1987). Total: 72,000 deaf or hard-of-hearing people in Hawaii (1998). | ||
| Holikachuk language | 12 (1995). Total: 200. | ||
| Hupa language | 8 (1998). Total: 2,000. | ||
| Kalapuya language | 1 or 2 (1962). | ||
| Kansa language | 19 (1990 census). Total: 250. | ||
| Karok language | 10 (1997). Total: 1,900. | ||
| Kashaya language | 45 (1994). | ||
| Kawaiisu language | 8 to 10 (2000). Total: 35. | ||
| Klamath-Modoc language | 1 (1998). Total: 2,000. | ||
| Upper Kuskokwim language | 40 (1995). 3 households (1997). Total: 160. | ||
| Kutenai language | 6 in the USA (2002). | ||
| Louisiana Creole language | 9,600 (2010). | ||
| Louisiana French language | 150,000 to 200,000 (2012). | ||
| Luiseño language | 30 to 40 (2000). Total: 2,000. | ||
| Lushootseed language | 60 (1990). Total: 2,000. | ||
| Northeast Maidu language | 1 to 2 (1994). Total: 108. | ||
| Northwest Maidu language | 3 to 6 (1994). Total: 200. | ||
| Mandan language | 6 (1992). Total: 400. | ||
| Menominee language | 39 (3,500 ethnic) (1977). | ||
| Central Sierra Miwok language | 12 (1994). Possibly 5,000 all Miwok (2000). | ||
| Lake Miwok language | 1 to 2 (1994). | ||
| Northern Sierra Miwok language | 6 (1994). | ||
| Plains Miwok language | 1 (1962). | ||
| Southern Sierra Miwok language | 7 Southern Central Sierra Miwok (1994). | ||
| Mono language | Western Mono: 37 to 41 (1994). Eastern Mono: 50 (1994). Total: 600. | ||
| Nisenan language | 1 (1994). | ||
| Osage language | 5 (1991). Total: 15,000. | ||
| Panamint language | 20. Total: 100. | ||
| Pawnee language | 20 (1997). Total: 2,500. | ||
| Plains Sign Talk | |||
| Central Pomo language | 2 to 5 (1997). Total: 4,766. | ||
| Southeastern Pomo language | 5 (1994). | ||
| Southern Pomo language | 1 (1994). | ||
| Quapaw language | 34 (1990 census). Total: 2,000. | ||
| Quileute language | 10 (1977). Total: 300. | ||
| Straits Salish language | |||
| Serrano language | 1 (1994). | ||
| Snohomish language | 10 (1998). Total: 800. | ||
| Tanacross language | 35 (1997). Total: 120. | ||
| Tanaina language | 75 (1997). Total: 900. | ||
| Lower Tanana language | 30 (1995). Total: 380. | ||
| Tolowa language | 4 to 5 (1994). Total: 1,000. | ||
| Tübatulabal language | 6. Total: 900. | ||
| Tuscarora language | 4 to 5 in the USA (1997). Total: 1,200 in the USA. | ||
| Tututni language | 10 (1962). | ||
| Wasco-Wishram language | 69 (1990 census). Total: 750 possibly. | ||
| Washo language | 10 (1998). Total: 1,500. | ||
| Wichita language | 3 (2000). Total: 1,400. | ||
| Wintu language | 5 or 6 (1997). Total: 2,244. | ||
| Yokutsan languages | 78 speakers of Northern Foothill Yokuts (1990 census). Total: 2,500. | ||
| Yuchi language | 10 to 12 (1997). Total: 1,500. | ||
| Yurok language | 12 (2002). Total: 3,000 to 4,500 possibly. |
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List of endangered languages in North America Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.