Preserving Native American Languages April 2013 | Page 9

"Breath of Life"

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During the years, despite the fact that there is only a small number of people who would potentially be able to speak these languages and even though it has always been hard to persuade the younger generation to take part, there has been progress in the project (Cohen). There have been many programs and projects for the resuscitation of dormant languages.

In the state of California, Professor emerita at the University of California, Berkeley, Leanne Hilton established the Breath of Life program in 1992. Ms. Hilton added that “representatives from at least 25 languages with no native speakers have participated in the group’s workshops so far” (Cohen).

University of Califonia, Berkeley

In addition to the program created in 1992, Ms. Hilton and a colleague of hers at Yale University received a donation to establish a program similar to the Breath of Life in Washington, D.C. in 2010 (Cohen).

California Indian Tribal Groups