Native American Languages

An overview of the bilingual specialist endorsement program of the Fort Lewis College Teacher Education Department. The program allows teachers in the state of Colorado to become licensed in teaching the Navajo language. This is incredibly important, as it creates instructors who are trained in both Native languages and pedagogy.

Navajo Preparatory School is a College Preparatory School located in Farmington and sanctioned by the Navajo Nation. The program includes a strong emphasis on Navajo language, history, and culture. Ninth and 10th graders are required to take Navajo language classes. Additionally, the school (alongside San Juan College) offers several classes Navajo history, culture, and government.

In addition to the classes, Navajo Preparatory Academy has an extensive collection of Navajo language materials in their collection.

On December 30, 2024, the Navajo Nation made Diné bizaad (the Navajo language) the official language of the Navajo nation. Not only is this a symbolic gesture that reflects the importance that the nation has to the people, the Navajo Nation also is also using this as an opportunity to appropriate additional funds to Navajo language revitalization initiatives.

This news article provides an overview of the language revitalization programs of Navajo Technical University as reported by Tribal College. It provides an overview of the programs of NTU, including both academic and community outreach. The article discusses the KCZY 107.3 FM radio station, a Navajo language radio station hosted by the college. The article also includes a series of best practices for Tribal Colleges and Universities for language revitalization programs.

An overview of the various language and culture classes offered by the Phoenix Indian Center. The center offers 8 week classes virtually and in-person (at the main Indian center and two additional location). These language courses cover the basics of language syntax, common use phrases, along with culturally relevant stories and teachings. In addition to the language classes, the Phoenix Indian Center also has elder mentoring courses through Americorps.

NOTE: In addition to Navajo classes, the Phoenix Indian Center also has classes in the O’odham language.

An overview of the Navajo Language Bachelor's program at Diné College. Established in 2018, the Bachelor of Arts in Diné Studies fulfills the founders’ vision that Diné College would be a premier institution providing education to perpetuate and sustain the Diné language and culture. In addition to the degree program, Diné college also has programs for Teaching Navajo to the community.

The San Juan College Modern languages program includes a program for learning Navajo. The program includes a word processor, three Navajo fonts, an English to Navajo dictionary and a Navajo to English dictionary.

In addition to their programs, the San Juan College Library also has an extensive collection of Navajo language materials in their Southwest Room Collection.

An overview of Navajo courses being offered in various colleges and universities across the four corners and beyond. While this list is a bit outdated (being last updated in 2019), it provides an overview as to the types and locations of institutions that provide classes in the Navajo language.

On overview of the Navajo Dual Language Immersion program offered at the Central Consolidated School District in the Newcomb/Naschitti area. The program is a a one-way immersion program meaning that the focus is for students to acquire their heritage language. This program is a 50/50 model for K-5 students.

An overview of the various classes in Navajo Language and Navajo History/Culture offered by Albuquerque Public Schools. Albuquerque Public Schools offers up to Navajo 4.

For over 50 years, the University of New Mexico has offered classes in the Navajo language through the Department of Linguistics. The program offers a minor in Navajo and an advanced language studies with a concentration in Native Languages of the Southwest in the Linguistics master’s degree program. The program is one of the largest Navajo language programs in the state and the world.

Navajo Language Renaissance is a non-profit organization that has been working to preserve the Navajo language. Their greatest contribution was helping to create the Navajo Language Rosetta Stone program. They also created the NLR Navajo Language Exam, which is designed to test basic Navajo Proficiency.

An overview of the Navajo language program at Northern Arizona University's Navajo minor. The website includes information about the philosophical underpinnings of the program, the requirements for the minor, and the classes offered by Northern Arizona University

The Navajo Nation Department of Dine Education is the education department of the Navajo Nation. The Department of Dine Education includes several initiatives dedicated to preserving the Navajo language, including bilingual language classes, bilingual certification (Navajo Nation seal of bilingual proficiency assessment), and Navajo language immersion programs/schools.

An overview of different grammatical structures of Navajo, as published by the University of Arizona Linguistics Circle. It is intended to provide definitions and examples of important and basic terms and concepts used in the study of Navajo language. While it has a bit of a focus on linguistics, it may still be useful for somebody studying the language.

Duolingo is one of the greatest, free, language learning applications in the U.S. It serves as one of the best applications for learning the Navajo language for newcomers and for people who want to improve their language skills. In addition to Navajo, Duolingo also has lessons in Hawaiian.

NOTE: The logo of Duolingo is an owl, which is considered taboo among many Navajo.

A reupload of a Navajo/English dictionary, published in 1958 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The reuload is published by University of Northern Colorado and is hosted by Wikimedia. It includes the translations of several significant terms and a brief overview of translations.

An extensive overview of the Navajo Language by Wikipedia. The article starts out with the nomenclature of the term "Navajo," the relationship between Navajo and other Native languages, and a description of the history of the language, including the Navajo code talkers. The article then goes into the linguistics of Navajo including the phonology (consonants and vowels, grammar, vocabulary (especially the language's resistance ot loan words), and orthography.

Navajo Language Renaissance is a non-profit organization that has been working to preserve the Navajo language. Their greatest contribution was helping to create the Navajo Language Rosetta Stone program. They also created the NLR Navajo Language Exam, which is designed to test basic Navajo Proficiency.

A collection of digitized Children's books written in native languages, that were collected and digitized by the University of New Mexico. A majority of these books are in Navajo, but two are in Tewa.

A translation of Wikipedia in Navajo/Diné bizaad. While the articles in this version of wikipedia aren't as extensive as the articles in the English language wikipedia, it is still a useful resource for learning the language and for finding basic information in the language.

An overview of 99 words in the Navajo language by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's ASJP database. The database includes words for pronouns, animals, body parts, and geographical/astrological terms.