A study of reasons for Navajo language attrition as perceived by Navajo-speaking parents

The focus of this research was an analysis of Navajo language attrition as perceived by Navajo-speaking parents. This study examined issues related to disappearing languages and threat to cultural diversity, as well as a sense of being alone for the elders who are mono-lingual speakers of Navajo, and a loss of social control, for it is within the Navajo language that safety is reached.;The literature review identified some of the reasons for the attrition in the number of speakers of indigenous languages and presented some reasons for maintaining and preserving indigenous languages.;The research was fundamentally a qualitative case study methodology, examining the questions being studied in the context of the cultural lifestyles of the Navajo people, while not reducing the richness or importance of the culture.;Ten case studies are presented in this research. The respondents were Navajo-speaking parents of students found to be non-speakers of Navajo, attending Rocky Ridge Boarding School. Two research questions drove the study: (1) the reason for Navajo language attrition among Navajo youth as perceived by Navajo-speaking parents although the children are surrounded by Navajo-speaking relatives; (2) recommendations the parents have for the maintenance and preservation of the Navajo language.;Parents believed language attrition was due to: (1) English-speaking friends; (2) time spent away from home; (3) the child was ashamed of the language; (4) the language was kept from the child to allow him to do well in school; (5) the parents did not speak to the child in Navajo; or (6) Navajo language speaking was discouraged at school. One convergent theme in the parent's responses is the dominance of the English language in their children's lives. The principal recommendation emerging from this research is that the parents need to teach their children the Navajo language and the language could be taught in the schools.