A Battle Over Preserving the Lakota Language
We’re sharing a story from our friends at NPR’s Code Switch podcast about a debate over how to preserve the Lakota language.
Reveal · The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX
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Show Notes
Many Lakota people agree it's imperative to revitalize their language, which has declined to fewer than 1,500 fluent speakers, according to some estimates. But how to do that is a matter of broader debate and a contentious legal battle. Should Lakota be codified and standardized to make learning it easier? Or should the language stay as it always has been, defined by many different ways of writing and speaking? The NPR podcast Code Switch explores this complex, multigenerational fight that's been unfolding in the Lakota Nation, from Standing Rock to Pine Ridge.
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