Navajo Language Academy
Encyclopedia
The Navajo Language Academy (NLA; Navajo
Diné Bizaad Naalkaah) is a non-profit educational and advocacy organization which focuses on the Navajo language
.
, and general linguistics
have been offered every summer since 1997. Undergraduate-level courses are offered for college credit.
The NLA differs from such related organizations as the Navajo Nation Division of Diné Education, Diné College
, and the Navajo Language Teachers Association in focusing on scientific research on the Navajo language and on teaching Navajo people, especially language teachers, how to carry out linguistic research and to use existing reference materials.
The Board of Directors
of the NLA includes Navajo linguist Ellavina Perkins
.
The NLA maintains a comprehensive bibliography on Navajo linguistics, available on its web site, and holds the archive of the Navajo material of linguist Ken Hale.
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwestern United States. It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages .Navajo has more speakers than any other Native American language north of the...
Diné Bizaad Naalkaah) is a non-profit educational and advocacy organization which focuses on the Navajo language
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwestern United States. It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages .Navajo has more speakers than any other Native American language north of the...
.
Overview
The NLA organizes efforts of linguists and language instructors to train teachers of Navajo. Summer workshops on the Navajo language, applied linguisticsApplied linguistics
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study that identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems...
, and general linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
have been offered every summer since 1997. Undergraduate-level courses are offered for college credit.
The NLA differs from such related organizations as the Navajo Nation Division of Diné Education, Diné College
Diné College
Diné College is a two-year, tribally controlled community college, serving the 27,000 square-mile Navajo Indian Reservation, which spans the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah....
, and the Navajo Language Teachers Association in focusing on scientific research on the Navajo language and on teaching Navajo people, especially language teachers, how to carry out linguistic research and to use existing reference materials.
The Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of the NLA includes Navajo linguist Ellavina Perkins
Ellavina Perkins
Ellavina Tsosie Perkins is an independent linguist and scholar of the Navajo language.She was a student of the late MIT linguistics professor Ken Hale. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona; her dissertation dealt with word order and lexical scope in Navajo...
.
The NLA maintains a comprehensive bibliography on Navajo linguistics, available on its web site, and holds the archive of the Navajo material of linguist Ken Hale.