Alaska Native Language Center in the News

Submitted by Carla Browning
Phone: (907) 474-7778
08/07/02

The Alaska Native Language Center at UAF is in the news this month. Professor of Linguistics, Emeritus Michael Krauss is quoted extensively in an article on saving dying languages in the August issue of "Scientific American."

ANLC, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, was established by state legislation in 1972 as a center for the documentation and preservation of Alaska’s20 Native Indian and Eskimo-Aleut languages. As part of UAF, the center researches these languages and publishes its findings in dictionaries, grammars, story collections and academic papers. The center works to develop community language programs and to train teachers and aides for bilingual classrooms.

Through its teaching program, ANLC offers a bachelor of arts degree in Yup’ik or Inupiaq Eskimo, classes in Gwich’in Athabascan, and overview courses in the history classification, and general linguistics of Alaska Native languages. An associate of applied science degree or certificate in Native language education and special classes in language literacy are also available. A career ladder program works to help Native educators enhance their teaching skills.

The ANLC archive holds more than 10,000 items in or about Alaska Native languages, including the earliest documentation from the 1700s. It is the major center in the U.S. for the study of Eskimo and Northern Athabascan languages.

To obtain a copy of the article visit the Scientific American Web site

Contact: Michael Krauss, Professor Emeritus at (907) 474-6588 or ffmek@uaf.edu.