Navajo
Navajo, or Diné Bizaad, is a treasured language from the Athabaskan family, spoken by the Navajo people who primarily live in the Southwestern United States—across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American tribe in the U.S., and its language is a vital part of its identity.
Despite many challenges over the years, Navajo remains a powerful symbol of resilience and cultural richness. Learning Navajo offers a meaningful way to connect with its deep heritage and play a role in preserving this unique and vibrant tradition.
The Navajo alphabet:
A B Ch Ch’ D Dl Dz E G Gh H Hw I J K K’ Kw L Ł M N O S Sh T T’ Tł Tł’ Ts Ts’ W X Y Z Zh
The vowel sounds can have either a high tone or a nasal tone mark, or even both simultaneously.
Á Ą Ą́ É Ę Ę́ Í Į Į́ Ó Ǫ Ǫ́
Glottal marks (‘) are used wherever an abrupt cessation of sound is required. For a better understanding, utter the English vowels "A, E, I, O" in rapid succession and observe your throat's shift between each vowel. Such marks can be used after both vowels and consonants.