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{{Infobox language
| name = Navajo
| altname = Navaho
| nativename = Diné Bizaad
| pronunciation = ˈnɑvəˌhoʊ
ˈnævəˌhoʊ
| states = Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado
| region = Southwest United States
| ethnicity = Navajo
| familycolor = Blue
| fam1 = Na-Dené
| fam2 = Athabaskan Branch
| iso1 = nv
| iso2 = nav
}}
The language of the [[Navajo]] or [[Navajo|Navaho]], Diné Bizaad, simply known as Diné, meaning "The People"<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://Navajopeople.org|title=NavajoPeople.org|access-date=2017-05-02}}</ref> to native speakers is currently the most prominently known indigenous language based in the United States.<ref>Canava, S. (n.d.). Mother Tongue: The Navajo Nation Revives Diné. Retrieved March 09, 2017, from http://thepolitic.org/mother-tongue-the-navajo-nation-revives-dine/</ref> The language belongs to the Athabaskan branch of the Na-Dené family, it is also the largest language of the family. It is closely related to the Apache language (also Athabaskan Na-Dené) but does not share similarities with other [[Indigenous languages of the Americas]]. The language is widely spoken across the Southwestern portion of the [[United States]] with nearly 170,000 speakers, 7,600 of which being monolinguals,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/nav|title=Navajo|work=Ethnologue|access-date=2017-05-02}}</ref> but is most prominently spoken in [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]]. However most of the speakers of [[Navajo]] <nowiki/>live on [[Navajo Nation Reservation]]<nowiki/>s creating a concentrated area of speakers.

While Diné is not a language that faces immediate extinction the exponential decrease in people who speak the language is significant. Both the [[Navajo]] people and supporters of the language have attempted at he revitalization of the language. Efforts to save the language spread past the [[Navajo]] people themselves and have expanded to individuals and whole communities who sympathize with the speakers. With the combined efforts of both the [[Navajo]] tribe and their supporters, including local governments, the language has seen a recent increase in speakers, however consistent growth still eludes the language.

== History ==
Prior to the 1800s, the language was [[spoken language|written]] but not written. Writing of the language emerged in the 1800s through Spanish missionaries, the development of the written portion of the language formed slowly as the [[Navajo]] did not create the written language by themselves but rather with the assistance of interpreters and willing linguists. Because multiple missionaries created unique spelling systems, multiple written [[Navajo]] languages emerged, creating a need for a standardized language.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.avantpage.com/language-spotlight-navajo/|title=Language Spotlight: Navajo, The Endangered Language -|date=2013-09-25|access-date=2017-05-02|language=en-US}}</ref> Employed by the head of Indian Education [[John Collier (sociologist)]] in the 1930s, it was decided [[John Peabody Harrington]], [[Robert W. Young]], William Morgan, and [[Oliver La Farge]] would take charge of the project. The standard [[Navajo]] alphabet was completed in 1939, however it was initially not received well by the [[Navajo]] people due to the distrust of Collier's motivations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://navajopeople.org/navajo-language.htm|title=Navajo Language - Diné Bizaad|last=http://andreasviklund.com/|first=_your name goes here_  / Original design: Andreas Viklund -|website=navajopeople.org|language=en|access-date=2017-05-02}}</ref>

=== Strategic Use ===
With the late emergence of the written [[Navajo]] language the United States decided to employ [[Navajo]] speakers to transmit and decode messages during [[World War II]] as early in the war there was no widely accepted written version. Deciphering the language simply based on phonetics was impossible due to different dialects and the enemies' nonexistent exposure to the language. Even when exposed to the language it is immensely difficult to translate unless previously exposed to the language extensively.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.avantpage.com/language-spotlight-navajo/|title=Language Spotlight: Navajo, The Endangered Language -|date=2013-09-25|access-date=2017-05-02|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Canava, S. (n.d.). Mother Tongue: The Navajo Nation Revives Diné. Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://thepolitic.org/mother-tongue-the-navajo-nation-revives-dine/
* Dick, G. S., & McCarty, T. L. (n.d.). ''Mother Tongue Literacy and Language Renewal: The Case of Navajo.'' (Rep.). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED422133)
* Fuller, E. E. (1982). ''A study of Navajo language maintenance and shift''.
* House, D. (2005). ''Language shift among the Navajos: identity politics and cultural continuity''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
* Language Spotlight: Navajo, The Endangered Language. (2013, September 25). Retrieved March 9, 2017, from https://www.avantpage.com/language-spotlight-navajo/
* Lee, T. (2007). "If They Want Navajo to Be Learned, Then They Should Require It in All Schools": Navajo Teenagers' Experiences, Choices, and Demands regarding Navajo Language. ''Wíčazo Ša Review,'' ''22''(1), 7-33. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30131300
* Navajo (Diné Bizaad). (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.omniglot.com/writing/navajo.htm
* Navajo . (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2017, from <nowiki>http://aboutworldlanguages.com/navajo</nowiki>
* Profile of an Endangered Language: Navajo. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.lionbridgeondemand.com/blog/2016/5/4/profile-of-an-endangered-language-navajo
* Spolsky, B. (2002). Prospects for the Survival of the Navajo Language: A Reconsideration. ''Anthropology & Education Quarterly,'' ''33''(2), 139-162. Retrieved from <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/3196171</nowiki>
* _your name goes here_ / Original design: Andreas Viklund - <nowiki>http://andreasviklund.com/</nowiki>. (n.d.). Navajo Language. Retrieved May 2, 2017, from <nowiki>http://navajopeople.org/navajo-language.htm</nowiki>

== External links ==
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCd9gZQRxpY Provides insight on the usage of tone in the Navajo language