Eyak language dead
Monday, February 11th, 2008Like all forms of living thing, languages can also become extinct; and this is precisely what has happened in January 2008, as Marie Smith Jones aged 89, passed away.
Marie Smith Jones, a resident of Alaska, was believed to be the last native speaker of the Eyak language in the State. The traditional Eyak homeland runs along almost 300 miles of the Gulf of Alaska, but over centuries the use of the Eyak language declined. This was particularly exacerbated during the 20th century when the use of any other language other than English was actively discouraged and sometimes harshly enforced.