This fall, the U will become one of the only two schools in Utah offering courses on the Navajo language.
U students, both Navajo and non-Navajo, have expressed interest in taking the new language class offered this fall, said Professor Anthony Shirley, instructor for the course.
"The class reflects the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the Navajo Nation in the state of Utah," said Mushira Eid, chairwoman of the languages and literature department and professor of Arabic and linguistics.
The Navajo Nation is the biggest American Indian reservation in the world, reaching parts of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.
Non-Navajos are interested in the course because they plan to work within the Navajo community after they graduate, Shirley said.
The class will begin with a two-week history of the Navajo people.
"To understand the language, one must know the people and its history," Shirley said.
The U is one of just 20 institutions in the nation offering the language course.
Navajo is a dying language. Roughly 63 percent of Navajos speak the language, and the majority of those who speak it are older than 28, Shirley said.
"This shows that Navajo is a language not being learned by the new generation," he said.
The Navajo people and language have played an important role in the United States' history. During World War II, the U.S. military used the Navajo language as a secret communication code to defeat the Japanese. The code was never broken.
The class is recommended for students interested in the American West and areas of study such as anthropology, archeology, history, languages and linguistics, as well as students who are looking for language classes to satisfy their B.A. language requirement, Eid said.
"In the long run, this course will certainly complement the curriculum (for students) who may perhaps be taking American Indian studies as a minor or may perhaps be working in any field that has high numbers of Native American communities," Shirley said. "The U of U is in this continuous effort to work towards diversity. Our courses should also reflect that. We are also working to eventually put together a Navajo traditions and culture course."
Students will receive four credit hours from the language course. Course enrollment is not yet full.
"We hope to have enough enrollments in the class to allow us to offer a second-year Navajo," Eid said.
pmuir@chronicle.utah.edu
