Did you know Tāłtān (Tahltan) is critically endangered?

ALSO KNOWN AS		Nahanni, Tahltan, Tahl-tan
CLASSIFICATION		Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit, Athabaskan
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		tht
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia” .

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
99
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
2,212
SEMI SPEAKERS
440
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
http://maps.fphlcc.ca/tahltan

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: British Columbia

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
5
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
15

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: British Columbia

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
35
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
750
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Speaker number data: (W. Poser 2002). Ethnic population: 750 (1977 SIL).

130 (2011 census) (2013).

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

Older adults; no children speak or understand it.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Englishu

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Northwest British Columbia, Telegraph Creek.

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
60
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: British Columbia

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
43
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
2,695
SEMI SPEAKERS
54
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Fluent speakers 1.6%, semi-speakers 2%, Language learners 5.8%

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

1.6% fluent speakers, 2% semispeakers, 5.8% active language learners

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
45
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
60

DATE OF INFO: 2014

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

1.8% fluent speakers, 2.4% semispeakers, 4.6% learners.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

English

PLACES: Canada: British Columbia

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: British Columbia:
Iskut First Nations
Dease Lake
Tahltan Band (Telegraph Creek)

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
5
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
100
SEMI SPEAKERS
15?
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Tahltan is closely related to Kaska (with which it is easily mutually intelligible) and to (nearly extinct) Tagish in the southern Yukon. It is principally the language of the remote community of Telegraph Creek, where there are five fluent speakers and perhaps 15 passive speakers out of a total population of 100. It is also spoken in the mixed Sekani-Tahltan community of Iskut, at Kinaskan Lake. No children are reported to speak or understand it.

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Northwestern British Columbia. Telegraph Creek, on the upper Stikine River. It is also spoken in the mixed Sekani-Tahltan community of Iskut, at Kinaskan Lake.

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
35
Native speakers worldwide

37 fluent and 55 semi-speakers. 124 language learners.
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
2,733
SEMI SPEAKERS
55

	2012	First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia							First Peoples' Cultural Council	http://www.maps.fphlcc.ca/		2012. "First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia." edited by First Peoples' Cultural Council. Online: http://www.maps.fphlcc.ca/.		2,212	99		10-99	http://maps.fphlcc.ca/tahltan	440		English	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15		15		Canada;	British Columbia	57.8700000, -130.0400000
	2007	North America	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	1-96	C. Moseley		London & New York: Routledge				Victor Golla	Golla, Victor. 2007. "North America." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by C. Moseley. 1-96. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD		5		10-99		15		English	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15		15		Canada;	British Columbia
16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis		SIL International	Dallas, TX		http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	750	35		10-99	Speaker number data: (W. Poser 2002). Ethnic population: 750 (1977 SIL). 130 (2011 census) (2013).			Englishu	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	Older adults; no children speak or understand it.	15		Canada;	Northwest British Columbia, Telegraph Creek.
3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing	Paris		http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		60		10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Canada;	British Columbia	57.8451,-129.9745
3	2018	Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages					First People's Cultural Council		First Peoples' Cultural Council		Britt Dunlop, Suzanne Gessner, Tracey Herbert & Aliana Parker			2,695	43		10-99	Fluent speakers 1.6%, semi-speakers 2%, Language learners 5.8%	54			Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	1.6% fluent speakers, 2% semispeakers, 5.8% active language learners	15
	2014	Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages (2nd Edition) 2014				Website: http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC)			http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC)	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC). 2014. Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages (2nd Edition). http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf			45	2014	10-99		60		English	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	1.8% fluent speakers, 2.4% semispeakers, 4.6% learners.	15	British Columbia: Iskut First Nations Dease Lake Tahltan Band (Telegraph Creek)	Canada: British Columbia
	2008	North America	Atlas of the World's Languages	7-41	Chris Moseley and Ron Asher		Routledge	London			Victor Golla and Ives Goddard and Lyle Campbell and Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco	Victor Golla, Ives Goddard, Lyle Campbell, Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco. 2008. "North America." In Atlas of the World's Languages, edited by Chris Moseley and Ron Asher. 7-41. Routledge.		100	5		1-9	Tahltan is closely related to Kaska (with which it is easily mutually intelligible) and to (nearly extinct) Tagish in the southern Yukon. It is principally the language of the remote community of Telegraph Creek, where there are five fluent speakers and perhaps 15 passive speakers out of a total population of 100. It is also spoken in the mixed Sekani-Tahltan community of Iskut, at Kinaskan Lake. No children are reported to speak or understand it.	15?		English	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15		15		Canada;	Northwestern British Columbia. Telegraph Creek, on the upper Stikine River. It is also spoken in the mixed Sekani-Tahltan community of Iskut, at Kinaskan Lake.
		World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			35		10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
	2022	Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages (Fourth Edition)								https://fpcc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FPCC-LanguageReport-23.02.14-FINAL.pdf	Gessner, Suzanne, Tracey Herbertn and Aliana Parker			2,733	37 fluent and 55 semi-speakers. 124 language learners.		10-99		55	124

Tāłtān (Tahltan)

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

99

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

35

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

60

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

43

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

45

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

35

37 fluent and 55 semi-speakers. 124 language learners.

Discussion

Tāłtān (Tahltan)

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

99

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

35

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

60

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

43

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

45

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

35

37 fluent and 55 semi-speakers. 124 language learners.

Discussion

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Sources of information

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