List of last known speakers of languages

Any language is determined to be an extinct language when the last native or fluent speaker of that language dies.

There are some 500 languages out of a total of 6000 being classified as nearly extinct because "only a few elderly speakers are still living".^[1]

Chronology

• Chesten Marchant (died 1676), believed to have been the last monoglot Cornish speaker, as opposed to other speakers such as Dolly Pentreath who could also speak English
• Margaret McMurray (died 1760), the last native speakers of a Lowland dialect of Scottish Gaelic in the Galloway variety
• Dolly Pentreath (died 1777), possibly the last fluent native speaker of the Cornish language, was monoglot until her twenties
• Frances Johnson, the last fluent speaker of the Takelma language of Oregon, United States
• Walter Sutherland (died ca. 1850), the last speaker of Norn
• Nikonha (ca. 1765–1871), the last full-blooded speaker of Tutelo (though partial knowledge of this language continued among mixed Cayuga-Tutelo descendants for some time.)
• Trugernanner (ca. 1812–1876), considered to be the last full-blood speaker of a Tasmanian language;^[2] however, Fanny Cochrane Smith, who spoke one of the Tasmanian languages, outlived her
• John Davey (1812–1891), was a Cornish farmer who was one of the last people with some traditional knowledge of the Cornish language^[3]
• Tuone Udaina (died 1898), the last speaker of the Dalmatian language
• Fanny Cochrane Smith (1834–1905), considered to be the last fluent speaker of a Tasmanian language
• Fidelia Fielding (1827–1908), Mohegan Pequot language
• John Mann (1834-?), the last attested native Cornish language speaker, part of a group of children who conversed in Cornish, interviewed in 1914 at the age of 80.^[4]
• Ishi (ca. 1860–1916), the last member of the Yahi, the last surviving group of the Yana people who spoke Yana
• Sally Noble (died 1922), the last speaker of the Chimariko language
• Ascencion Solorsano (died 1930), indigenous language Mutsun^[5]
• Watt Sam and Nancy Raven (died in the late 1930s), the two last fluent speakers of the Natchez language
• Isabel Meadows (1846–1939), the last fluent speaker of the Rumsen Ohlone language
• Mary Yee (1897–1965),^[6] the last first-language speaker of the Barbareño language
• Ned Maddrell (1877–1974), the last surviving native speaker of the Manx language
• Armand Lunel (1892–1977), Jewish dialect of Occitan language
• Alf Palmer (ca. 1891–1981), the last native speaker of the Australian aboriginal language Warrungu
• Jack Butler (1901–1986), Jiwarli language of Australia
• Roscinda Nolasquez (1892–1987), the last speaker of the Cupeño language of Southern California
• Klavdiya Plotnikova (ca. 1895–1989), the last speaker of the Kamassian language
• Morndi Munro (died in the 1990s), the last fluent speaker of the Unggumi language of Western Australia
• Tevfik Esenç (1904–1992), the last known fully competent speaker of the Ubykh language
• Algy Paterson (died 1995), the last fluent speaker of the Martuthunira language of Western Australia
• Truman Washington Dailey (1898–1996), the last native speaker of the Otoe-Missouria dialect of Chiwere
• Red Thunder Cloud (1919–1996), the last native speaker of the Catawba Indian language
• Vyie (died 1997), the last native speaker of the Sirenik Eskimo language
• Carmel Charles (1912–1999), the last fluent speaker of the Nyulnyul language of Western Australia
• Big Bill Neidjie (ca. 1920–2002), Gaagudju language of the Northern Territory of Australia
• Marie Smith Jones (1918–2008), indigenous Eyak language of Southcentral Alaska
• Ms. Boro (died 2009), the last fluent speaker of the Aka-Kora language of the Andaman Islands
• Viktors Bertholds (1921–2009), believed to be the last native speaker of the Livonian language^[7]
• William Rozario (died 2009) last known speaker of Cochin Indo-Portuguese Creole^[8]
• Pan Jin-yu (1914–2010), the last speaker of the Pazeh language of Taiwan
• Boa Sr. (ca. 1925–2010),^[9] Andamanese language Aka-Bo

Living last speakers

• Doris McLemore (born 1927), the last fluent speaker of the Wichita language.^[10]
• Cristina Calderón (born c. 1928), became the last speaker of the Yaghan language in 2005.
• Edwin Benson (born 1931), the last speaker of the Mandan language.
• Charlie Mungulda, the last native speaker of the Amurdag language.^[11]
• John Steckley, reportedly the last known speaker of the Wyandot language (not a native speaker)
• Verdena Parker, last fluent speaker of the Hupa language.^[12][13]

See also

• Language death
• Extinct language
• Lists of endangered languages

References