List of extinct languages of North America

Language Endangerment Status
by UNESCO *Atlas of the World's*
*Languages in Danger* category
Language Endangerment Status by UNESCO Atlas of the World's; Languages in Danger category
Extinct (EX)
Extinct (EX);	(lists);
Endangered
Critically Endangered (CR); Severely Endangered (SE); Definitely Endangered (DE); Vulnerable (VU);	(list); (list); (list); (list);
Safe
Safe (NE);	no list;
	Other categories
Revived (RE); Constructed (CL);	(list); (list);
	Related topics Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger; Endangered Languages Project; Ethnologue; Unclassified language; List of languages by total number of speakers;
	; UNESCO Atlas of the World's; Languages in Danger categories
	v; t; e;

This is a list of extinct languages of North America, languages which have undergone language death, have no native speakers and no spoken descendant, most of them being languages of former Native American tribes.

Quick Facts Language Endangerment Status by UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger category, Extinct (EX) ...

There are 218 Indigenous, 2 Creole, 3 European, 5 Sign and 13 Pidgin languages listed. In total 241 languages.

Language Endangerment Status by UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger category
Extinct (EX)
Extinct (EX)	(lists)
Endangered
Critically Endangered (CR) Severely Endangered (SE) Definitely Endangered (DE) Vulnerable (VU)	(list) (list) (list) (list)
Safe
Safe (NE)	no list
Other categories
Revived (RE) Constructed (CL)	(list) (list)
Related topics Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger Endangered Languages Project Ethnologue Unclassified language List of languages by total number of speakers
UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger categories
v t e

Language name	Language family	Extinction date	Notes	References
Beothuk	unclassified	6 June 1829
Laurentian	Iroquoian	late 16th century
Neutral Huron	Iroquoian	1671		^[1]
Nicola	Na-Dene	early 20th century
Pentlatch	Salishan	1940	Revival attempts underway	^[2]
Petun	Iroquoian	17th century
Tagish	Na-Dene	2008
Southern Tsimshian	Tsimshianic	2013	Revival attempts underway	^[3]

Language name	Pidgin parent language(s)	Extinction date
Algonquian–Basque pidgin	Basque, Algonquian	approx. 1711
Haida Jargon	Haida	1830s
Inuktitut-English Pidgin	Inuktitut, English	1960s
Labrador Inuit Pidgin French	French, Inuktitut	18th century
Nootka Jargon	Nuu-chah-nulth	(date missing)
Slavey Jargon	Slavey, French	19th century

Language name	Language family	Extinction date	Locations
Caquetio	Arawakan	1862	ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)
Ciguayo	unclassified	16th century	Hispaniola
Guanahatabey	unclassified	16th century	Cuba
Kalinago/Island Carib	Arawakan	1920s	Windward Islands (Guadeloupe to Grenada, except Barbados)
Macorix	unclassified	16th century	Hispaniola
Shebaya	Arawakan	19th century	Trinidad
Taino	Arawakan	19th century	Widespread throughout Caribbean
Yaio	Cariban	17th century	Trinidad, French Guiana

Language name	Language family	Extinction date	Locations	References
Alagüilac	unclassified	before 16th century	Guatemala
Cacaopera	Misumalpan	20th century	El Salvador
Chiquimulilla	Xincan	1996	Guatemala
Chʼoltiʼ	Mayan	late 18th century	Guatemala, Belize
Corobicí	Chibchan	(date missing)	Costa Rica
Cueva	unclassified (Choco?)	by 1535	Panama	^[4]
Dorasque	Chibchan	(date missing)	Panama
Huetar	Chibchan	17th century	Costa Rica
Guazacapán	Xincan	1997	Guatemala
Jumaytepeque	Xincan	1997	Guatemala
Honduran Lenca	Lencan	20th century	Honduras, El Salvador
Mangue/Chorotega	Oto-Manguean	19th century	Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica
Matagalpa	Misumalpan	1997	Nicaragua
Sinacantán	Xincan	20th century	Guatemala
Subtiaba	Oto-Manguean	20th century	Nicaragua
Voto	Chibchan	(date missing)	Costa Rica
Western Jicaque	Jicaquean	late 19th centuery	Honduras
Yupiltepeque	Xincan	1920s	Guatemala

List of extinct languages of North America

Canada

Caribbean

Central America

Sign languages

Greenland

Mexico

United States

Indigenous languages

European languages or dialects

Creole languages or dialects

Pidgin languages

Sign languages

U.S. Virgin Islands

United States and Canada

United States and Mexico

See also

References

Wikiwand - on

Language or dialect name	Dialect parent language	Language family	Extinction date	Notes
Acaxee		Uto-Aztecan	17-18th century
Cazcan/Caxcan/Kaskán		Uto-Aztecan	16th or 17th century
Chiapanec		Oto-Manguean	20th century
Chicomuceltec		Mayan	1970s or 1980s
Cochimí		Yuman–Cochimí	early 20th century
Comecrudo		Comecrudan	19th century
Cuitlatec/Cuitlateco		Language isolate	1960s
Classical Náhuatl	Nahuatl	Uto-Aztecan	late 16th century	used as the lingua franca of the Aztec Empire until its collapse
Eudeve		Uto-Aztecan	1930s
Mamulique		Comecrudan	19th century
Maratino		unclassified	(date missing)
Monqui		unclassified	before 1800
Naolan		unclassified	1950s
Otomi (Jalisco)		unclassified	(date missing)
Quinigua		unclassified	(date missing)
Southern Pame	Pame	Oto-Manguean	mid 20th century
Pericú		unclassified	before 1800
Pochutec		Uto-Aztecan	20th century
Solteco Zapotec	Zapotec	Oto-Manguean	19th century
Tapachultec		Mixe–Zoque	1930s
Teojomulco Chatino	Chatino	Oto-Manguean	early 20th century
Tepecano		Uto-Aztecan	20th century
Tequistlatec		Tequistlatecan	(date missing)
Tubar		Uto-Aztecan	20th century
Waikuri		unclassified	before 1800
Xixime		Uto-Aztecan	17-18th century
Zapotec (Jalisco)		unclassified	(date missing)

Language or dialect name	Language family	Extinction date	Notes	References
Achumawi	Palaihnihan	2013	Revival attempts underway
Adai	unclassified	19th century
Ais	unclassified	18th century
Carolina Algonquian/Pamlico/Croatoan	Algic	1790s
Alsea/Yaquina	Language isolate	1942	Alsea and Yaquina are thought to be either two related languages or two dialects of the same language
Apalachee	Muskogean	18th century	Revival attempts underway
Aranama	unclassified	19th century
Atakapa	Language isolate	20th century
Atsina/Gros Ventre	Algic	2007	Revival attempts underway
Atsugewi	Palaihnihan	1988
Awaswas	Utian	19th century	formerly known as "Santa Cruz"
Barbareño/Ineseño	Chumashan	1965	Revival attempts underway. Barbareño and Ineseño may be related dialects of the same language or closely related languages
Bidai	unclassified	19th century
Biloxi	Siouan	1930s
Caddo/Hasí꞉nay	Caddoan	14 July 2025	Revival attempts underway	^[5]
Cahto/Kato	Na-Dene	1960s
Cahuilla	Uto-Aztecan	by 2024	Revival attempts underway
Calusa	unclassified	19th century
Catawba	Siouan	1959	Revival attempts underway
Cayuse	Language isolate	1930s
Chalon	Utian	19th century
Upper Chehalis	Salishan	2001	Revival attempts underway
Lower Chehalis	Salishan	1990s
Chemakum/Chimakum/Chimacum	Chimakuan	19th century
Chico/Valley Maidu	Maiduan	21st century
Chimariko	Language isolate	1950s
Chitimacha/Sitimaxa	Language isolate	1940	Revival attempts underway
Chiwere/Iowa-Otoe-Missouria/Báxoje-Jíwere-Ñút'achi	Siouan	1996	Revival attempts underway
Chochenyo	Utian	1934	Revival attempts underway
Coahuilteco	Language isolate	18th century
Columbia-Moses	Salishan	2 May 2023	Revival attempts underway	^[6]
Cowlitz	Salishan	20th century	Revival attempts underway
Cruzeño/Isleño/Island Chumash	Chumashan	1915
Cupeño	Uto-Aztecan	1987
Esselen	Language isolate	19th century
Erie	Iroquoian	17th century
Etchemin	Algic	17th century
Eyak	Na-Dene	2008	Revival attempts underway
Galice/Galice-Applegate/Upper Rogue River	Na-Dene	1963
Halchidhoma/Xalychidom	Yuman–Cochimí	(date missing)

Language or dialect name	Dialect parent language	Language family	Extinction date	Notes	References
Eastern Abnaki dialect	Abnaki language	Algic	1993		^[13]
Wyandot		Iroquoian	1972	Revival attempts underway by the Wyandotte Nation (United States) and Huron-Wendat Nation (Canada)	^[14]
Tsetsaut		Na-Dene	early 1930s