Extinct language

An extinct language is a language that no longer is the first language or the second language of anyone.  The opposite of a modern language, an extinct language is not spoken anymore and so no longer develops or changes. The first recorded example in human history is Sumerian.

It is not to be confused with a dead language, such as Latin, which is still spoken as a second language.

Recently-extinct languages

With last known speaker and/or date of death.
 Adai: (late 19th century)
 Akkala Sami: Marja Sergina (2003)
 entire Alsean family
 Alsea: John Albert (1942)
 Yaquina: (1884)
 Apalachee: (early 18th century)
 Atakapa: (early 20th century)
 Atsugewi: (1988)
 Beothuk: Shanawdithit (a.k.a. "Nancy April") (1829)
 entire Catawban family:
 Catawba: before 1960
 Woccon 
 Cayuse: (ca. 1930s)
 Chemakum: (ca. 1940s)
 Chicomuceltec: (late 20th century)
 Chimariko: (ca. 1930s)
 Chitimacha: Benjamin Paul (1934) & Delphine Ducloux (1940)
 entire Chumashan family: Barbareño language was last to become extinct. 
Barbareño: Mary Yee (1965)
Ineseño
Island Chumash
Obispeño
 Purisimeño
 Ventureño
 Coahuilteco: (18th century)
 Cochimí (a Yuman-Cochimí language): (early 19th century)
 entire Comecrudan family
 Comecrudo: recorded from children (Andrade, Emiterio, Joaquin, & others) of last speakers in 1886
 Garza: last recorded in 1828
 Mamulique: last recorded in 1828
 entire Coosan family
 Hanis: Martha Johnson (1972)
 Miluk: Annie Miner Peterson (1939)
 Cornish: (Dolly Pentreath, last fluent speaker, died 1777) (undergoing attempts at revival)
 all Costanoan languages (which make up a subfamily of the Utian language family): (ca. 1940s)
 Karkin
 Mutsun
 Northern Costanoan: 
Ramaytush
Chochenyo
Tamyen
Awaswas
 Rumsen: last recorded speaker died 1939 in Monterey, California.
 Chalon
 Cotoname: last recorded from Santos Cavázos and Emiterio in 1886
 Esselen: report of few speakers left in 1833, extinct before end 19th century
 Gabrielino (an Uto-Aztecan language): elderly speakers last recorded in 1933
 Galice-Applegate (an Athabaskan language):
 Galice dialect: Hoxie Simmons (1963)
 Juaneño (an Uto-Aztecan language): last recorded in 1934
 Kakadu (Gagadju): Big Bill Neidjie (July 2002)
 entire Kalapuyan family:
 Central Kalapuya:
 Ahantchuyuk, Luckimute, Mary's River, and Lower McKenzie River dialects: last speakers were about 6 persons who were all over 60 in 1937
 Santiam dialect: (ca. 1950s)
 Northern Kalapuya:
 Tualatin dialect: Louis Kenoyer (1937)
 Yamhill dialect: Louisa Selky (1915)
 Yonkalla: last recorded in 1937 from Laura Blackery Albertson who only partly remembered it.
 Kamassian: (1989)
 Karankawa: (1858)
 Kathlamet (a Chinookan language): (ca. 1930s)
 Kitanemuk (an Uto-Aztecan language): Marcelino Rivera, Isabella Gonzales, Refugia Duran (last recorded 1937)
 Kitsai (a Caddoan language): (ca. 1940)
 Kwalhioqua-Clatskanie (an Athabaskan language): children of the last speakers remembered a few words, recorded in 1935 & 1942
 Clatskanie dialect: father of Willie Andrew (ca. 1870)
 Kwalhioqua dialect: mother of Lizzie Johnson (1910)
 Lower Chinook (a Chinookan language): (ca. 1930s)
 Mahican: last spoken in Wisconsin (ca. 1930s)
 Manx: Ned Maddrell (December 1974) (but is being revived as a second language)
 Mattole-Bear River (an Athabaskan language):
 Bear River dialect: material from last elderly speaker recorded (ca. 1929)
 Mattole dialect: material recorded (ca. 1930)
 Mbabaram: Albert Bennett (1972)
 Miami-Illinois: (1989)
 Mochica: ca. 1950s
 Mohegan: Fidelia Fielding (1908)
 Molala: Fred Yelkes (1958)
 Munichi: Victoria Huancho Icahuate (late 1990s)
 Natchez: Watt Sam & Nancy Raven (early 1930s)
 Negerhollands: Alice Stevenson (1987)
 Nooksack: Sindick Jimmy (1977)
 Northern Pomo: (1994)
 Nottoway (an Iroquoian language): last recorded before 1836
 Pentlatch (a Salishan language): Joe Nimnim (1940)
 Pánobo (a Pano-Tacanan language): 1991
 Polabian (a Slavic language): (late 18th century)
 Salinan: (ca. 1960)
 entire Shastan family
 Konomihu
 New River Shasta
 Okwanuchu
 Shasta: 3 elderly speakers in 1980, extinct by 1990
 Siuslaw: (ca. 1970s)
 Slovincian  (a Slavic language): (20th century)
 Susquehannock: all last speakers murdered in 1763
 Takelma: Molly Orton (or Molly Orcutt) & Willie Simmons (both not fully fluent) last recorded in 1934
 Tasmanian: (late 19th century)
 Tataviam (an Uto-Aztecan language): Juan José Fustero who remembered only a few words of his grandparents' language (recorded 1913)
 Teteté (an Tucanoan language)
 Tillamook (a Salishan language): (1970)
 Tonkawa: 6 elderly people in 1931
 Tsetsaut (an Athabaskan language): last fluent speaker was elderly man recorded in 1894
 Tunica: Sesostrie Youchigant (ca. mid 20th century)
 Ubykh: Tevfik Esenç (October 1992)
 all dialects of Upper Chinook (a Chinookan language) are extinct, except for the Wasco-Wishram dialect. The Clackamas dialect began extinct in the 1930s, other dialects have little documentation. (The Wasco-Wishram dialect is still spoken by 6 elders.)
 Upper Umpqua: Wolverton Orton, last recorded in 1942
 Vegliot Dalmatian: Tuone Udaina (Italian: Antonio Udina) (10 June 1898)
 Wappo
 Wiyot: Della Prince (1962)
 Yana: Ishi (1916)
 Yola related to English (mid 19th c.)

Related pages
Endangered language
Language death
Language attrition

Other websites
 The Dodo's Fate: How languages become extinct (via Internet Archive)
 Linguist List - List of Ancient and Extinct Languages &A list of ancient and extinct languages with temporary codes