I read with interest the story “Fading Whispers” on endangered Indigenous languages published by Ethan Bauer in the November 2022 Deseret Magazine.
I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Paraguay from 1979 to 1981. Paraguay is the only country in the Americas with an Indigenous language as one of its official languages: Guaraní. As a missionary, I mostly spoke Spanish, but I was able to pick up some elementary Guaraní during my daily course of life.
Now, recently, I began anew, using Duolingo. Of course, you can only learn Guaraní on Duolingo from Spanish, so for me it has reinforced two languages. Guaraní is now taught in the schools in Paraguay. And I think current efforts will help to preserve its use. Some English terms actually have Guaraní origins, piranha comes from Guaraní, piraña or toothed fish, and jaguar comes from jaguarete.
Hopefully we can find ways to preserve many other languages as a Rosetta Stone to understanding other cultures.
Rodney Wells
Wenatchee, Washington