Tlicho language

The Dogrib language, or Tlicho (/ˈtlɪntʃɒn/; Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì [tɬí̃tʃʰṍ játʰîː]), is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Tłı̨chǫ (Digrib people) of the Canadian Northwest Territories. According to Statistics Canada in 2006, there were 2,640 people who spoke Tlinchon.

The Dogrib language, also commonly referred to as Tłı̨chǫ (which means “dog’s rib”), is spoken by the Dene First Nations people that reside in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The Tłı̨chǫ lands lie east of the Mackenzie River between Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories. The five small communities that speak the language include: Detah, Gameti formerly Rae Lakes, Behchokǫ̀ formerly Rea-Edzo, Wekweti formerly Snare Lake and Wha Ti. There are also about 220 speakers in the city of Yellowknife. From a population number of about 800 during the mid-19th century to about 1,700 by the 1970s, the population has grown to about 2,080 as recorded by the 2011 Census. However, recently the Dogrib language has seen a large decrease in its native speakers with only about 2,470 speakers worldwide, hence placing it under the endangered list of languages.

The Tlinchon region covers the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, reaching almost up to Great Bear Lake. Rae-Edzo, now known by its Tlinchon name, Behchokǫ̀, is the largest community in the Tlicho region. According to the Endangered Languages Project, approximately 1,350 people speak the language while at home. Speakers are commonly fluent in English.

Much of the native speakers of the Dogrib people are not consistently found online and this remains a common occurrence. Their attempts to bridge the gap between the old and new generation of people has been seen in their education system and teaching musical tales and stories at their schools. Music keeps their culture alive and it also inspires the youth to take part in community events that teach them the traditions of the language. Dogrib shares many of its phonology and historical changes with the dialect of Slave. Both Dogrib and Slave separated from each other at some point in history.