Skuy ne ney-wo-chek – It's good to see you!
Reviving Yurok: Saving one of California’s 90 languages
California is home to the greatest diversity of Native American tribes in the US, and even today, 90 identifiable languages are still spoken there.
Many are dying out as the last fluent speakers pass away and English dominates. But one tribe is having success reviving the Yurok language, which was on the verge of extinction and now is being taught in schools.
Courtesy: BBC
Language Revitalization
The use of the Yurok language dramatically decreased when non-Indians settled in the Yurok territory. By the early 1900s the Yurok language was near extinction. It took less than 40 years for the language to reach that level. It took another 70 years for the Yurok language to recover. When the language revitalization effort began the use of old records helped new language learners. However, it was through hearing fluent speakers that many young learners fluency level increased. 
When the Yurok Tribe began to operate as a formal tribal government a language program was created. In 1996 the Yurok Tribe received assistance from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA). With the development of a Long Range Restoration Plan a survey was completed and the results showed that there were only 20 fluent speakers and 12 semi-fluent speakers of the Yurok language. 
After a decade of language restoration activities, the Tribe most recently documented that there are now only 11 fluent Yurok speakers, but now have 37 advanced speakers, 60 intermediate speakers and approximately 311 basic speakers. The Yurok Tribe continues to look to new approaches like the use of digital technology, internet sites, short stories, and supplemental curriculum. The Tribe continues to increase the number of language classes taught on and off the Reservation, at local schools for young learners and at community classes.Learn To Speak Yurok
Aiy-yu-kwee
Skue-yen' ue ke-choyhl
Skue-yen' ue koy
Skue-yen' we nas-chey-wen
Kues cho' son-no-wom'?
Language Revitalization
Geography
Yurok has been spoken in northwest California for many hundreds of years. The traditional territory of the Yurok language and people lies along the Klamath River from Wechpues (Weitchpec) to Rekw’oy (Requa), and also south along the Pacific coast to Chuerey (Trinidad). Neighboring languages include Tolowa (north along the coast), Wiyot (south along the coast), Chilula (in the hills south of the Klamath), Hupa (along the Trinity River, which meets the Klamath at Wechpues), and Karuk (upriver along the Klamath).
People
Before the arrival of Euro-Americans in the mid-nineteenth century, the Yurok language had two or three thousand speakers*; it was the living language of a thriving community. Today, while Yurok is not used as the language of ordinary daily communication in any households, there remain a few elderly first-language speakers who learned the language as children. There is also a very active language revival program in the community and local schools, with formal classes for all ages (preschool through high school, and evening adult classes) and informal immersion groups sponsored by the Yurok Tribe. If you visit Wechpues (Weitchpec) or Hop’ew (Klamath), you may meet an elder who speaks Yurok, but you may also hear young people using the language of their heritage.
*It is hard to estimate the pre-contact population: there are no written records, and many Yurok people died of new diseases or were killed in the decades after White arrival. Population estimates are based on counts of villages and the number of people believed to live in villages.
[From UC Berkely