Fort Simpson (Mar 07/03) - Thirteen women from the Deh Cho and Sahtu strengthened their aboriginal language literacy skills in late February.

But some of them echoed a growing concern over the future of the Slavey language.

Bernice Bonnetrouge of Fort Simpson noted that most children don't even understand the simplest of Slavey words.

Laura Vital, a classroom assistant at Charles Yohin school in Nahanni Butte for close to 25 years, said the students there speak almost exclusively English.

"Also it has to come from the home," Vital said.

Slavey instructor Phil Howard agreed.

"If it's not used in the home it won't survive too many generations," said Howard, who established the written form of the Slavey. "Little kids have no trouble at all learning a language."

Yet a late start can still amount to a success story.

Neither Bonnetrouge, nor Jean Marie River's Wanda Norwegian, grew up speaking Slavey in their homes.

"I just picked it up here and there," Bonnetrouge said. "Asking questions, that's where I learn."

Norwegian added, "I noticed (as an adult) that everyone was saying to use our language so I wanted to learn it more."

The participants in the Literacy in an Aboriginal Language course, levels one and two, will be eligible to receive a certificate if they scored passed their exam and have the necessary prerequisite courses, instructor Andy Norwegian said.

Bonnetrouge said the class taught her that there are many ways to use a verb in Slavey.

For example, there are more than 20 ways to use the Slavey word equivalent to dancing, she noted.