The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) announced Dec. 16, 2025, its partnership with Rosetta Stone to develop a digital language course, in hopes of continuing the preservation and revitalization of the Choctaw language, making learning Chahta anumpa more accessible.
“When we speak Chahta, our ancestors speak through us. Sharing our language ensures their voices will never fade,” Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said in a statement. “This partnership to share our language is more than a program. It is an act of love for our people and a promise to keep our culture alive for generations to come.”
Chahta anumpa will be included in Rosetta Stone’s Endangered Languages Program, which focuses on recording and teaching at-risk languages through partnerships with Indigenous communities. The program works with native speakers to document pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, while incorporating cultural context and imagery into its curriculum.
According to the company, Rosetta Stone has partnered with Indigenous communities worldwide to help preserve several endangered languages over the past two decades.
“Language is deeply personal. It connects us to family, history and place,” said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning, Rosetta Stone’s parent company. “Through our Endangered Languages Program, we’re honored to work alongside the Choctaw Nation to protect not just words, but the identities and cultures they carry.”
The Choctaw Nation has made language preservation one of its key priorities, and the Rosetta Stone partnership is an addition to its existing efforts. The Tribe currently offers language classes, apprenticeships and community-based programs, and has developed several online language resources.
Still, tribal language leaders say additional tools are urgently needed.
“We are in what anthropologists and linguists call language death crisis mode,” said Teresa Billy, first speaker and assistant director of the School of Choctaw Language. “We needed another avenue to provide for our tribal members in which to learn the language.”
Billy is confident that this partnership will be a useful tool in the fight to preserve the Choctaw language, filling the gap created by the loss of so many fluent speakers and teachers.
“When I started (working for CNO’s language department) in ‘04, we had 30 community teachers and they were all fluent speakers. Over half of them are now gone and have passed on,” said Billy. “You can quickly see how many (fluent) teachers can be lost. You can’t create new teachers fast enough.”
According to Billy, the Rosetta Stone course will be structured in three progressive levels, each increasing in complexity and designed to help learners become conversational speakers by the final level.
“You add your pronouns, your possessive adjectives, your possessive verbs,” she said. “The different aspects and structure of the language will be there for a person to be able to be a good conversational speaker at the end of Level Three.”
The first level of the course is scheduled for release in June 2026, with the remaining two levels expected over the next two years. In the meantime, Billy encouraged interested learners to participate in existing classes and community programs.
“Many people are hungry for connection, for identity,” she said. “There’s nothing that connects you quicker to who you are than your mother tongue.”
For the Choctaw Nation, the partnership represents a long-term investment in the survival of Chahta anumpa and a renewed effort to ensure future generations remain connected to their language, culture and heritage.
Choctaw Dictionary
Chahta Anumpa Aiikhvna offers a free, searchable online dictionary that features translations, pronunciations, and examples of word usage. The dictionary is available on the official Choctaw Nation website at dictionary.choctawnation.com.
Choctaw Phrasebook
One of Chahta Anumpa Aiikhvna’s most recent offerings is the Chahta phrasebook. The phrasebook is a quick and easy way to learn everyday Choctaw expressions. Organized by topic, it includes common greetings, cultural phrases and useful conversational terms.
Choctaw Language Classes
Chahta Anumpa Aiikhvna offers flexible learning options for all skill levels, including Zoom classes, self-guided courses and college credit opportunities. The School of Choctaw Language also provides high school Choctaw classes in 38 public schools.
Choctaw Language Nest
The Choctaw Language Nest program offers participating families training and support through in-person instruction, learning with fluent speakers and family-friendly activities.
Language Apprenticeship Program
The Choctaw Language Apprenticeship program is a year-long, full-time program that pairs learners with Chahta speakers for daily instruction in Choctaw grammar, conversation and cultural understanding. Participants gain the skills needed to help sustain and revitalize our language for future generations.
Translation Request
Chahta Anumpa Aiikhvna offers online Choctaw translation requests Translations are limited to short words or phrases and may take up to five business days to complete, depending on workload, availability and complexity.
Chahta Stories, Hymns and Other Resources
Chahta Anumpa Aiikhvna provides a list of resources to the public to help explore the Chahta language, culture and history through videos, stories, hymns and lessons. These resources can be found.
