Could the Navajo language be written?

• A. Yes
• B. Sometimes
• C. No
• D. It was never attempted

Answer: (C)

Languages can be represented in writing when there is a system that maps spoken sounds to written symbols. Navajo has a Latin-based writing system developed to capture its sounds, using letters along with digraphs and a glottal stop symbol to represent sounds not found in English. This orthography was established and standardized in the 19th–20th centuries and is used in schools, dictionaries, and literature today, which shows that the language can indeed be written. The famous World War II code talkers highlight the use of Navajo as a spoken code, but that doesn’t mean there is no written form; it just shows two different ways the language can be used. So, Navajo can be written.