{"id":9642,"date":"2025-09-29T11:29:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=9642"},"modified":"2025-09-29T14:52:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T18:52:46","slug":"learn-taino-online-with-the-beginner-taino-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2025\/09\/29\/learn-taino-online-with-the-beginner-taino-course\/","title":{"rendered":"New: The World\u2019s First Digital Ta\u00edno Course"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’ve probably never heard of the largest Indigenous group in North America: the Tai\u0301no.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They were the first Native Americans encountered by Europeans in 1492. Their language was the lingua franca of the Caribbean, spoken in what is now the Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and beyond.<\/p>\n

They and their language were thought to have gone extinct hundreds of years ago.<\/p>\n

Turns out there are an estimated 17 million+ Tai\u0301no descendants living in the United States today. And the world’s first digital Tai\u0301no language course just launched in Transparent Language Online, promising to help descendants far and wide reclaim the language<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Beginner<\/p>\n

Priscilla Col\u00f3n, the founder of Casa Areyto<\/a> and driving force behind the course, explains its significance:<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the language is still officially categorized as extinct, we\u2019re now showcasing the culmination of so many revitalization efforts in this digital course. I ask myself 535 years ago, would our ancestors have imagined that someone like me would exist, and be able to use modern technology to give them a voice after all this time? It means so much to bring this language to life online, so it can reach not just people in one area of the world, but every corner of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who are the Ta\u00edno?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"map<\/h2>\n

They are the original Indigenous inhabitants of many Caribbean islands, including most of the Bahamas,\u00a0Cuba, the\u00a0Dominican Republic,\u00a0Haiti,\u00a0Jamaica,\u00a0Puerto Rico, and the northern\u00a0Lesser Antilles.<\/p>\n

Many Ta\u00edno people were displaced during European colonization of the Americas, leading much of society to consider them extinct.<\/p>\n

But the Ta\u00edno people never died out! Studies have shown that a large portion of Caribbeans have Ta\u00edno ancestry. And the language and culture have continued to be passed down through the generations.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever eaten barbecue<\/em>, swung in a hammock<\/em>, or experienced a hurricane<\/em>, you already know some Ta\u00edno words!<\/p>\n

Thanks to the work of Casa Areyto and 7000 Languages, you can learn a whole lot more with Tainona\u00edki for Beginners, the first digital course to learn the Ta\u00edno language.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What will you learn in the Beginner Ta\u00edno Course?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This course is for anyone interested in learning Ta\u00edno.<\/p>\n

As the course name suggests, it teaches Tainona\u00edki, a modern version of Ta\u00edno outlined in the book Primario B\u00e1sico del Ta\u00edno\u2011Borikena\u00edki<\/em> by Javier A. Hern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n

\"learn<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a modern reconstruction of the language that pulls from a variety of sources, including classic Ta\u00edno words and phrases that survived through Spanish chronicles and various sister languages under the Arawak language family.<\/p>\n

The 138 lessons will take students from having zero knowledge of Ta\u00edno to being able to hold conversations about everyday events, such as introducing yourself and others, talking about your family and profession, discussing the weather, telling time, and so much more.<\/p>\n

Lessons are organized in 52 themed units, covering topics like:<\/p>\n