Tags: Language.
Wappo is an extinct language that was spoken in the Alexander Valley north of San Francisco by the Wappo Native Americans. The last fluent speaker Laura Fish Somersal died in 1990. Wappo’s language death is attributed to the use of English in schools and economic situations such as the workplace. According to Somersal the name for the people and language is derived from the Spanish word guapo meaning handsome or brave.
