jano sho:jin - Northern Pomo

Northern Pomo, one of seven distinct Pomo languages, was spoken in Northern California for thousands of years. Because of conquest and colonization by European settlers and government language policies, the language is no longer fluently spoken. The jano sho:jin language app is part of a project to support revitalization and language learning efforts. Jano means “word” or “language” and sho:jin means “hearing.” The title of this app might be translated “Hearing Northern Pomo Words.”


This introductory word-learning app features 85 words illustrated by photos and linked to voice recordings of the late Elenor Stevenson Gonzales and Edna Campbell Guerrero, both fluent speakers of Northern Pomo. The words can be studied within one of 7 categories (food, nature, people, places, animals, in the home, traditional objects) or across the entire set of 85 words. This version of the app includes a word-learning quiz.