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Language Love and Loss
12-26-2016
Since September, we’ve been learning about different aspects of Canada’s Aboriginal traditions and beliefs. Through the new curriculum designed by the Ministry of Education, BC students are expected to develop an understanding and appreciation for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people. Therefore, we all, especially those of us who immigrated to Canada as adults, should also educate ourselves about the rich heritage of the first inhabitants of the land we call home.
One critical part of any culture is its language. Knowledge, heritage, and identity are passed on generation by generation by language. Shared language is fundamentally inclusive and binds members of the community together. Pride in language and culture are keys to personal identity, self-worth, and mental wellness. Likewise, if one’s language is deemed inferior or denigrated then shame and self-loathing easily follow.
Native people of Canada have a complicated legacy of language pride and shame. We have an incredible amount of linguistic diversity with eleven indigenous language families producing at least 60 individual languages and dozens of additional dialects. The eleven language families are: Algonquian, Athapaskan, Eskimo-Aleut, Haida, Iroquoian, Ktunaxa, Salishan, Siouan, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Wakashan – some names may be slightly familiar, but I suspect, many are unknown. Linguists verify that First Nations languages are typologically unique and use grammatical structures remarkably different from languages that originated in other parts of the world. By studying the intricateness of First Nations languages, we can gain a better understanding of how humans develop and use language.
But delving deeply into Canadian Aboriginal languages is difficult due to two factors plaguing many local languages throughout the world: lack of a traditional writing system and drastic declines in the number of speakers.
Historically, First Nation peoples relied on an oral system to preserve and transmit culture and heritage. Starting in the mid-19th century, missionaries created writing systems to codify the spoken words. Attempts were made to capture in writing the stories and myths of the various peoples, along with personal anecdotes, but much of the human history covering more than 10,000 years of life in Canada before colonization has been irreplaceably lost. Without ancient texts for comparison it is nearly impossible to trace the development of the individual languages and dialects.
Even more troublesome is the rapid decline in the number of fluent speakers of many of these peripheral languages. In the 2011 Census, only 14.5% of Canada’s First Nation’s population indicated that their mother tongue was an Aboriginal one. In 1996, the number was 26% - a drop of nearly 50% in only fifteen years. UNESCO findings show that 54% of Canada’s native languages are endangered, meaning most of the speakers are age 65 and older, and all are vulnerable. Here in British Columbia, there are over 30 indigenous mother tongues, with most of them spoken fluently by fewer than 1,000 people. As the elders die, so does the language.
One of the major reasons for the sharp decline in native language use is the assimilation strategy of the residential school system. Children were snatched away from their families during the formative years and forbidden to speak anything other than English, or more rarely, French. Cut off from their families and communities, many residential school survivors lost their ability to speak their first language and therefore were not able to teach the language to their own children. Many others internalized feelings of shame and inferiority regarding their own language and prefer their children learn English or French to fit into society better and avoid the stigma they suffered. Other factors in the erosion of local languages is the lack of qualified teachers and curriculum, the influence of the media where English is dominant, and urbanization.
Saving Canada’s Aboriginal languages has recently gained traction with community leaders, politicians, and schools recognizing the urgency of the matter. In 2010, Canada endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Included is the right to be educated in one’s own indigenous language. BC’s Ministry of Education has developed curriculum to teach First Nations languages and has a special process allowing native speakers to earn teaching certification in an expedited manner. It is especially encouraging to see preschool programs providing native language exposure, since children are language sponges when young.
Speaking our mother tongue is not only an expression of identity and belonging, it is an affirmation of worth, an assertion of empowerment, and an expression of love. Many readers can personally attest to this as English is their second, or even third, language. Therefore, we have an obligation to appreciate and safeguard the indigenous languages of Canada because we understand their value and worth.
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