Chapter 9 indigenous languages

Question 1

Three political groupings of Indigenous peoples in Canada

Answer 1

First Nations, Metis, Inuit

Question 2

How many indigenous language families spoken in Canada

Answer 2

7 First Nations families and 2 isolates plus a separate language family spoken by inuit and the mixed language of the metis (10 in total) 50-70 actual languages.

Question 3

Which Indigenous families are just in BC

Answer 3

Salish, Wakashan, Tsimshianic and two isolates Haida and Ktunaxa

Question 4

What are the six indigenous languages spoken on Vancouver Island

Answer 4

Kwak’wala (Wakashan)
•  Nuu-chah-nulth (Wakashan)
•  Ditidaht (Wakashan)
•  Northern Straits Salish (incl. SENĆOŦEN)
•  Hul’q’umi’num (Salish)
•  Comox/Sliammon (Salish)

Question 5

The most extensively spoken Indigenous languages in Canada are

Answer 5

• Cree (Algonquian): 90K speakers in Canada +1K US
• Inuktitut (Eskimo-Aleut): 34K Canada+46K Greenland
• Ojibwe (Algonquian): 31K Canada+ 5K US
• Dëne Sųłiné (Athabaskan): 12K Canada

Question 6

potlatches

Answer 6

an important vehicle for passing down Indigenous values and oral histories in a community’s language. were banned

Question 7

How many indigenous languages are there in Canada?

Answer 7

It is estimated that at the time of contact there were 450 Aboriginal languages and dialects in Canada.
There are now approximately 50-70 Indigenous languages still spoken in Canada

Question 8

All Indigenous languages in Canada are seriously endangered, which three are not at risk of extinction?

Answer 8

Cree, Inuktitut and Ojibwe

Question 9

where has the greatest diversity of Indigenous languages in Canada?

Answer 9

BC, about 30 languages belonging to eight distinct language families.

Question 10

When was the language revitalization movement was fully established?

Answer 10

The language revitalization movement was fully established by the 1980s–early 1990s.

Question 11

What are the strategies for language revitalization?

Answer 11

Speaking the language at home
Language classes
Documentation and preservation
Creation of resources
Teacher training
Policy and political advocacy
Research
Language engineering
Bilingual schooling
Immersion
Immersion in Early Childhood

Question 12

Speaking the language at home

Answer 12

The best way to transmit a language is for children to acquire it as a first language
A long-term plan, and strategies that involve the whole community, work best.

Question 13

Language classes

Answer 13

Indigenous language is taught as a subject

most accessible option, but it tends not to produce fluent speakers

Question 14

Documentation and preservation

Answer 14

Taping Elders speaking the language; creating dictionaries and interactive computer resources
Doesn’t directly create fluent speakers

Question 15

Creation of resources

Answer 15

Creation of teaching resources such as books, audiotapes, CD-ROMs, videotapes and films.

Question 16

Teacher training

Answer 16

A fluent speaker is not automatically a skillful language teacher.
Several institutions offer certified teacher- training programs supporting teaching and learning of Indigenous languages

Question 17

Policy and political advocacy

Answer 17

Fundraising and strategizing at higher levels.

ex. federal Aboriginal Languages Initiative (begun in 1998)

Question 18

Research

Answer 18

partnerships with linguistic scholars allow Indigenous investigators to learn about linguistic theory, to archive language materials, and to produce effective language- learning materials.

Question 19

Language engineering

Answer 19

process of establishing language authorities to create and document new vocabulary.
allows the language to incorporate contemporary expressions for aspects of popular culture, such as rap music or snowboarding.

Question 20

Bilingual schooling

Answer 20

first bilingual Cree-English school opened in Thompson, Manitoba in 2001.
bilingual schools have varying degrees of success

Question 21

Immersion

Answer 21

Adult-specific: Master-Apprentice and small- group programs for regular conversations with Elders.
Early childhood programs (language nests) provide immersion for infants.

Question 22

Immersion in Early Childhood

Answer 22

Within months of being born, babies begin to acquire language; by age five they have mastered the phonology, morphology and syntax of their native language.
Up to three years of age is a critical time for children to acquire the phonology of their first language(s).

Question 23

Language nests

Answer 23

early childhood programs to immerse infants into indigenous language