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Language Diversity in B.C first peoples’ cultural council fact sheet series | fact sheet 1, march 2018 Language Diversity in B.C. What is language Why is language diversity? diversity important? “Language is one of the most tangible symbols of culture and There are roughly 6,000 to 7,000 The Index of Linguistic Diversity group identity. It is not only a languages spoken in the world indicates an alarming decline in the means of communication, but today. Language diversity is directly world’s language diversity over the a link which connects people 1 connected to cultural and ecological past 35 years. The decrease in the with their past and grounds diversity. Indigenous people number of first language speakers their social, emotional and recognize an essential connection of Indigenous languages shows that spiritual vitality. .When between language and land. Regions many languages are no longer being these languages vanish, with varied geography and high passed on to future generations. they take with them unique ecological diversity also have high Language diversity in B.C. is ways of looking at the world, language diversity. under threat because the process explaining the unknown and B.C. is unique in Canada for its of language transmission in First making sense of life.” Indigenous language diversity. Nations communities was forcibly - Canada’s First Peoples website (2007) In 2007 B.C. was recognized by interrupted by colonization National Geographic as a language and residential schools. This is hot spot. There are 7 Indigenous concerning because language is more language families and 34 languages than just a means of communication. in B.C., representing 60% of the First Nations languages in Canada. language families A language family is a group of languages that are related through descent from a common “ancestor” language. There are 7 language families that make up First Nations languages in B.C. 1. Algonquian 2. Dene or Na-Dene (Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit) 3. Ktunaxa (language isolate) 4. Salishan 5. Tsimshianic 6. Wakashan 7. Xaad Kil/Xaayda Kil (language isolate) First Peoples’ Language Map of B.C. 1Harmon, D. & Loh, J. (2010). The Index of Linguistic Diversity: A new quantitative measure of trends in the status of the world’s languages. Language Documentation & Conservation, 4, 97-151. Copyright © 2018 by First Peoples’ Cultural Council Language is essential to identity Community policies are needed key terms and transmits values, spiritual and to protect First Nations languages traditional practices, and history within homes, communities and • Language hotspot: a geographical across generations. schools. Each community must region with a high level of linguistic diversity. take control of its own language First Nations languages are part of advocacy and establish its language • Language shift: occurs when Canada’s unique cultural heritage, people shift from speaking as an official language within the but more importantly, they are the their heritage language to community. Collaboration among rightful heritage of First Nations another language, resulting in communities, despite language and/ fewer speakers of the heritage people. Language, culture and or dialect differences, will help share language. identity form an inseparable bond resources and information. • Linguistic diversity: a range of that directly affects the health and variations in human languages. well-being of a people. Knowing and Language diversity is sometimes • Mother tongue: an individual’s being able to speak one’s heritage mistakenly seen as a barrier to first language or languages language is a human right. human communication, but diversity learned at birth. offers multiple ways of being in the • Language dialect: one or more Language diversity allows us to see world and can provide unique and varieties of a language that can the world through more than one vary in pronunciation, word and creative solutions to world issues. lens. Indigenous languages have sentence structure, and meaning. Language diversity is a strength to linguistic structures and systems that be celebrated and protected. are different from other languages. They provide insights into the different ways that humans think, interact and use language. How can we support language diversity? The high diversity of First Nations languages in B.C. presents challenges for language revitalization because of limited funding and resources. It is important that we work together and share tools and resources across all languages. Our Living Languages exhibit at the Royal BC Museum where can i learn more? Botero et. al. (2013). Towards a mechanistic & M.R. Brown (Eds.), Maya cultural activism in historical linguistics. Language and Linguistics understanding of linguistic diversity. Bioscience, Guatemala. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. Compass, 8(8), 344-357. 63(7), 524-535. Retrieved from http://bioscience. 178-194. Tulloch, S. (2006). Preserving dialects of an oxfordjournals.org/content/63/7/524.full First Peoples’ Cultural Council. (2010). Report on the endangered language. Current Issues in Canada’s First Peoples website. (2007). Retrieved Status of B.C. First Nations Languages 2014 2nd Language Planning, 7(2-3), 269-286. from http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/ Edition: Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www. Terralingua: Unity in Biocultural Diversity. www. fp_groups_languages.html fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/2014_Language_ terralingua.org Report_Fact_Sheet.pdf England, N.C. (1996). The role of language standardization in revitalization. In E.F. Fischer Haynie, H.J. (2014). Geography and spatial analysis in For more information: First Peoples’ Cultural Council T (250) 652-5952 1A Boat Ramp Road E [email protected] Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1R3 www.fpcc.ca.
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