Episode 31: My Language Makes Canada
There are currently over 450 heart languages spoken in Canada, according to the most recent statistics of 2021. With language comes identity, culture, history, and family. And when we immigrate, so much is sacrificed in order to adapt and even survive. Language is one of the first to be compromised. But should it be?
Hostion and Andrea discuss their journey with their family’s heart languages and how submersion into a majority-speaking English country can slowly decrease the use of those languages. What does it mean that Canada is a multi-lingual country? Why do some of us who immigrated choose to avoid speaking our heart language while others of us strive to keep it alive? How do we restore lost languages and what can we pursue in light of language revitalization efforts amplified by the Indigenous Peoples of Canada? Our languages are the languages of Canada - all 450 of them.
Episode Sources
Linguistic Diversity in Canada and It’s Role in Multicultural Marketing - LinkedIn
Census in Brief: Linguistic Diversity and Multilingualism in Canada Homes - Stats Canada
The Association Between Multilingualism and Psychopathic Personality Traits - Journal of Criminal Justice
Why Diaspora Communities in Canada are Struggling to Keep Their First Languages Alive - Broadview
First Voices - Language Revitalization Program
First Peoples’ Cultural Council and Their Language Revitalization Programming and Work
Loss of Canadian Heritage Funding Undermines Indigenous Language Revitalization Program in Victoria - CHEK News
Quiz Sources
Origins of English Language - Britannica
Indigenous Languages Act of 2019 - Government of Canada