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The Horned Snake (1995) Patricia M. Ningewance
To examine the critical state of Aboriginal languages in Canada
as reflected in the 1996 Census, the following maps show:
- Aboriginal Languages by Community, 1996
- Index of Aboriginal Language Continuity, 1996
- Index of Aboriginal Language Ability, 1996
Each map shows information for Aboriginal communities with a minimum
mother tongue population of 20. As of 1996, only three of Canada's
50 Aboriginal languages (Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut) had large
enough populations to be considered truly secure from the threat
of extinction in the long-run. This is not surprising in light of
the fact that only a small proportion of the Aboriginal population
speaks an Aboriginal language. Of some 800 000 persons who claimed
an Aboriginal identity in 1996, only 26% said an Aboriginal language
was their mother tongue and even fewer spoke it at home.
Societal factors often contribute to the decline of languages.
Without doubt, the forces of dominant languages and modernization
exert a strong influence on any minority language. In the case of
Aboriginal languages, historical events such as the prohibition
of indigenous language use in residential schools have also contributed
to this process. In addition, the fact that most Aboriginal languages
were predominantly oral may also have diminished, in an already
difficult environment, their chances of survival.
Shown below in Table 1 is a summary of the principal Aboriginal Languages in Canada. Canada's Aboriginal languages are among the most endangered in
the world. Significant numbers of languages have either already
disappeared or are close to extinction, and among those spoken today,
only 3 of some 50 are viable with a large population base. Large
or small, viable languages tend to have relatively young speakers,
are successfully passed on between generations, and are spoken in
isolated or well-organized communities. In contrast, endangered
languages are characterized by small population groups, older speakers,
and lower rates of language transmission.
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Canada's ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES are many and diverse,
and their importance to indigenous people immense. Language is
one of the most tangible symbols of culture and group identity. It is
not only a means of communication, but a link which connects people with
their past and grounds their social, emotional and spiritual vitality.
Although loss of language does not necessarily lead to the death of a
culture, it can severely handicap transmission of that culture. For Aboriginal
peoples, great losses have already occurred. During the past 100 years
or more, nearly ten once flourishing languages have become extinct; at
least a dozen are on the brink of extinction. When these languages vanish,
they take with them unique ways of looking at the world, explaining the
unknown and making sense of life. 
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