Mapping Notes
These maps show data by Aboriginal communities.
These consist of Indian reserves, and other communities inhabited
primarily by Inuit and other Aboriginal groups. The set of communities
mapped are restricted to only those communities where the population
reported an Aboriginal language as their mother tongue which exceeds
twenty people. Communities which were incompletely enumerated for
the 1996 Census are not shown.
Data Note
Research for these three maps is based on data from the 1981 to
1999 Censuses as well as the 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS).
Because of changes in concepts and measures of the Aboriginal population
over time, the time-series analysis from the Census is restricted
to language based data only, such that Aboriginal language data
are reported for the total population. The Aboriginal identity population
includes those people who reported identifying with at least one
Aboriginal group, that is, North American Indian, Métis or Inuit
in 1996. In 199l and in previous censuses, a person's ethnic origin
question was based primarily on ancestry.
To ensure comparability over time, this study controlled for incomplete
enumeration of reserves between 1981 and 1996, and recoding of languages
in the 1986, 1991 and 1996 censuses to correspond to the 1981 classifications,
Prior to 1981, detailed data on individual Aboriginal languages
were not available - the only distinctions made were between Indian
and Eskimo (lnuit). While the level of detail in terms of individual
languages generally increased with each census some of the smaller
languages coded separately in earlier censuses were collapsed into
broader groupings because of declining numbers.
Single response: occurs when the respondent reports
one language only as his or her mother tongue or home language.
In this article, time series data (1981 to 1996) are based on single
responses since multiple responses were not available until 1986.
Multiple response: occurs when the respondent
reports more than one language that he or she uses equally often
as mother tongue or home language. Data for 1996 are based on single
and multiple responses combined. Multiple responses account for
10% of mother tongue and 17% of home language responses.
Language Indicators
Mother tongue population (MT): those people whose
first language learned at home, and still understood, is an Aboriginal
language.
Home language population (HL): those people whose
language spoken most often at home is an Aboriginal language.
Knowledge of ability population (Kn): those people
who speak an Aboriginal language well enough to conduct a conversation.
Index of continuity (HL/MT): measures language
continuity, or vitality, by comparing the number of those who speak
a given language at home to the number of those who learned that
language as their mother tongue. A ratio of less than 100 indicates
some decline in the strength of the language (i.e., for every 100
people with an Aboriginal mother tongue, there are fewer than 100
in the overall population who use it at home). The lower the ratio,
the greater the decline or erosion.
Index of ability (Kn/MT):
compares the number of people who report being able to speak the
language with the number who have that Aboriginal language as a
mother tongue. If for every 100 people with a specific Aboriginal
mother tongue, more than 100 persons in the overall population are
able to speak that language, some clearly learned it as a second
language either in school or later in life. This may suggest some
degree of language revival.
Language Classification (viable and
endangered)
Classification of language survival used is based on M. Dale Kinkade's
1991 study, The Decline of Native Languages in Canada. Other classification
schemes exist, but there is general agreement as to which languages
are viable and which endangered. Kinkade divides Aboriginal languages
into five groups: already extinct, near extinction, endangered,
viable but with a small population base, and viable with a large
population. (Note: extinct languages are not mapped.)
Languages near extinction are considered to be
beyond the possibility of revival, since generally only a few elderly
people know them. (These languages are not discussed in this study
because reliable Census data are not available.)
Languages considered endangered are still spoken
by enough people to make survival an outside possibility, given
sufficient community interest and educational programs.
Languages that are viable but small tend to have
more than 1000 speakers and are spoken in isolated or well-organized
communities with strong self-awareness. In these communities,
language is considered one of the important marks of identity.
Viable languages have large enough population
bases that long-term survival is relatively assured. In this article,
the terms "healthy", "strong" and "flourishing" are used alternatively
to describe viable languages.
For discussions on viable and endangered Aboriginal languages consult
the following publications:
- UNESCO. 1996. Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
of Disappearing. (ed) Stephen A. Wurm. Paris: Unesco
Publishing. Canada.
- Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. 1996. Gathering
Strength. Vol. 3. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services
Canada.
- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. 1990. Indians
and Inuit of Canada. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services
Canada.
- Kinkade, M. Dale. 1991. The Decline of Native Languages
in Canada. In: Endangered Languages. R.H. Robins and
E.M. Uhlenbeck (eds). Berg Publishers.
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