First- and Second-Language Speakers in the Home

Abstract

Indigenous peoples are engaged in growing efforts and activities throughout Canada to support the revitalization of their Indigenous languages. This article uses 2016 Census data to explore how Indigenous peoples acquired their Indigenous language, whether they learned to speak it as a first-language (mother tongue) or a second-language; and also the degree to which they use an Indigenous home language as the main or secondary language in the home. Patterns are examined in relation to speaker age and area of residence (urban vs. rural), and the vitality and endangerment of languages. The data show that there is a decline in mother tongue transmission, offset by increasing second-language acquisition, especially among youth and in urban areas. There is also increasing home use, attributable to a growing number of people speaking their language as a secondary home language. Some young adults who acquired their Indigenous language as a second-language are using it as their main home language. These findings point to the possibility of reversing language shift. Critically endangered languages, with very few elderly mother tongue speakers, may transition into “secondarily surviving” as youth and young adults acquire and use their language in the home.