Why First Nations Languages Matter

British Columbia’s indigenous languages represent one of the “hotbeds” of linguistic diversity on the continent. However, the survival of these languages is hanging by a thread. Dr. Ignace will discuss the causes and implications of indigenous language loss from a variety of perspectives, based on over thirty years of research with First Nations communities. She’ll reveal how First Nations’ language is connected to intricate ways of perceiving and reflecting on the natural and social world, and what is at stake for the future of linguistic and biocultural diversity.

Dr. Marianne Ignace is Professor of Linguistics and First Nations Studies at Simon Fraser University, and director of the university’s First Nations Language Centre. Her publications include a monograph on Haida culture, The Curtain Within: Haida Social and Symbolic Discourse, and publications on Secwepemc culture and ethnohistory, ethnobotany, ethnography, language and youth issues. She has also produced several applied works on indigenous languages, and is currently the director of a seven-year SSHRC partnership grant on First Nations language revitalization.

This event is FREE but registration is required.

Courtesy SFU Public Square