I recently discovered the Language Portal of Canada’s Collection of Canadian language resources, which contains numerous links to language-related websites. So I wanted to share my findings with you by writing a post for the Our Languages blog.
When I first joined the Portal team, I had to familiarize myself with the entire website. I’m not a language professional, but I do have a degree in education; so my interest in language and my insatiable curiosity led me to what was to become my first work project: updating the collection of Indigenous language resources.
First, it’s worth noting that the Collection of Canadian language resources is a bank of hyperlinks to sites that were rigorously screened before being posted on the Portal. Each resource must be free (with a few exceptions) and Canadian (because, as you may have noticed, Internet searches yield many foreign resources). The collection therefore features a list of sites developed for Canadians by Canadian businesses and organizations. But beyond these criteria, I hope that you’ll enjoy the selection of resources and appreciate how easy it is to use the four sections that make up this collection of Indigenous language links:
- Indigenous languages – Glossaries, dictionaries and writing resources
- Indigenous languages – Organizations and events
- Indigenous languages – Learning and teaching resources
- Indigenous languages – Canadian overview
A world of discovery
As I was updating the collection, I learned a lot about Indigenous languages and cultures. Did you know that there are 60 living Indigenous languages that are officially recognized in Canada? Did you know that the Indigenous language with the highest number of speakers is Cree? What about Michif, Ojibway, Atikamekw? Do they sound familiar? This exercise gave me a chance to explore several tools, such as the application to install the Naskapi Unicode font and computer tools for Inuktitut. I also discovered interactive Innu language games, Cree children’s books and an English-Cree dictionary that comes with a bilingual keyboard.
The section on learning and teaching resources was enhanced through the addition of education and training programs, such as the Mi’kmaq language program and the Inuktitut dialect interpreter-translator program (in French only). The Indigenous languages collection now contains 85 hyperlinks.
Your turn to get involved
So I now invite you to navigate through these interesting resources. Learn more about events, contests, and resources related to the protection of Indigenous languages. Discover tools for teachers and students. Find terms and definitions in Indigenous languages, as well as useful writing resources. And, most importantly, you can help update the collection by contacting the Portal team with any suggestions for links that could be added!
Translated by Line Lalande, Language Portal of Canada
