Aboriginal languages and selected vitality indicators in 2011

Summary: Many of the 60 or so Aboriginal languages in Canada are considered endangered to varying degrees for their long-term survival. Assessing language vitality or endangerment through the measurement of various factors can provide useful information to help ensure the continuity of a language. This paper illustrates how the 2011 Census of Population and the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) can be used to measure some of the factors that provide information related to the vitality of Aboriginal languages. For example, 213,490 people reported an Aboriginal mother tongue in the 2011 Census of Population. The Cree languages, Inuktitut and Ojibway were the most frequently reported Aboriginal languages. However, many Aboriginal languages were reported as mother tongue by less than 500 people. According to the 2011 NHS, about one in six Aboriginal people can conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language. Additionally, more than 52,000 Aboriginal people were able to converse in an Aboriginal language that was different from their mother tongue, suggesting that these individuals acquired an Aboriginal language as a second language. More in depth analysis on the vitality of Aboriginal languages can be done using these two data sources as well as the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.