Social 10-1 Chapter 4

Affirming Identity, Language, and Culture

Review

Affirming LanguageOTo some people, language is Identity –

militant.OPeople have always expressed their

traditions, values and culture through language.

O In Canada we have three language groups – Anglophones, Francophones and Allophones

OAllophones are people whose first language was not either English or French

Number of languages

OThe number of languages spoken in the world declines every year.

OOn average, one language disappears every two weeks.

OThere are 6000 – 7000 languages spoken in the world today.

OLanguages disappear and aren’t used for a variety of reasons;

OA) People and the language die offOB) Different mix of cultural groups, OC) Wanting to assimilate to a new

cultureOD) Being a minority language with little

opportunity to put to useOE) Young generations don’t care

English dominanceOThe main language in the world today

for business, science and pop culture is English.

O It is also the main language of the Internet and the WWW. The internet is designed to use the Roman alphabet

OThe result is that 90% of the content on the Internet is now in only 21 languages.

O In 2006, the world’s largest language group, in terms of first language speakers, was Mandarin Chinese.

Promoting Our IdentityOCultural/Ethnic groups

affirm and promote their identity in a number of ways – creating heritage villages, building totem poles, gathering artifacts (museums), education programs and cultural/meeting centers.

OCultural revitalization is one way for a nation or people to keep their cultural identity from being absorbed into the “industrial strength blender” of globalization.

OAn example of assimilation and saving ones identity are The Ladakh people who live in the Himalayan Mountains of India

Multicultural

O In 1971 Canada became the first country in the world to officially adopt a Multicultural Policy.

OThe Prime Minister at the time was Pierre Trudeau.

OSince 2003, Canadians have celebrated Multiculturalism Day on June 27. The Canadian government has adopted various ways to preserve the “Canadian culture”.

O In Edmonton we promote our different cultures at Heritage Days through music, dance, food and displays

OThe Official Languages Act of 1969 and the 1982 Charter of Freedom and Rights are two ways to promote our different cultures.

O(languages)-Bill 101 in Québec is a law protecting French Culture in Quebec.

OSince 1968, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunication Commission’s (CRTC) goal has been to protect and preserve Canada’s cultural identity by making sure a certain percentage of programming must be Canadian.