Examining the Association between Aboriginal Language Skills and Well-Being in First Nations Communities

Abstract

While citizenship holds multiple meanings, the notion of nationality and belonging is thought to be an intrinsic aspect. Moreover, the concept of citizenship has expanded over time to include cultural rights or the notion of cultural citizenship. Defined as the right of minority groups to preserve their own culture without jeopardizing their political or civil entitlements (Glenn 2002), cultural citizenship is a particularly significant concept in culturally plural societies. More specifically, the right to preserve traditional languages is a highly important aspect of cultural citizenship, as traditional language retention can arguably be considered a fundamental element of cultural preservation and continuity (Chandler and Lalonde 1998; Hallet, Chandler, and Lalonde 2007). Across Canada, a number of Indigenous languages are spoken by many Aboriginal groups, with each language thought to represent an integral facet of cultural identity and distinction. Considering the cultural significance of language retention, threats to linguistic continuity are also thought to be threats to cultural continuity. Due to a combination of factors, including the forces of modernization and the history of colonialism, many Aboriginal languages are en route to disappearing, while many others have been lost almost entirely (Norris 2006; Norris and MacCon 2003). Unlike many other ethnic groups in Canada, Aboriginal people have been subjected to policies of forced assimilation, and, as a result, have experienced an even greater disruption to the intergenerational transmission of language. In addition to serving as important symbols of cultural and ethnic identity, Aboriginal languages are also thought to positively influence levels of community well-being, primarily by improving cohesion and solidarity among community members. Yet despite evidence favouring the maintenance of traditional languages, considerable research illustrates community drawbacks of language retention. Scholars opposed to language retention often argue that minority languages interfere with the ability to successfully participate in the dominant cultural, social, and economic spheres, thereby reducing a community’s socioeconomic status.

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