Languages of Canada

Languages of Canada
Sign in Yellowknife featuring English, French, Dënësųłıné, Cree, Dene Yatıé/Zhatıé, Gwichʼin, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun / Inuinnaqtun, Sahtúgot’įné Yatı̨́ / Shíhgot’įne Yatı̨́ / K’ashógot’įne Goxedǝ́,[nb 1] and Tłįchǫ Yatıì
Official	English and French
Semi-official	Northwest Territories: Cree, Dënësųłıné, Dene Yatıé/Zhatıé, Gwich’in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Sahtúgot’įné Yatı̨́ / Shíhgot’įne Yatı̨́ / K’ashógot’įne Goxedǝ́, Tłįchǫ Yatıì Nova Scotia: Mi'kmawi'simk[nb 2] Nunavut: Inuktut (Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut)
Indigenous	(by language family) Algic (22), Inuit (13), Iroquoian (7) Na-Dene (24), Plains Sign (2), Plateau Sign (2), Salishan (17), Siouan (3), Tsimshian (4), Wakashan (6), Isolates (3: Haida, Inuit Sign Language, Ktunaxa)
Regional	Deitsch Gaelic Hutterisch Irish Plautdietsch Russian Ukrainian
Vernacular	Canadian English, Canadian French, Bungi, Chinook Jargon
Minority	Mandarin Cantonese Punjabi Spanish Arabic Tagalog (Filipino) German Italian Hindustani Portuguese
Signed	Signed English, Signed French; American Sign Language (ASL) Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) MSL IUR Prairie Hand Talk OSL PSL KSL Secwepemcékst
Keyboard layout	QWERTY US English Canadian French Canadian Multilingual Standard (rare) Inuktitut Naqittaut

A multitude of languages have always been spoken in Canada. Prior to Confederation, the territories that would become Canada were home to over 70 distinct languages across 12 or so language families. Today, a majority of those indigenous languages are still spoken; however, most are endangered and only about 0.6% of the Canadian population report an indigenous language as their mother tongue.^{[nb 3]} Since the establishment of the Canadian state, English and French have been the co-official languages and are, by far, the most-spoken languages in the country.

According to the 2016 census, English and French are the mother tongues of 56.0% and 21.4% of Canadians respectively.^[4] In total, 86.2% of Canadians have a working knowledge of English, while 29.8% have a working knowledge of French.^[5] Under the Official Languages Act of 1969, both English and French have official status throughout Canada in respect of federal government services and most courts. All federal legislation is enacted bilingually. Provincially, only in New Brunswick are both English and French official to the same extent. French is Quebec's official language,^[6] although legislation is enacted in both French and English and court proceedings may be conducted in either language. English is the official language of Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta, but government services are available in French in many regions of each, particularly in regions and cities where Francophones form the majority. Legislation is enacted in both languages and courts conduct cases in both. In 2022, Nova Scotia recognized Mi'kmawi'simk as the first language of the province,^[1][2] and maintains two provincial language secretariats: the Office of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie (French language) and the Office of Gaelic Affairs (Canadian Gaelic). The remaining provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) do not have an official provincial language per se but government is primarily English-speaking. Territorially, both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have official indigenous languages alongside French and English: Inuktut (Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun) in Nunavut^[7] and, in the NWT, nine others (Cree, Dënësųłıné, Dene Yatıé/Zhatıé,^{[nb 1]} Gwich’in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Sahtúgot’įné Yatı̨́ / Shíhgot’įne Yatı̨́ / K’ashógot’įne Goxedǝ́,^{[nb 1]} and Tłįchǫ Yatıì).^[9]

Canada's official languages commissioner (the federal government official charged with monitoring the two languages) said in 2009, "[I]n the same way that race is at the core of what it means to be American and at the core of an American experience and class is at the core of British experience, I think that language is at the core of Canadian experience."^[10] To assist in more accurately monitoring the two official languages, Canada's census collects a number of demolinguistic descriptors not enumerated in the censuses of most other countries, including home language, mother tongue, first official language, and language of work.

Canada's linguistic diversity extends beyond English, French and numerous indigenous languages. "In Canada, 4.7 million people (14.2% of the population) reported speaking a language other than English or French most often at home and 1.9 million people (5.8%) reported speaking such a language on a regular basis as a second language (in addition to their main home language, English or French). In all, 20.0% of Canada's population reported speaking a language other than English or French at home. For roughly 6.4 million people, the other language was an immigrant language, spoken most often or on a regular basis at home, alone or together with English or French whereas for more than 213,000 people, the other language was an indigenous language. Finally, the number of people reporting sign languages as the languages spoken at home was nearly 25,000 people (15,000 most often and 9,800 on a regular basis)."^{[nb 4]}

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