First language

“Graduation” Amy gives the reader an emotional input of an event in her life that places the reader in the mindset of Amy as a child. Amy begins the story by describing her love for language, “I am a writer. And by that definition, I am someone who has always loved language.” Amy very deeply expresses her love for language which sets the tone as well as the mood of the story. Tan begins to describe the “different Englishes” she uses. When describing this Amy uses both pathos and logos at the…

In exploring such a poignant topic as exile, one must first examine the group of people most likely to be subjected to exile. Often, this group tends to be the socially observed “other.” What an other is can change drastically depending on who is defining it, and to whom they’re assigning the term. As we’ve seen in both Book of Salt by Monique Truong, and Exile According to Julia by Gisele Pineau, the characters Bihn and Man Ya represent comparable, but fundamentally different ideas of the other…

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair’s “The Power of Dirty Waters: Indigenous Poetics” exemplifies the importance of language to Indigenous culture and how language is used to relate to the world. This is ultimately what he strives for as his thesis; he tries to argue the idea that language is the most important power for relation to the Earth and its inhabitants. Sinclair begins strongly by discussing the history of Lake Winnipeg, and how the name “Winnipeg” embodies the ecology of the lake. This…

in Canada. It enables the readers examine the history, the diversity of cultural, linguistic, racial, and religious of groups of First Nations peoples in Canada, and it exhorts the readers to prepare themselves to live harmoniously in a multicultural society in the interdependent world of the twenty-first century. Key Words: “Indians” “Aboriginal,” “Indigenous” and First Nations” are used interchangeably with “Native.” Introduction Canada is the land of origin for Aboriginal peoples,…

commonly referred to as First Nations), Inuit and Métis. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.” (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada). Aboriginal people are comprised of about 4.3% of the total Canadian population and are made of three main groups: First Nations 65%, Metis 30%, and Inuit 4%. Due to the diversity found in Aboriginal cultures, 60 languages found to have belonged to 12 distinct language families (Zapotichna,…

residential schools. The Schools made many dehumanized actions towards aboriginal people that acts were extremely painful to many of the Canadian First Nations. The inhumane treatment demonstrated in the CBC news, “For Residential School Survivors, the Hurt Comes Back”, causes me to reflect on the inhuman actions of the Canadian government towards the First Nation children. The acts of abominable abuse that children…

Chapter Five: Language and Metaphysics, is a descriptive analysis on how assimilation has affected the Native American perspective of understanding traditions , language and place. Within the recent era there has been great efforts by organization and Universities in order to preserve the traditions and languages of the numerous Native American tribes. Yet, this process is meet with several challenges. One of the major challenges being that the Native American language is an oral language.…

and educate aboriginal children in Canada. The majority of students in residential schools are aged under 16 years old, so they are easier to manipulate with the commands of teachers than adults. Although the schools’ primary objective of civilizing First Nations children seems to be implemented in a good manner, they are actually depriving those young people of their human rights. The government of Canada holds the perspective that young people are more easily acceptable and susceptible to…

3: Chapter 8 “Language, Land, and the Residential Schools” In this Case Study, Williston explains that the residential school system deprives First Nations of their language and identity. This practice of shaming, is a political attempt to make the rejection of land rights easier through less opposition. As Williston says “to deprive them of the language is to deprive them of the sense of place that had defined them for thousands of years” (245). The way Frist Nations use language is…

Aboriginal languages and knowledge. Despite the constitutional reform in Canadian society, Aboriginal languages and knowledge are not yet blossoming in our current education systems. Canadian education systems have not been able to empower Aboriginal language and traditions; instead, they are largely excluded in most Canadian educational systems, although they are currently being implemented in the new BC curriculum. I believe past provincial curricula have discredited Aboriginal languages and…