Category talk:Languages of Canada

2005 comment

 * Major Problem &mdash; This category is supposed to list all the languages spoken in Canada, yet there are a lot of superfluous links included. Since no-one else has posted here, I'm going to reorder the links, and try to standardise the naming system. Don't worry, I won't delete any of the links. Lates. Swingbeaver 09h02 August 19 2005

First Nations languages
Would Category:First Nations languages be a useful sub-category of this category? Kurieeto 23:35, August 20, 2005 (UTC)


 * Swingbeaver 18h40 August 21 2005 &mdash; Well, I don't know about that. Personally I like that all these Native Languages are immediately viewable, and they are more "Canadian" than any imported language, right? I think a seperate category might be a step backward. I have already renamed the links I thought were misleading, and I slammed all the links not specifically about actual individual languages at the top of the listing. Those were the only changes I saw necessary, but I've been wrong before.


 * CJ Withers 07:21, 11 March 2006 (UTC) I agree with Swingbeaver on Aboriginal Languages. This category would appear first alphabetically, would naturally display a diversity that's sizeable, notable and transparent. However, I think the list of truly Canadian sub-categories should look like the following:
 * 1) Aboriginal Languages
 * 2) English and French in Canada: regional varieties, language policy, and demographics
 * 3) Language Contact in Canada (this last one is where Mitchif, Chiac; Frenglish, Franglais, etc. should go)

Re-organisation Time?
I was looking this list over again and linking to the articles listed. The list, which is indeed quite standardised, does not give a portrait of the language situation in Canada. An alphabetical list mixing Amerindian, European, Inuit, mixed and sign languages is not useful. I, therefore, suggest two things:


 * 1) Creating a box like the French dialects box with the five headings: Amerindian, European, Inuit, mixed, sign languages
 * 2) Investigating to find out what articles are about a language, a dialect, a grammar, a syllabary, a people. It's extremely confusing and, again, doesn't help people understand the reality or diversity here. It just looks like a mish-mosh.

As for the First Nations and Inuit languages, their sheer number is enough to highlight them. Lopping them all in a list with the other languages does just the opposite of showcasing them; it frustrates peopole trying either to get an idea of Canada's languages or to find out more about English/French and their unique qualities in Canada. -- CJ Withers 04:44, 14 March 2006 (UTC)