All blog posts discussing the history of language and linguistics.
Michif: the official language of the Métis Nation
Michif is the official language of the Métis Nation. It is one of many languages connected to the Métis people and is part of their history. This is part 3 in a three-part series on the history of French in Canada. Check out part 1 on Quebec French and part 2 on Acadian French. Who are the…
What is a creole language?
In linguistics, we observe a phenomenon known as contact languages. Contact languages emerge, as the name suggests, because of prolonged interactions between speakers of two ore more distinct and mutually unintelligible languages who do not otherwise share a lingua franca. They are mostly associated with trade and settler colonialism. This is largely because of the…
Acadian French: The language of the Canadian Maritimes
Acadian French is the second most common variety of French used in Canada, after Quebec French. Today, you are most likely to meet Acadian French speakers in New Brunswick and the surrounding Maritime provinces. This is the land that historically made up Acadia during the time of French settlers in New France. The evolution of…