Canada’s linguistic landscape is exceptionally diverse, encompassing hundreds of Indigenous, heritage, and minority languages that function not only as means of communication but as living repositories of intangible cultural heritage, carrying ecological knowledge, values, and ways of understanding the world. Despite increasing international recognition of the importance of linguistic diversity—reflected in UNESCO’s safeguarding frameworks and the elevation of culture within global sustainability agendas—heritage and minority languages in Canada continue to face significant pressures, including limited educational and institutional support, historical marginalization, and social and economic incentives favoring dominant languages. At the same time, much existing scholarship on language endangerment and revitalization remains insufficiently grounded in everyday lived experience and is often inaccessible to families and community practitioners.
Our work responds to these gaps by centering lived experience, community practice, and ethical engagement to examine how heritage languages are valued and sustained, the strategies and challenges involved in their transmission, and the social, educational, and cultural benefits of multilingualism. It is grounded in close collaboration with community organizations, cultural associations, and language-keepers, whose knowledge and priorities shape the focus and direction of this work. These partnerships are complemented by ongoing international exchanges with scholars and language practitioners, including collective participation in the celebration of International Mother Language Day, which provides a global space to share experiences, strategies, and solidarity around language maintenance. Through this collaborative and practice-oriented approach, our work aims to generate accessible knowledge that supports families, educators, cultural institutions, and policymakers, and contributes to more inclusive and sustainable approaches to linguistic diversity in Canada.
