Reconciling Indigenous and Settler Language Interests: Language Policy Initiatives in Nunavut

• Published in: Journal of Canadian Studies
• Main Author: Timpson, Annis May
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 2009
• Subjects: History; Cultural Studies; inuit; Nunavut
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.43.2.159; https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.43.2.159

This essay examines some of the issues that shape current debates about the development of language politics and language policies in Nunavut. It considers the demography of language use in Nunavut and examines how Inuit and federal government perspectives have shaped the broader political and constitutional context in which language policy is being addressed. It then considers the institutional context that shapes language policy development in Nunavut, before examining two key interconnected language policy arenas in Nunavut: the language of instruction in schools and the language of work in government. Finally, the essay considers recent language legislation in Nunavut, highlighting how this seeks to combine a rights-oriented/anti-discrimination approach to official languages with legislation to protect the Inuit Language from further erosion.