Interesting languages to learn at Canadian universities
Group of students studying at a university library

From Cree and Inuktitut to Icelandic and Gaelic, here are some of the more interesting language courses on offer at Canadian universities for the linguistically curious. (They might come in handy when you’re a university alumni as well!)

Latin

The English language (along with French, Spanish, and Italian) is full of words and phrases taken directly from Latin, the lingua franca of ancient Rome (along with much of Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa at the height of the Roman Empire). As a language with such historical heft, an understanding of Latin can provide essential insights into the evolution and structure of many world languages, as well as the opportunity to experience classics by Virgil, Cicero, Catullus, and other greats of the ancient world in their original texts. 

Sign Language

This visual language was developed in the 19th century and is now the predominant means of communication for the deaf and hard of hearing. Sign language has since expanded into more than 300 distinct languages around the world including American Sign Language (ASL), the most commonly used variant in the US and Anglophone Canada, as well as French Sign Language (LSF) and Quebec French Sign Language (LSQ). With more than 72 million speakers around the world and a growing effort to make government communications and public events more accessible to those with hearing loss, there’s never been a better time to learn to sign.  

Indigenous Languages 

There are over 70 Indigenous languages and dialects spoken in Canada, from the Salishan languages of the Pacific Coast to the Mi'kmaq language of the Maritimes. After centuries of systematic suppression, however, all of them are considered to be critically endangered with the exception of the Inuktitut language spoken in Nunavut and other regions of the far North. As part of the ongoing efforts to restore, preserve, and celebrate Indigenous culture across the country, it’s now possible to study Cree, Haida, Dene, and dozens of other indigenous tongues at institutions nationwide. Not only do these programs help to ensure the survival of these languages, but they are an important part of Canada’s ongoing efforts toward reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and settlers. 

Acadian French 

Acadians came to Canada from France in the 17th and 18th centuries and settled in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and elsewhere in the Atlantic region. Despite a mass deportation of Acadians from Canada in the 1700s (mostly to Louisiana, where they became known as Cajuns), Acadian culture remains alive, and their distinctive French dialect continues to be taught and spoken throughout the Maritimes. Whether you have Acadian heritage or are simply interested in learning a unique and historically relevant dialect, studying Acadian French provides a link to one of Canada’s most distinctive ethnic groups. 

Icelandic

There are only about 400,000 people who live in Iceland, which makes Icelandic a pretty niche dialect – at least as far as European languages are concerned. What it lacks in ubiquity, however, it makes up for in uniqueness. With the same shared roots in Germanic language as other Scandinavian dialects, Icelandic is notably traditional and conservative in its adoption of loanwords from other languages, a distinction that makes it all the more interesting. Fortunately, thanks to the world’s largest Icelandic community outside of Iceland in Gimli, Manitoba, anyone looking to learn more about the culture and language won’t need to leave Canada to do it.

Gaelic

English has been the predominant language of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for centuries, but the island’s indigenous Gaelic remains an important part of its culture. Despite this, the number of Gaelic speakers has been in steady decline for years, leading to a network of campaigns in education and popular culture to save it. Here in Canada, Gaelic is still spoken on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, where many Irish immigrants settled in the 18th and 19th centuries. With a deep canon of Gaelic poetry, music, and folklore to explore – as well as a growing body of modern Irish language films and TV shows – the Gaelic language provides a unique entry point to one of Western Europe’s most fascinating traditional cultures.

Jeremy Freed is a freelance writer and editor based in Toronto. His writing about fashion, travel, food and design appears in Sharp, Harry and re:Porter magazines, among many others. 

Jeremy Freed is a paid spokesperson of Sonnet Insurance.
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