ABSTRACT
Aboriginal language maintenance and revitalization in southwester n Ontario highlights many issues found across Canada, but is unique in at least two respects: Iroquoian and Algonquian linguistic and cultural traditions intermingle across the area, making the category of ‘Aboriginal’ remarkably heterogeneous; and fluent speakers of traditional languages, primarily Ojibwe and Mohawk, are rare and almost always elderly (although these languages have fluent speakers in other areas of Canada and the U.S.). This paper begins by locating the southwestern Ontario situation within Canadian linguistic diversity as a prelude to exploring the local conditions and community aspirations surrounding Indigenous languages in the region.
