Toxicity Scores & Embeddings

@TylerOliveira  Each State in INDIA🇮🇳 has its Own Culture, Language, Heritage, Cuisine, Traditional Dances and Festivals. Don't Flex the Words in your Video. They are from Punjab and in Punjab they Speak Punjabi. Note: 85% of Indian Born and Canadian Indian Born are Punjabis Rest are Haryanvi, Gujarati, Tamilan, Teluguits, Malyalis, Bengalis are remaining 14% in Canada 🇨🇦. -------- My Language is Kannada and we are not even 1% of Canadian Indian Population.

English and French colonization had a devastating and intentional impact on the Indigenous languages of Canada, leading to the severe endangerment and, in some cases, extinction of many languages. This was achieved through explicit colonial policies aimed at cultural assimilation and the suppression of Indigenous identities.  Key Impacts of Colonization Forced Assimilation via Residential Schools: The most significant factor in language loss was the government-funded, church-run residential school system, which operated from the 19th century to the late 20th century. Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and sent to these schools. Punishment for Speaking Native Tongues: In the schools, children were forbidden to speak their Indigenous languages and were often subjected to severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse if they did. Intergenerational Trauma and Knowledge Loss: The experience in residential schools caused profound trauma. Survivors often did not teach their children their traditional languages, partly out of fear of punishment and partly because their own fluency had been impacted, which inhibited the languages from being passed to the next generation. Discriminatory Legislation: The Indian Act: This legislation, along with other colonial policies, was used to suppress Indigenous cultural expression, including language. Official Languages Act: Canada's official language policies recognize only English and French as dominant languages, effectively marginalizing the over 60 distinct Indigenous languages that existed on the land long before European settlement. Dispossession of Land: Forcible removal of Indigenous communities from their traditional lands and onto reserves disrupted the deep connection between language, culture, and the natural environment. Indigenous languages often encode unique knowledge about local ecosystems, which was lost when communities were displaced. Social Stigmatization: Colonial ideologies viewed Indigenous cultures and languages as "inferior" or "savage," promoting English and French as the languages of "modernity" and "progress". This created a social hierarchy where speaking an Indigenous language could be a barrier to education and employment opportunities in the dominant society.  Current Situation and Revitalization Efforts The legacy of these policies has resulted in low numbers of fluent Indigenous language speakers today, with many languages considered endangered or critically endangered. However, there are significant ongoing efforts toward language revitalization.  The Canadian federal government passed the Indigenous Languages Act in 2019, which aims to support the efforts of Indigenous peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain, and strengthen their languages. Indigenous communities, educational institutions, and organizations are actively working to preserve languages through immersion programs, community initiatives, and documentation. UNESCO has declared 2022 to 2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to draw global attention to the urgent need for preservation and promotion.

My parents immigrated in the early 90s and I was born in Canada. It’s very hard to relate to the new immigrants in the last 10 years because we’re so different. The families that immigrated in the 80s and 90s had to assimilate and become “Canadian” which in hindsight was for the best. I learned about my culture and language at home, but my parents, emphasized the importance of being “Canadian first” and being a part of society and “fitting in.” This wasn’t at all a bad thing. I learned to ski, skate, make ice lollies with snow and syrup, went camping, played sports… I feel embarrassed when Indians are looked at in this light, but its true. 90% of this new wave of immigrants on “student visas,” dont intend to actually obtain any sort of an education, instead they use it as a pathway for permanent residency. I know this because I have relatives who say this out loud behind closed doors. I don’t agree with any of it, and quite frankly it’s very embarrassing, but most of us first generation Indian Canadians feel very upset about how its all played out and the negative light in which our people are now viewed under. Personally, I agree they arent interested in becoming culturally Canadian, they just want to be in Canada for financial reasons. They stay in their groups, dont integrate and think somehow this will play out well. It isnt discrimination when your own people also feel this way. I have yet to meet a first gen Canadian who disagrees

Also, for those watching who have never lived in Canada, here's a fun little experiment you can try: Go to Radio Garden and go to Brampton's radio stations. Try to find a station in English or French (The official languages of Canada). You may or may not notice a pattern. At the time of writing this, out of 6 stations, 5 of them are indian or punjabi.

Making Indigenous languages official in Canada faces struggles due to the deep, ongoing impact of colonization (residential schools, assimilation policies), the sheer number of endangered languages (over 70), lack of constitutional protection like English/French have, funding gaps, and challenges implementing legislation like the Indigenous Languages Act effectively, despite strong community efforts for revitalization. The core issue is moving beyond mere documentation to ensuring effective support for daily use, education, and government services, a goal hindered by historical trauma and systemic neglect.  Key Struggles & Challenges: Colonial Legacy: Policies like the Indian Act and residential schools suppressed languages, causing massive loss, with trauma still affecting intergenerational transmission. Constitutional Gap: Unlike English and French, Indigenous languages lack explicit, strong constitutional rights (e.g., in the Charter) for government services, as noted in this article from indigenouswatchdog.org. Urgency & Scarcity: Most of Canada's 70+ Indigenous languages are endangered, with many facing imminent extinction, requiring immediate action from the last fluent elders. Implementation of Legislation: The Indigenous Languages Act (2019) aims to support revitalization, but it's criticized for being non-binding and not creating effective rights, meaning legal recognition doesn't always translate to real-world resources or services. Funding & Resource Gaps: While funding exists, it's often insufficient, limited in scope, or not reaching grassroots efforts effectively, making comprehensive revitalization difficult. Integration Challenges: Integrating Indigenous languages into education (K-12, higher ed) and public services (health, justice) remains a significant hurdle, even where there's political will, as seen in territories with official Indigenous languages.