Many languages are under threat. These families are working to preserve theirs

Anna-May Zeviar · CBC News

· Posted: May 02, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Mahreen Siddiqui knows however important it is to support her parent lingua live astatine home.

The parent of three says if her kids didn't talk Urdu, they wouldn't beryllium representing their culture.

"I deliberation your parent lingua is ever important. And it should beryllium important for everyone," she said. "It doesn't substance what they speak. I deliberation the existent meaning to that connection is wrong that language. You cannot construe it."

Her girl Anayah Hashmi is successful Grade 5 at Regina's Huda School. The 10-year-old is learning Urdu astatine location from her mom, dada and siblings, who each talk Urdu successful summation to English.

"They benignant of thatch maine however to talk Urdu, but I americium not fluent successful it," she said.

Her parent says it's truly important to beryllium capable recognize others speaking Urdu.

"For involvement of argument, if my kids are ever speaking English, right? And they person nary mode to pass with my ain people, they would not beryllium recognized arsenic their community, right? They volition beryllium recognized much arsenic a Canadian than arsenic a Pakistani Canadian," Saddiqui said. "So that's the difference."

Siddiqui and Hashmi are 2 of thousands of Saskatchewanians who speak a parent lingua that is not 1 of Canada's authoritative languages.

In the 2021 census, 81.7 per cent of radical surviving successful Saskatchewan reported English arsenic their parent tongue. Just implicit 1 per cent reported French and astir 2 per cent reported an Indigenous language as their superior connection astatine birth.

The remainder of the population, astir 15 per cent, reported different parent tongues. Data shows Tagalog is the astir prevalent of those languages, followed by Mandarin, Arabic, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), estimates that determination are 8,324 languages, spoken oregon signed, astir the world, with astir 7,000 of them inactive successful use. But the enactment says linguistic diverseness is nether threat, with galore languages disappearing.

The enactment has celebrated International Mother Tongue Language Day for 25 years to beforehand the value of taste and linguistic diversity.

WATCH | Filmmaker Ayesha Mohsin spoke to Regina families astir wherefore it's important to talk their parent tongue at home: 

Uzma Nawaid besides knows however important it is to talk her parent lingua at home. The Regina pistillate is primitively from Pakistan. She lives with her hubby and two young children, on with her ain mother, who lone speaks Urdu.

"I came location 1 time and the children knew something, and they were telling maine astir it. I was like, 'How did you larn astir it?' And past they were like, 'Nani told maine astir it,'" Nawaid said.

The connection has besides helped the children link to the past of their household and their culture.

"They learned truthful galore things that I learned erstwhile I was young," she said. "I consciousness truthful arrogant astir that, that they are learning. And it's each due to the fact that they cognize Urdu. Because my [mother] doesn't cognize English, and they cognize Urdu. So it's great, and it's precise important for me."

Research shows speaking and learning successful one's parent lingua has galore benefits. It helps make a idiosyncratic and taste identity, and helps fortify household bonds by closing linguistic gaps. It besides brings amended wide literacy skills and gives children a beardown ground for learning further languages.

Hameeda Bagum says being capable to pass with her grandchildren helps them to recognize her contented arsenic an elder. 

"If we talk Urdu astatine home, they volition larn an further connection which volition beryllium beneficial. It volition besides marque it easier for them to pass with us," Bagum said through an interpreter.

Bagum's son-in-law Syed Fasih agrees. He is primitively from Pakistan and his archetypal connection is Urdu. He says helium considers Urdu his children's archetypal connection arsenic well.

Bagum believes learning other languages volition boost a person's assurance and adhd to their skillset. Research supports her view, and shows that radical who talk much than 1 connection person improved comprehension and captious reasoning skills, and amended occupation prospects successful the future.

That assurance includes a consciousness of belonging, according to Mahreen Siddiqui.

"Language by itself, I deliberation it's a culture. When you talk something, you are representing yourself to beryllium to immoderate culture, right?" she said.

Zainab Kamboh runs a edifice successful Regina. The mother-of-one speaks Punjabi astatine location and with the children.

"English is determination of course, but I besides talk Urdu and Punjabi," she said through an interpreter.

Her daughter, Liaba Janjua, is simply a Grade 10 student astatine Luther College High School successful Regina.

Her classes are successful English, but she is grateful to beryllium capable to talk Urdu and recognize immoderate Punjabi arsenic well.

"It makes it amended erstwhile you cognize much languages, particularly that of your parent tongue, to link with your assemblage and to beryllium capable to link with household members that whitethorn not cognize the language, oregon whitethorn not beryllium arsenic fluent successful it," she said.

"It's precise important successful presumption of connecting and getting on with people."

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