Mother Tongue ~ This Family's Historical Languages Were Lost

  52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025: Week 14 (LANGUAGE)

"Canada prides itself on being an international beacon of multiculturalism; nearly one in four people in Canada today is an immigrant. The country relies on newcomers to boost both population and productivity and aims to increase immigration levels to 500,000 newcomers a year by 2025. Yet its Multiculturalism Act, which enshrines the right of immigrants and Indigenous peoples to protect, preserve and enhance their mother tongues with government support, is falling short.

Mother tongues are in steep decline, generation over generation. Many arrive here not realizing they are likely to be the last generation in their family to speak their language. Worse, the important role of language in preserving culture is being ignored, say experts and advocates. “It’s not possible to have multiculturalism without multilingualism,” says Slava Balan, a human rights researcher and a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa who immigrated to Quebec from Moldova. “If cultures are only reduced to the dances, songs, cuisine and all this stuff, that’s just a pretence. That’s not real multiculturalism.” " 1

I'm a 2nd generation Canadian on my paternal grandmother's side, and 3rd generation on my paternal grandfather's side.

I was born in Quebec, and spoke French before English. 

The only language I speak & understand now is English.

My paternal grandmother was born in North Berwick, Scotland coming to Canada when she was 4. 

Until this week, I had never even considered what language she first spoke as a child. 

I only ever heard Grandma speak perfectly pronounced English.

"According to The National, Scots is “one of three native languages spoken in Scotland today” along with English and Scottish Gaelic. However, despite the ongoing debate as to whether or not Scots is a real language or just a dialect, it can be considered a settled matter as it has already been recognised by the UK government and Council of Europe."  2

I never asked Grandma what language she spoke as a child in Scotland, but I would have loved to hear her say:

"Cam Ower an Gie’s a Bosie"  2

which translates to 

“come here and give me a hug.” 2

I will never know if Grandma's first language was Scots.

My paternal grandfather was the first child born in Canada on the homestead (1910). His parents & 3 older siblings immigrated from Ukraine in 1909. The 1916 census records none of the family spoke, read, or wrote English. The family spoke Ukrainian. 

I grew up hearing my grandfather speak perfectly pronounced English. 

I would never have guessed English wasn't his first language.

Like many immigrant families they did not pass their mother tongue to their children/grandchildren. 

The only language spoken in the family was English.

My grandparents
Clyde & Mary (nee Thomson) Robertson
Clyde's birth name was Max Pellack 
AKA Clyde Robertson (no record found of name change to date)

Our family's historical languages were not preserved!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  Why diaspora communities in Canada are struggling to keep their first languages alive. Ramzy, Mark. Broadview. Originally published November 14th 2023. Retrieved April 1st 2025 from
https://broadview.org/canada-immigrants-mother-tongue-diaspora/    ***This publication takes a Christian worldview***

2 Can you read Scots? 16 Scots language examples, is it really “just a dialect”. Hepburn, David. The Scotsman. Originally published January 10th 2023, Updated November 28th 2024. Retrieved April 1st 2025 from
https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/examples-of-the-scots-language-3981707?page=2

Sources:

Can you read Scots? 16 Scots language examples, is it really “just a dialect”. Hepburn, David. The Scotsman. Originally published January 10th 2023, Updated November 28th 2024. Retrieved April 1st 2025 from
https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/examples-of-the-scots-language-3981707?page=2

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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