Controversial Opinion: if you are naming something in the public realm in an Indigenous language, and that language doesn’t use the standard alphabet, it should come with a transliteration below it in smaller letters (similar to how they do it in Quebec). If you want people to learn how to pronounce it, and begin to recognize the IPA alphabet (for example), you still need some reference for them to follow. Asking people to go and do homework to read a street sign isn’t reasonable - especially in a place like Vancouver with 2 different Indigenous writing systems.
The current solution - providing a translation - doesn’t help anyone learn the name, it helps them get around it.
This isn’t a uniquely Canadian problem. Back in the day, I lived in Dublin, Ireland - and they had the same issue there. With unpronounceable Irish names next to English translations. The translation didn’t help you learn the Irish name, it helped you avoid using it.
Adding Indigenous names is a good thing, but using them is a better thing, and that means meeting the general population halfway and making them useable.
Dec 30
at
8:34 PM
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