Look closer. Examine images related to this subject. Click an image to enlarge and see captions. Click again to zoom in. How would you describe the picture?
Examine some of the objects and artworks from the Our Living Languages exhibition.
You will notice some interesting fonts in the image captions. First Nations languages are traditionally oral (spoken, not written). Most writing systems (orthographies) were first developed by linguists, anthropologists and missionaries. Because many indigenous languages contain sounds that do not occur in English, unique symbols were needed to represent them.
Click on the images to read the captions. How many unique symbols can you find in the captions?
Please feel free to use these images to educate and inspire in your classrooms. Should you wish to use them for any other purposes, please contact the Permissions and Licensing Office at 250-356-0138 or Toll Free: 1-866-356-0138 or firstname.lastname@example.org.