Linguistic human rights and language revitalization in the USA and Canada

Linguistic Human Rights (LHRs), especially in education, are one of the most necessary (but not sufficient) prerequisites for the maintenance of the world’s Indigenous/tribal, minority and minoritized (hereafter ITM) languages and communities. An unconditional right to mother tongue-based bi/multilingual education in non-fee (public) state schools is the most important LHR if ITM languages and communities are not to remain seriously endangered. All Indigenous/tribal/First Nations languages in North America, with the possible exception of Inuit in Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland, are endangered and in need of revitalization. For them, education using the ITM children’s ancestors’ mother tongues in Indigenous revitalization immersion programs should be a linguistic human right (see SkutnabbKangas & McCarty, 2008, for definitions).