Canada has two official languages - English and French - but there are numerous native tongues as well. Tensions between the two main groups play a prominent part in the politics of Canada, but the native languages are more or less ignored except in the country's most remote areas, particularly in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, where Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit, is spoken widely. The Inuit are the only native population with their own-language TV channel; the only group afforded comparable attention are the Montagnais - Montagnais-Naskapi translations appear in northern Québec and Labrador official publications.

In a brief glossary such as this there is no space to get to grips with the complexities of aboriginal languages, and very few travellers would have any need of them anyway - most natives (including those in Québec) have a good knowledge of English, especially if they deal with tourists in any capacity. If you plan to be spending much time in French-speaking Canada, consider investing in the Rough Guide to French (Penguin), a pocket-guide in a handy A-Z format.