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The exact number of Aboriginal languages spoken at the time of European contact is unknown. This is for a number of reasons. Aboriginal People did not communicate at this time using letters or numbers, and early European traders often kept biased accounts of interactions with Aboriginal People. It is unlikely that they would have been able to record language dialects at that point in history. Many Aboriginal languages exist in a wide range of similar dialects, making classification a confusing and subjective task. However, at present time it is widely accepted that approximately 53 distinct Aboriginal languages survive in Canada today. Many of these are related and are subsequently grouped into 11 language families.

The Algoquian language family is reportedly the largest. It consists of language groups such as Cree, Blackfoot, Algonquin and Micmac. Each individual language group can have separate dialects, as is the case with Cree, a language containing five dialects. The Algonquian language family geographically covers a large portion of Southern Alberta with the exception of the Micmac language group. It is important to note that only Cree, Ojibwa and Inuktitut are considered to be flourishing.

Métis people have their own language known as Michif, a combination of Cree and French.

Adapted from Laura Okemaw's Bush Land People Teacher's Guide

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