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Language

A mixed-media illustration of women's profiles, bodies and pieces of their faces, including one made of newsprint and words as well as a line drawing against pinks, purples and orange. The backdrop is burgundy.
June 2025 / Memoir

The Secret Language We Share with Our Children

April 12, 2025April 12, 2025 - by Chantal Braganza

My mother loved me in Spanish. It’s shaped my understanding of parenthood

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In a photo illustration, a hand holds a phone with a screen showing the CN Tower. Several speech bubbles pop off the screen
Society

The Toronto Accent Is Real

April 11, 2025April 14, 2025 - by Maia Wyman

It’s been called an act and “the worst accent in the world.” Why can’t locals see it for what it is?

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An illustration of a sun shining on a person water a growing tree with deep roots. The background features faint words in different Indigenous languages such as Squamish and Cree
September/October 2024 / Society

ayistôtawin

September 30, 2024April 3, 2025 - by Michelle Cyca

TikTok ekwa Instagram kiwîcihikon kâwe kâpacihtâhk iyiniw pîkiskwewina ohci metoni iskweyânihk

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An illustration of a sun shining on a person water a growing tree with deep roots. The background features faint words in different Indigenous languages such as Squamish and Cree
September/October 2024 / Society

Social Media Is Helping Bring Indigenous Languages Back from the Brink

September 30, 2024October 7, 2024 - by Michelle Cyca

Government funding is dwindling. TikTok and Instagram are filling the gap

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A photo illustration of a bust of Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko dotted with bullet holes in Borodianka, Ukraine. Behind the bust is a blue sky with a yellow cross-stitched pattern in the lower half to resemble the Ukrainian flag.
July/August 2023 / World

The Other Front: Ukraine’s Cultural Revolution

July 20, 2023July 24, 2023 - by Sarah Lawrynuik

As the country fights for its right to exist, Ukrainians at home and abroad are embracing their language, literature, and heroic figures

Read More
An illustration of Spanish books and lessons.
Memoir

Grief Struck Me Speechless. Learning a New Language Helped Me Open Up

April 7, 2022April 7, 2022 - by Shawn Hitchins

An impulsive decision to take Spanish classes became a turning point after the deaths of loved ones

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A chalkboard featuring many words in different languages
Arts & Culture

What Is the Point of Literary Translation?

July 20, 2021August 4, 2023 - by Katia Grubisic

Translators may alter the composition of a line, a paragraph, or a stanza. But when do their choices overstep, and where do the changes stop?

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Three cartoon faces speaking. One in the middle with a closed mouth appears worried
Uncategorized

Accents, Dialects, and Discrimination

February 22, 2021February 22, 2021 - by John Colapinto

From surfer-dude drawls to Valley-girl upspeak, how we talk still defines how we’re seen

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An illustration, in different shades of purple, of people through the windows of their apartment buildings, all doing solitary activities.
Uncategorized

What Does “Lockdown” Even Mean Anymore?

February 15, 2021June 8, 2021 - by Jonah Brunet

One year into COVID-19, our definitions are constantly changing. But, when politics distort our language, people can die

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A girl lays on her back pointing up at clouds in the shapes of letters.
October 2019

Why Language Is Cool

October 7, 2019March 27, 2020 - by Yann Martel

Words are as close to immortality as you’ll ever get

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Our Latest Issue

The July/August 2025 cover of The Walrus magazine featuring an image of a woman reading a book while listening to music. She is sitting in a room filled with plants that also has a window through which a city skyline can be seen. July/August 2025

Explore how tariffs are testing ties between Northern neighbours, the death of the middle class musician, Afghanistan’s lost generation, and more.
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The Walrus is located within the bounds of Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is also the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

© 2025 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved.
Charitable Registration Number: No. 861851624-RR0001

© 2025 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved. Charitable Registration Number: No. 861851624-RR0001
Accessibility Help Privacy Policy Cookie Policy
© 2023 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved.
Charitable Registration Number: No. 861851624-RR0001

​​The Walrus is located within the bounds of Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is also the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

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As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus


How’s The Walrus?

As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus

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