Section 1: Map and Written Description of my zone
I decided to choose this zone because it is fairly close to where I live and I had a lot of childhood memories here. From going on bike rides with my friends, walks with my mom, or just late-night shenanigans with friends, I really enjoy this area of the city. I always feel safe and secure when walking around at night and the neighborhood is just a very friendly place to be. In the zone that I chose is a French Immersion school “W.S. Hawrylak Elementary School”. I chose this specific zone because I figured there would be a lot of signs with the French language on them. In this area, I know many people my age who live here and went to school there. This area just seemed the most fitting for this assignment and is a place that is quite familiar to me. I would say it is a quite wealthy area and not much crime happens here.
History:
During my research about the zone I chose to do, I found a website that states all of the demographic information for the Arcola East zone in 2016. The total population was 28470 people and the average age group was about 40 years old. The people who live in this area are mostly married and 68% of the total amount of people are employed. In this area, you will most likely come in contact with someone who has a Non-Aboriginal identity as there are only 3% of Aboriginal identity who live here.
Regina is found on Treaty 4 Land and Indigenous people would often come to Regina to hunt bison that would be wandering around. Regina became a city in 1903 and then became the capital of Saskatchewan not long after. The street names around this area all mean and come from something different. Assiniboine Avenue is a very long road that is the busiest in this specific area I would say. This is because it leads you to the ring road as well as many other busy streets. As I was doing my research on this zone, I found a website that lead to a gigantic chart explaining the background of where each street name came from. This intrigued me to then explore where the street name Assiniboine Avenue came from. I found out that in the 19th century, the Assiniboine tribe moved to the Saskatchewan area. It stated, “This name derived from the Ojibwa word meaning “one who cooks by the use of stone’s” (City of Regina). I never knew that nor would have thought that’s what it means. I started reading through other street names and looked at the photos I took to explore another street name. In an image that I took, there is a street named “Potts Crescent” and it came from a man named William Joseph Potts. He is an individual who is into sports and is the president of a Hockey Club and the director of the Roughriders here in Saskatchewan. There are a lot of street names and each has a meaning behind it. Some street names in the same area relate to each other and others don’t but our history is very important to know and learn. The word Assiniboine is another word for Nakota Language. Relating back to this assignment and its purpose, finding out where the street names come from can tell us more about certain areas in the city.
Section 2: Photographs & Table
Street Signs:
Precautionary Signs:
School Signs:
Store Fronts:
Language Table
| Type of Sign | English | French | Bilingual | Total |
| Street Signs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Precautionary Signs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| School Sign | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Store-Front | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Section 3: Analysis
When I think back to when I started this assignment and was driving and walking around, I came across a challenge. This was because I tried to search for signs of a different language other than English but it almost seemed impossible. This assignment sounded quite interesting but I didn’t think I would struggle as much as I did. It genuinely shocked me how I was so unaware of how almost all street signs, building signs, bus signs, stop signs, etc, are all in English. In Regina, almost everyone I know speaks English and some briefly know another language like French, Korean or other ones. These images I took go to prove that Regina is an English-speaking city. When I explore back into my past and think of when I was growing up, I didn’t come in contact with any languages other than English and French. I had to take French in elementary as it was a part of the curriculum but once I moved into highschool I wanted to take it by choice. The teacher I had made learning a language so fun and interesting and he broadened my view on learning languages. Campbell Colligate had a French Immersion program too so I would come in some contact with French students speaking it fluently throughout high school. When I started making new friends in high school, one of my friends was Korean. I would go to her house sometimes and her mom would speak strictly Korean and my friend would bounce back from English to Korean. I would get lost in what they were talking about but I loved listening to the way it sounded and wished I understood what they were saying. Although my experience with other languages is quite brief, I feel quite a passion to learn more about languages and ways that I can make everyone more aware of different languages other than just what they fluently speak. I fluently speak English but it’s also a language that I see written and hear being said almost all of the time. Due to this assignment, I started looking more closely into the area I drive and walk by lots. I never realized how often the English language is being placed around me. In all honesty, I would love to see more signs with different languages on them. Even if I saw a sign in English and French or another language. That way I would be able to see what it looks like in a different language and maybe try to learn or understand. I think language should be honoured and spread a lot more than it is. For example, in Image #5, I chose to show the sign that shows French being written but on the other side, it says the same thing but in English. I loved seeing this and as someone who knows a little French as it is, I liked being refreshed of my knowledge and having the ability to know what it means in two languages. It makes me feel thankful for having the resources and opportunities to be able to learn a language and makes me want to learn more. From this assignment, I have and will continue to notice the signs and language on them while I go into other areas.
References:
Neighbourhood Profiles. City of Regina. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.regina.ca/about-regina/neighbourhood-profiles/.
Regina History & Facts. City of Regina. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://waww.regina.ca/about-regina/regina-history-facts/.
Street & Park Naming. City of Regina. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.regina.ca/business-development/land-property-development/street-park-naming/.