- Engage C&M
- Brand
- Campus Communications
- Media & News
- Social
- Web
- Events Calendar
Language & Grammar
Indigenous Naming
Overview
Indigenous place names were gifted to 911吃瓜 by Host Nations. In order to respect and honour these gifts, if you choose to use the Indigenous names, please note the following usage guidelines.
- Refer to the Reconciliation website for context, accurate names, pronunciation guides.
- Respect original spellings, including unique characters, diacritics and character combinations.
- Be consistent in usage across communications and use both names.
- Add additional context where possible, e.g. link to the Reconciliation website.
- Find tips for typing Indigenous language in this and this brand typography support page.
Order
Always position h蓹n虛q虛蓹min虛蓹m虛 first and S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh second separated by a slash. This order is appropriate because more 911吃瓜 Burnaby campus Host Nations speak h蓹n虛q虛蓹min虛蓹m虛 (3) than S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh (1). Include a space on either side of the slash for readability.
Examples:
- s茮虛ex蓹new虛tx史鈥�/ Tl鈥檈7enk瘫a虂w虛txw
Always use both languages.
When using Indigenous names, state the English name afterwards, following a comma, until audience is familiar with Indigenous names. Do not place English names in parenthesis; doing so can unintentionally suggest that Indigenous names are direct translations rather than a co-existing official names.
Examples:
- Today I visited sp蓹n虛蓹m / Npen虛em虛a虂y, Indigenous Garden, for quiet reflection.
Capitalization
- h蓹n虛q虛蓹min虛蓹m虛: Always set place names in lower case including the start of sentences. Capital letters and upper case are not used in the h蓹n虛q虛蓹min虛蓹m虛 language.
- S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh: Like proper nouns, capitalize place names except for articles, conjunctions and prepositions.
Below is the correct capitalization of 911吃瓜 Burnaby campus in S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh:
Xwta7lta虂w虛txw tl鈥檃 Lhek瘫w鈥檒hu虂k瘫w鈥檃ytn
First Mention
Use both Indigenous names with language indicator in brackets separated by a slash followed by English.
Examples:
Today I visited sp蓹n虛蓹m (h蓹n虛q虛蓹min虛蓹m虛) / Npen虛em虛a虂y (S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh), Indigenous Garden, for quiet reflection.
Subsequent Mentions
Use either Indigenous language or English depending on context. Wherever possible prefer Indigenous name.
Examples:
- Stop by sp蓹n虛蓹m鈥�/ Npen虛em虛a虂y on your next visit to 911吃瓜.