the name of canada has been in use since the founding of the french colony of canada in the 16th century. the name originates from a saint-lawrence iroquoian word (or ) for "settlement", "village", or "land". it is pronounced in english and in standard quebec french. in inuktitut, one of the official languages of the territory of nunavut, the iroquoian word (pronounced ) is used, with the inuktitut syllabics ᑲᓇᑕ.