What does it mean to speak Canadian?
The question may seem funny, but perpetually low rates of bilingualism, longstanding tension between anglophones and francophones, and the rising pervasiveness of mother tongues that are neither French nor English all sketch an uncertain picture of the country’s language unity.
Statistics Canada’s Oct. 24 release of some 2011 Census data will provide an updated look at our national linguistic identity, including new numbers that address the gap between our bilingual image and the number of people who are truly bilingual.
In addition, the report will identify: the most popular “immigrant languages” in major metropolitan areas; the extent to which these languages are being used; retention of mother tongue at home; and changes to knowledge of Aboriginal languages, which have long shown signs of erosion.
“It’s a portrait of who we are, linguistically, as a nation,” says Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies. “There’s a lot of symbolic dimension to this. It’s not just about the numbers.”
Although most Canadians perceive the country as bilingual – the result of government policies mandating services and labels in both official languages – the legitimacy of that image is under growing scrutiny.
Jedwab, for instance, notes that fewer than one in five people speak both English and French – and, amongst anglophones, fewer than one in 10. Ultimately, he says far more people appear to like the idea of bilingualism than the idea of actually being bilingual.
“It’s like asking people if they like ice cream. Do you want your kids to learn another language? Absolutely! But in terms of the extent to which that’s actually happening, there’s a big gap,” says Jedwab.
This recent annual report by Canada’s commissioner of official languages revealed that linguistic duality remains a challenge, with more than 500 complaints about lack of bilingual service logged by the government office between 2011 and 2012. And the tensions don’t appear to be subsiding.
In Quebec, major trademarked retailers such as Costco, Walmart and Best Buy are being threatened with stiff fines unless they modify their outdoor signs to appear more French.
Jedwab will also be watching for the census’s regional findings, which will show such things as the prevalence of Chinese in the Vancouver area. But he cautions that when it comes to shaping government policy, country-level findings must take priority.
“We tend to underestimate the importance of language as a defining aspect of our national identity,” says Jedwab. “Some people believe it’s been eclipsed by our multicultural reality … But I’d argue that English and French are still the dominant defining paradigm.”
In 2006, allophones – those people whose first language is neither French nor English – made up one-fifth of the population, representing an 18-per-cent increase over 2001.
Naeem “Nick” Noorani, founding publisher of Canadian Immigrant magazine, stresses the value of non-official languages to giving “our country a leg-up in international trade and commerce.” In his own home, for instance, three different non-official languages are used in conversation, in addition to English: Gujarati, Fijian and his mother tongue of Hindi.
At the same time, however, he says knowledge of the official languages is critical to integration.
“We go through waves, trying to figure out who we are and whether we should move to a laissez-faire system where people speak whatever language they want,” says Noorani, author of Arrival Survival Canada. “But we don’t want the ethnic silos that come from linguistic-based segregation.”
Aboriginal languages will round out the census release, with StatsCan revealing how many of them are being used at home and in conversation, as well as any changes to the rate at which this is occurring.
Vivek Venkatesh, an educational psychologist engaged in the preservation of these tongues, describes it as an urgent issue for the country.
“Only three Aboriginal languages right now are considered strong enough for survival: Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut,” says Venkatesh, associate dean of graduate studies at Concordia University in Montreal.
“We’re a country that’s proud of its multicultural roots, but we tend to forget that the indigenous peoples of Canada have a large role to play in how our culture develops. It would be a shame to lose that.”
- Language watchdog singles out federal institutions (o.canada.com)
- Aboriginal language returns from the dead (abc.net.au)
- Language of work a ‘weak link,’ commissioner says (cbc.ca)