Language Contact and Mixing in and in 2011

Jack Jedwab November 2012

1. Introduction

Recently released results of the 2011 census on language identification, language knowledge and home use revealed little change in the distribution of language groups in the National Capital Region since the 2006 census. This despite concerns that change in census context may give rise to problems in intecensal comparisons. Yet little change on some dimensions of language identification and knowledge should not be seen as good news. The table below looks at the percentage shift in population on the basis of mother tongue in the NCR and perhaps the point most worthy of interest is the rise in the percentage of mixed responses. In real number the mixed responses rose from 20 805 to 35 075 between 2006 and 2011 and English/French mixed responses from 10 500 to 16 665 over that same period for an increase of nearly 60%. Although the numbers may seem small they nonetheless reflect a census trend that is in part explained by more comfort in acknowledging dual language identity in a context where language policy analysts have often encouraged respondents to think in singular terms (you’re either an anglophone, francophone or other). Indeed despite the rise in the percentage reporting the first language they learned was both English and French), it is likely that this grossly under represents the percentage that identify with two languages. Indeed the 2011 census reveals that in the NCR some 53 195 speak both French and English most often at home, 81 440 people speaking French most often in their homes also to some degree report speaking English and 69 715 NCR anglophones report speaking some French at home. Hence a total of over 200 000 residents of the NCR to varying degrees speak both languages in their homes or nearly 20% of the area’s population. Undoubtedly that mixing is crucial to knowledge of English and French amongst the NCR population. It is one factor in a broader range of considerations that contribute to exposure to the other official language (i.e. school/education, social interaction and culture and technology).

Table 1

Ottawa - Mother English French Non- Mixed Gatineau tongue official Responses languages 2011 1222755 49.1 31.4 16.7 2.8 2006 1117120 49.5 32.4 16.6 1.5

2. Bilingualism

In 2011 in the National Capital Region some 43.5% of the population reported knowledge of English and French. Nearly one in two (49.9%) were mother tongue francophones. Amongst Ottawa anglophones the percentage of persons declaring knowledge of English and French dropped from 28.5 in 2006 to 28.3% in 2011. But in the 15-24 category the percentage of bilinguals dropped considerably from 38.5% in 2006 to 32.8% in 2011. Under 15 however it was approximately 25% in 2006 and 28% in 2011 suggesting that early second language instruction may be having a modest impact. Amongst Ottawa francophones the near total bilingualism of the group increased yet further between 2006 and 2011 and did so in the 15-24 age cohort.

Table 2

Ottawa English Mother Tongue Non-Official Mother French Mother Tongue Mother Tongue and Tongue Percentage Knowledge of English and French English and 2011 2006 2011 2006 2011 2006 French Total - Age groups 28.3 28.5 23.5 23.4 91.1 89.5 Under 15 years 27.7 24.8 28.8 24.5 70.0 70.3 15 to 24 years 32.8 38.5 30.5 31.7 96.0 93.1 25 to 44 years 34.9 33.6 24.9 24.4 96.5 94.7 45 to 64 years 25.0 23.7 21.8 22.7 95.5 93.6 65 to 74 years 18.8 16.6 15.2 13.7 91.8 89.6 75 years and over 11.7 11.5 11.2 12.7 83.7 82.5

It has been common in parts of to suggest that legislative measures in are an obstacle to francophone bilingualism while supporting bilingualism amongst Quebec anglophones and allophones. That observation simply does not hold up in the Quebec part of the NCR. As observed below mother tongue francophones in Gatineau have a slight edge in their level of bilingualism over anglophones and allophones. Clearly it is not in the under 15 cohort that Gatineau francophones enjoy an advantage and indeed they are behind the rest of the population. It is in the 15-24 age range where francophones pick up English to the point where they were previously behind these others in 2006 and over the next five years moved ahead of them.

Table 3 Gatineau English Mother Tongue Non-Official Mother French Mother Tongue Mother Tongue Tongue and Percentage Knowledge of English and French English and 2011 2006 2011 2006 2011 2006 French Total - Age groups 59.0 60.6 51.7 52.2 65.5 63.2 Under 15 years 52.1 51.6 34.3 38.1 19.7 19.7 15 to 24 years 65.1 76.6 68. 75.4 69.6 67.8 25 to 44 years 63.2 67.1 59.5 59.7 82.0 77.5 45 to 64 years 59.4 57.5 49.4 48.8 75.9 73.9 65 to 74 years 51.5 45.2 30.3 24.6 68.8 68.8 75 years and over 42.5 34.6 23.0 20.2 58.2 60.0

Ottawa Anglophones more bilingual than males notably in the 15-44 group and reflecting a generational shift in favour of women. Where bilingualism in employment is a must, Ottawa Anglophone men will be least qualified as their language aptitude appears generally weaker when comparing their rate of English-French bilingualism and as observed below the gap is most pronounced in the 15-24 age group.

Table 4 Ottawa 2011 English % Female Male Knowledge English and French Total - Age groups 30.5 26.0 Under 15 years 30.6 24.9 15 to 24 years 38.8 27.1 25 to 44 years 39.2 30.6 45 to 64 years 25.6 24.3 65 to 74 years 15.4 22.4 75 years and over 9.8 14.2

Amongst those Ottawa residents with a non-official language it is girls aged 15-24 that are more bilingual than males and indeed in this case more trilingual than their male counterparts.

Table 5 Ottawa 2011 Percentage knowledge of English and French

Non- Male Female official language Total - Age groups 23.1 23.9 Under 15 years 26.9 30.8 15 to 24 years 26.9 34.2 25 to 44 years 24.2 25.5 45 to 64 years 22.0 21.6 65 to 74 years 17.8 13.0 75 years and over 14.1 8.6

In Gatineau, it is amongst the mother tongue anglophone population that females perform somewhat better when it comes to reported knowledge of French and this is especially the case in the 15-44 age cohort where contact builds upon initial learning.

Table 6

Gatineau Knowledge of English Mother and French Tongue English Male Female Total - Age groups 57.2 61 Under 15 years 50.5 54.2 15 to 24 years 61.9 68.1 25 to 44 years 60.0 66.1 45 to 64 years 58.2 60.8 65 to 74 years 50 52.8 75 years and over 45.5 40.1

3. Capital Partners; Marriages Across the language divide in Ottawa and Gatineau

In the \national capital region the degrees to which anglophone and francophone minorities in Gatineau and Ottawa respectively are in linguistically mixed marriage is considerable and gives rise to a significant degree of children with dual language identities. As we shall observe the experience of the mixed language identities differs in Gatineau and Ottawa in terms of the outcomes in the respective use of either English or French at home.

As observed in the table below some 50% of persons whose first language is English are married or living in common law with other anglophones. Approximately 43% of Gatineau Anglophones are married or in common law with francophones. In Gatineau 42.8% of anglophone men are married to francophone women while 38.6% of anglophone women are married to francophone men.

Table 7

Gatinea Total - Non- French u Mother Englis Frenc official Englis English and English, tongue h h languag h and and non- French of male e French non- official and married official languag non- spouse languag e official or e languag common e -law partner Total - 51655 7455 35950 7020 625 145 390 65 Mother tongue of female married spouse or common -law partner English 6805 3705 2600 350 110 15 10 10 French 36640 3190 31925 1150 275 20 75 5 Non- 7015 385 1120 5420 30 20 35 0 official languag e English 625 150 240 30 180 10 0 10 and French English 165 20 30 25 15 60 10 10 and non- official languag e French 355 5 30 30 10 15 250 10 and non- official languag e 50 0 10 10 5 5 5 20 English, French and non- official languag e

Ottawa

A similar pattern emerges amongst Ottawa francophones with 58% married or living with other francophones. Nearly 38% are married or living common law with anglophones. That is roughly similar to the percentage of mixed English-French couples on the Gatineau side.

Some 41.5% of francophone women are married or living in common law with anglophone men compared with 36.5% of anglophone men that are married or living in common-law with francophone women

Table 8

Ottawa Total - Non- French Mother Englis Frenc official Englis English and English, tongue h h languag h and and non- French of male e French non- official and married official languag non- spouse languag e official or e languag common e -law partner Total - 153235 85760 20795 42800 1115 1860 755 150 Mother tongue of female married spouse or common -law partner English 82960 69075 7565 5395 540 300 55 25 French 22345 9130 11605 1425 105 35 40 0 Non- official languag e English 1395 800 90 100 315 60 15 15 and French English 1890 360 55 255 40 1105 25 35 and non- official languag e French 800 55 35 145 0 35 520 5 and non- official languag e 215 55 5 25 10 45 10 60 English, French and non- official languag e

4. The Language of Children of Mixed Language Capital Couples

We observed above that there is an important critical mass of mixed language couples in the National Capital Region to the point where it is increasingly common to hear people refer to a relative or friend that married someone from the other language community. It also implies that independent of negative attitudes occasionally heard about the other language communities, the level of mixing suggests substantial openness across the language divide.

In general the language adopted by children of linguistically mixed couples is determined by the first language of the mother. As observed below in Ottawa when the mother is English and the spouse or partner French nearly 80% of the children end up speaking English most often in the home.

Table 9

Ottawa Female Married English

Married Language Non- Spouse of spoken English French official Common most language Law often at Partner home by child Mother 82960 80235 1410 290 tongue of male English 69075 68405 190 200 French 7565 5900 1170 15 Non- 5395 5105 40 65 official language In Ottawa, when the mother is French and the spouse is English the children also tend to speak English most often in the home but on a lesser scale with some 57% doing so.

Table 10 Female married: French Ottawa Total - French Non- male Language English official English married spoken language and spouse or most French common- often at law home by partner child Mother 22345 6785 14190 85 1140 tongue English 9130 5200 3200 20 705 French 11605 975 10225 40 290 Non- 1425 560 670 20 115 official language

When in Gatineau the Mom’s first language is French and the spouse is English in 65% of cases the language spoken most often by children is French.

Table 11

Female married: French Gatineau Total - French Non- Language English official English spoken language and most French often at home by child Total - 36640 1105 34865 65 510 Mother tongue of male married spouse or common- law partner English 3190 790 2080 5 315 French 31925 205 31500 40 135 Non- 1150 95 965 20 35 official language

In Gatineau in the event that the mother is English and the spouse is French some 48% of the children speak French at home and 42% speak English.

Table 12

Female married: English Gatineau Total - English English spoken and most French often at home by child Total - 6805 5000 1430 340 Mother tongue of male married spouse or common- law partner English 3705 3500 155 35 French 2600 1095 1240 265 Non- 350 280 30 15 official language

In Ottawa, when a female identifying as with a non-official language group marries or lives common-law with an anglophone male nearly all of the children adopt English in the home. When the non-official language female is with a francophone male nearly half of the children adopt French in the home.

Table 13

Non-official language Female

Ottawa Total - Non- French Languag Englis Frenc official Englis English and English, e spoken h h languag h and and non- French most e French non- official and often at official languag non- home by languag e official child e languag e Total - 43640 21835 2075 13655 550 4510 285 725 Mother tongue of male married spouse or common -law partner 6280 5720 55 230 30 225 5 20 English French 1440 735 430 70 70 15 75 35 Non- 35450 15120 1570 13275 420 4205 210 645 official languag e 95 55 5 5 10 5 0 10 English and French 285 165 0 50 10 50 0 0 English and non- official languag e French 85 25 15 20 5 10 5 10 and non- official languag e

In Gatineau when a non-official language female marries a francophone male some 78% of the children speak French most often in the home. When both members of the couple belong to a non-official language group some 75% of the children using of an official language most often in their homes have are using French.

Table 14

Female married: Non-official language Gatinea Total - Non- French u Languag Englis Frenc official Englis English and English, e spoken h h languag h and and non- French most e French non- official and often at official languag non- home by languag e official child e languag e Total - 7015 930 2640 2450 140 120 525 205 Mother tongue of male married spouse or common -law partner 385 290 30 30 10 20 0 5 English French 1120 90 830 55 50 5 70 15 Non- 5420 525 1745 2360 80 90 440 180 official languag e

5. Language Shifts: When Francophones/Anglophones become Anglophones/Francophones

As to language shifts in Gatineau, some 12% of mother tongue anglophones speak French most often in their homes (another 3% use English and French most often). Amongst mother tongue francophones some 2.8% use French most often in their homes and another 1.1% use both English and French. Amongst allophones some 62% of those who use an official language in their homes have switched to the French language.

As to language shifts in Ottawa less than one percent of mother tongue anglophones speak French alone or in combination with English most often in their homes. Amongst mother tongue francophones some 30% use English most often in their homes and another 4% use both English and French. Amongst allophones some 5% of those who use an official language in their homes use French in their homes and another half of one percent English and French in their homes.

Table 15

Gatinea Total - Engl French Non- Engl French Eng, Fr u Languag offic Engl and and nol and nol Mother e spoken and nol Tongue most Fr 2011 often at home English 29060 24525 3485 160 775 95 5 25 (12) French 203365 5765 194165 475 2365 25 425 130 Non- 23860 3500 5500 11970 175 805 1450 455 official (62) languag e Ottawa Total - Engl French Non- Mother Languag officia Engl Engli French English, Tongue e spoken l lang and sh and French 2011 most Fr and non- and often at non- official non- home offici languag official al e languag langu e age English 558785 54863 2785 2980 1565 2575 30 210 5 French 145355 42655 95265 835 5775 95 480 255 (30%) Non- 179240 66605 4760 86510 605 18245 1195 1315 official languag e