Language Contact and Mixing in Ottawa and Gatineau in 2011 Jack
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Language Contact and Mixing in Ottawa and Gatineau 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 Canada to suggest that legislative measures in Quebec 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.