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Official Bilingualism and Immigrants: Perceptions, Experiences and Practices University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2013-05-02 Official Bilingualism and Immigrants: Perceptions, Experiences and Practices Galiev, Albert Galiev, A. (2013). Official Bilingualism and Immigrants: Perceptions, Experiences and Practices (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27164 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/697 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Official Bilingualism and Immigrants: Perceptions, Experiences and Practices by Albert Galiev A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE DIVISION OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH CALGARY, ALBERTA APRIL, 2013 © Albert Galiev 2013 ii Abstract Canada has been known as a country that is bilingual when it comes to language policy and multicultural when it comes to cultural diversity. However, while the immigration numbers have been increasing in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2012), newcomers are often seen to be left out of the scope of discussion on languages (Dasko, 2003; Parkin & Turcotte, 2004). In fact, the discourse and research on official bilingualism have largely been shaped by promoting bilingualism only among Anglophone and Francophone communities (Mady, 2008). In this study, I investigated the perceptions, experiences, and practices of 64 adult immigrant students learning one of Canada’s official languages (English or French) with regard to bilingualism in Alberta and Canada. By analyzing survey findings on participants’ perceptions of bilingualism and in-depth open-ended individual and focus- group interviews, I attempted to answer how the promoted official bilingualism and the dominant English reality are reconciled and explained and how immigrants’ voices are placed in the discourses on bilingualism in the monolingual and multicultural environment. Following a critical sociolinguistic framework (Heller, 2006), I argue it is the interplay between official bilingualism and bilingualism as a social practice that characterizes and guides immigrants’ narrations of how they place themselves in discourses of bilingualism. I demonstrate that often a macro-level discourse on official bilingualism maintained and promoted by the government does not correlate with a micro-level discourse produced by new Canadians, and I recommend further consideration of accommodating immigrants’ voices in the official bilingualism discourse. iii Acknowledgements Many people contributed to this dissertation in innumerable ways, to only some of whom it is possible to give particular mention here. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Sylvie Roy. It has been an honor for me to have her guidance throughout my academic journey. I appreciate all her contributions of time, ideas, help, and support far beyond the call of duty. I am also grateful to the members of my supervisory committee, Dr. Thomas Ricento and Dr. Gail Jardine, for their invaluable support and advice. I would also like to thank the participants of the study for the contributions they made to this research. Special thanks go to my family. iv Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... vi Epigraph .............................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1: Setting the Contexts ............................................................................................. 1 Sociohistorical and Contemporary Contexts of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism in Canada ................................................................................................................................ 2 Immigrants and Official Languages Today ...................................................................... 11 Research Questions .......................................................................................................... 14 Definitions ........................................................................................................................ 16 Personalization of the Study ............................................................................................. 18 Limitations of the Study ................................................................................................... 22 Overview of Chapters....................................................................................................... 25 Exploring Research Frameworks of Bilingualism as a Social Practice ........................... 27 Situating Research on Immigrants and Bilingualism in Canada ...................................... 30 Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... 39 Chapter 3: Methodological Framework ............................................................................... 48 Data-Collection Methods ................................................................................................. 48 Participant Demographics, Research, and Settings Description ...................................... 54 Chapter 4: Survey Findings ................................................................................................. 63 Chapter 5: Qualitative Findings and Discussion .................................................................. 79 Findings Overview ........................................................................................................... 79 Where Do Immigrants See Themselves in a Society? (Perceptions of Identity and Citizenship) ...................................................................................................................... 80 Why Canada? ............................................................................................................... 80 Becoming Canadian and feeling accepted. ................................................................... 85 Establishing Approaches to Bilingualism ........................................................................ 97 Supremacy of law. ........................................................................................................ 98 Law and society as agencies: Micro and macro dimensions. ....................................... 99 Conceptualization of approaches. ............................................................................... 112 From Conceptualization to Practice: Immigrants’ Discourses on the Place of Bilingualism in Canada .................................................................................................. 119 Pre-arrival perceptions. .............................................................................................. 120 Post-arrival perceptions: Bilingualism as a law or bilingualism as a practice? ......... 126 Factual approach: Interpreting bilingualism as a law. ............................................ 126 French as an office language. .............................................................................. 128 French as a second official language. ................................................................. 130 English and French as first languages in Canada. ............................................... 134 Critical approach: Questioning bilingualism as a law and as a practice. ................ 139 Why are we not bilingual if there is a law? ......................................................... 141 Why is there a law if we are not bilingual? ......................................................... 143 Post-critical approach: Understanding bilingualism as a law and as a practice. .... 148 v Connecting Macro and Micro: Immigrants on Their Place in Bilingualism and Multiculturalism in Canada ............................................................................................ 161 Intersections of personal and official bilingualisms ................................................... 162 Immigrants’ support of bilingualism at a micro level............................................. 162 Immigrants’ support of bilingualism at a macro level ............................................ 167 Measuring the level of government’s support: French as an ethnic notion. ....... 168 Measuring the level of government’s support: Civic dimensions of French. ..... 171 Intersections of heritage languages and multiculturalism .......................................... 181 Immigrants’ support of heritage languages at a micro-level. ................................. 182 Immigrants’ support of heritage languages at a macro level. ................................
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