Work More Effectively in the Official Languages of Canada and Quebec
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Load more
Recommended publications
-
Linguistic Profile of the Bilingual Visible Minority Population in Canada Prepared for the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Linguistic Profile of the Bilingual Visible Minority Population in Canada Prepared for the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages Fall 2007 Ce document est également offert en français. Overview The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) works to ensure the implementation of the Official Languages Act. The Commissioner of Official Languages is required to take all actions and measures within his authority to ensure recognition of the status of each of the official languages and compliance with the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act in the administration of the affairs of federal institutions, including any of their activities relating to the advancement of English and French in Canadian society. In order to obtain a general picture of the bilingual visible minority population in Canada, Government Consulting Services undertook for OCOL, an analysis using data from the 2001 Census of Canada carried out by Statistics Canada. The analysis looks at bilingualism and education levels of visible minorities and where visible minority populations are located in Canada. Particular attention is given to visible minorities between the ages of 20 and 49, the ideal age for recruitment into the work force. For the purposes of this study, the term "bilingual" refers to the two official languages of Canada. The term "Canadians" is used in this study to refer to people living in Canada, without regard to citizenship. It should be noted that 23% of the visible minority population residing in Canada are not Canadian -
The Vitality of Quebec's English-Speaking Communities: from Myth to Reality
SENATE SÉNAT CANADA THE VITALITY OF QUEBEC’S ENGLISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES: FROM MYTH TO REALITY Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages The Honourable Maria Chaput, Chair The Honourable Andrée Champagne, P.C., Deputy Chair October 2011 (first published in March 2011) For more information please contact us by email: [email protected] by phone: (613) 990-0088 toll-free: 1 800 267-7362 by mail: Senate Committee on Official Languages The Senate of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A4 This report can be downloaded at: http://senate-senat.ca/ol-lo-e.asp Ce rapport est également disponible en français. Top photo on cover: courtesy of Morrin Centre CONTENTS Page MEMBERS ORDER OF REFERENCE PREFACE INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 QUEBEC‘S ENGLISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES: A SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE ........................................................... 4 QUEBEC‘S ENGLISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES: CHALLENGES AND SUCCESS STORIES ...................................................... 11 A. Community life ............................................................................. 11 1. Vitality: identity, inclusion and sense of belonging ......................... 11 2. Relationship with the Francophone majority ................................. 12 3. Regional diversity ..................................................................... 14 4. Government support for community organizations and delivery of services to the communities ................................ -
Or, the Textual Production of Michif Voices As Cultural Weaponry
Intersections of Memory, Ancestral Language, and Imagination; or, the Textual Production of Michif Voices as Cultural Weaponry Pamela V. Sing n his overview of the historic origins in modern thought of ideas playing a central role in the current debate over matters of iden- tity and recognition, Charles Taylor emphasizes that, whether it is a Iquestion of individual or of collective identity, “we become full human agents, capable of understanding ourselves, and hence of defining our identity, through our acquisition of rich human languages of expression” (32). Languages, in this context, signify modes of expression used to iden- tify ourselves, including those of art and literature, and all evolve, are de- veloped, and are acquired in a dialogical manner — that is to say, through exchanges with others. By underscoring the socially derived character of identity, this perspective explains the importance of external recognition, both on an individual basis and on a cultural one. In this article, I intend to focus on an aesthetic that, grounded in memory, demonstrates and requests recognition for a particular type of “love of words.” The words in question belong to Michif, an oral ancestral language that, despite (or perhaps because of) its endangered status, proves to be a powerful identity symbol. Relegated to an underground existence during the latter part of the nineteenth century, the resurgence of Michif words and expressions in literary texts reminds the community to which they belong, and that they are telling (back) into existence, of its historic, cultural, and linguistic sources, thus re-laying claim to a specific and distinct, but unrecognized space on the Canadian word/landscape. -
Québec French in Florida: North American Francophone Language Practices on the Road
Québec French in Florida: North American Francophone Language Practices on the Road HÉLÈNE BLONDEAU Introduction Most of the sociolinguistic research on French in North America has focused on stable speech communities and long-established francophone groups in Canada or in the US, including Franco-Americans, Cajuns, Québécois and Acadians.1 However, since mobility has become an integral part of an increasingly globalized society, research on the language practices of transient groups of speakers is crucial for a better understanding of twenty-first-century francophone North America. The current article sheds light on the language practices of a group of speakers who experience a high degree of mobility and regular back-and-forth contact between francophone Canada and the US: francophone peoples of Québécois origin who move in and out of South Florida. For years, Florida has been a destination for many Canadians, some of whom have French as their mother tongue. A significant number of these people are part of the so-called “snowbird” population, a group that regularly travels south in an attempt to escape the rigorous northern winter. Snowbirds stay in the Sunshine State only temporarily. Others have established themselves in the US permanently, forming the first generation of Canado-Floridians, and another segment of the population is comprised of second-generation immigrants. By studying the language practices of such speakers, we can document the status of a mobile francophone group that has been largely under-examined in the body of research on French in North America. In this case, the mobility involves the crossing of national borders, and members of this community come in contact with English through their interactions with the American population in Florida. -
French in Québec: a Standard to Be Described and Uses to Be Prioritized
The French Language in Québec: 400 Years of History and Life Part Four II – French a Shared Language Chapter 13 – Which Language for the Future? 52. French in Québec: A Standard to be Described and Uses to Be Prioritized PIERRE MARTEL and HÉLÈNE CAJOLET-LAGANIÈRE The Evolution of the Standard for Written and Spoken French in Québec For more than two centuries, Québécois have lived in a twofold linguistic insecurity. On the one hand, French was rendered a second-class language by English, which was widely dominant in a number of social spheres and, on the other, its status was undermined compared to the French of France, the one and only benchmark. The “ Joual dispute” of the 1960s and 1970s crystallized opinions around a simplistic alternative: either the language of Québécois was the French of France (most usually termed International French 1, chiefly in order to indicate no dependence on the mother country), in which case every effort would have to be made to conform to it on every point, or else theirs was the popular language of those who were little educated, that is, vernacular speech, stigmatized by the term “ Joual ,” which some associated with the very identity of the Québécois. This black and white representation of the state of our language was ideological and unrealistic. It was as if French was made up of only a “standard” level, the correct written usage, and as if Québec French had only one language level, the vernacular, and even the lax and vulgar language. The Charter of the French Language, promulgated in 1977, contained no provision aimed at defining “French in Québec,” the “standard” or the “quality of the language.” However, the 1 The French Language in Québec: 400 Years of History and Life Part Four II – French a Shared Language Chapter 13 – Which Language for the Future? Policy Statement that gave birth to the Charter drew attention to the necessity of having a quality language. -
Language Planning and Education of Adult Immigrants in Canada
London Review of Education DOI:10.18546/LRE.14.2.10 Volume14,Number2,September2016 Language planning and education of adult immigrants in Canada: Contrasting the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia, and the cities of Montreal and Vancouver CatherineEllyson Bem & Co. CarolineAndrewandRichardClément* University of Ottawa Combiningpolicyanalysiswithlanguagepolicyandplanninganalysis,ourarticlecomparatively assessestwomodelsofadultimmigrants’languageeducationintwoverydifferentprovinces ofthesamefederalcountry.Inordertodoso,wefocusspecificallyontwoquestions:‘Whydo governmentsprovidelanguageeducationtoadults?’and‘Howisitprovidedintheconcrete settingoftwoofthebiggestcitiesinCanada?’Beyonddescribingthetwomodelsofadult immigrants’ language education in Quebec, British Columbia, and their respective largest cities,ourarticleponderswhetherandinwhatsensedemography,languagehistory,andthe commonfederalframeworkcanexplainthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthetwo.These contextualelementscanexplainwhycitiescontinuetohavesofewresponsibilitiesregarding thesettlement,integration,andlanguageeducationofnewcomers.Onlysuchunderstandingwill eventuallyallowforproperreformsintermsofcities’responsibilitiesregardingimmigration. Keywords: multilingualcities;multiculturalism;adulteducation;immigration;languagelaws Introduction Canada is a very large country with much variation between provinces and cities in many dimensions.Onesuchaspect,whichremainsacurrenthottopicfordemographicandhistorical reasons,islanguage;morespecifically,whyandhowlanguageplanningandpolicyareenacted -
Language Projections for Canada, 2011 to 2036
Catalogue no. 89-657-X2017001 ISBN 978-0-660-06842-8 Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series Language Projections for Canada, 2011 to 2036 by René Houle and Jean-Pierre Corbeil Release date: January 25, 2017 How to obtain more information For information about this product or the wide range of services and data available from Statistics Canada, visit our website, www.statcan.gc.ca. You can also contact us by email at [email protected] telephone, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the following numbers: • Statistical Information Service 1-800-263-1136 • National telecommunications device for the hearing impaired 1-800-363-7629 • Fax line 1-514-283-9350 Depository Services Program • Inquiries line 1-800-635-7943 • Fax line 1-800-565-7757 Standards of service to the public Standard table symbols Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, The following symbols are used in Statistics Canada reliable and courteous manner. To this end, Statistics Canada has publications: developed standards of service that its employees observe. To . not available for any reference period obtain a copy of these service standards, please contact Statistics .. not available for a specific reference period Canada toll-free at 1-800-263-1136. The service standards are ... not applicable also published on www.statcan.gc.ca under “Contact us” > 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero “Standards of service to the public.” 0s value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded p preliminary Note of appreciation r revised Canada owes the success of its statistical system to a x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements long-standing partnership between Statistics Canada, the of the Statistics Act citizens of Canada, its businesses, governments and other E use with caution institutions. -
Official Language Bilingualism for Allophones in Canada: Exploring Future Research Callie Mady and Miles Turnbull
Official Language Bilingualism for Allophones in Canada: Exploring Future Research Callie Mady and Miles Turnbull This article offers a review of policy and research as they relate to Allophones and their access to French Second Official Language (FSOL) programs in English- dominant Canada. Possible areas of future research are woven throughout the re- view as questions emerge in the summary of relevant literature. Notre article comprend une recension des documents de politique et des projets de recherche concernant les Allophones inscrits aux programmes de français langue seconde et officielle (FLSO) au Canada. Tout au long de l’article, nous tis- sons une série de questions de recherche possible pour le futur comme elles ont émergé pendant le développement de la recension des écrits. The Canadian Constitution (Canada, Department of Justice, 1982) guaran- tees equal status to English and French as the official languages of Canada providing for federal government services in both languages. As such, many federal job opportunities at minimum are centered on official-language bilingualism. In addition to linguistic considerations, the federal govern- ment recognizes official-language bilingualism as vital to Canadian identity (Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, 2006). The dual privileg- ing of English and French by way of commodity and identity (Heller, 2002), then, encourages immigrants to Canada to consider such proclamations as they establish themselves and reconstruct their identities (Blackledge & Pavlenko, 2001). As Canada moves forward with its agenda to promote linguistic duality and official-language bilingualism, it must consider the effect of the growing Allophone population. In 2000, former Commissioner of Official Languages Dyane Adam called for a clear research agenda relating to Allophones and language education in Canada; she recognized immigration as a challenge to official-language bilingualism (Office of the Commissioner of Official Lan- guages, 2000). -
LINGUISTIC DUALITY, DE JURE and DE FACTO Marking the 50Th Anniversary of the Official Languages Act
LINGUISTIC DUALITY, DE JURE AND DE FACTO Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Official Languages Act FALL / WINTER 2019 MIRIAM TAYLOR DIANE GÉRIN-LAJOIE JACK JEDWAB SHANA POPLACK ROBERT J. TALBOT GEOFFREY CHAMBERS RICHARD SLEVINSKY NATHALIE DION JEAN-PHILIPPE WARREN RICHARD Y. BOURHIS MATTHEW HAYDAY SUZANNE ROBILLARD JEAN JOHNSON JEAN-PIERRE CORBEIL FRED GENESEE BASILE ROUSSEL TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION SECTION 3 – THE STATE OF BILINGUALISM: CANADA’S OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT AT 50: FACTS, FIGURES AND WAYS FORWARD BILINGUALISM, PLURALISM AND IDENTITIES 34 THE EVOLUTION OF FRENCH-ENGLISH Miriam Taylor BILINGUALISM IN CANADA OVER THE PAST SECTION 1 – IDENTITY AND POLITICS 50 YEARS: A REFLECTION OF THE EVOLUTION OF RELATIONS BETWEEN FRENCH AND 6 WHY LINGUISTIC DUALITY STILL MATTERS, ENGLISH-SPEAKING CANADIANS? 50 YEARS AFTER THE OLA: AN ANGLOPHONE Jean-Pierre Corbeil MAJORITY PERSPECTIVE Robert J. Talbot 39 BONJOUR, HI AND OLA With a foreword from Raymond Théberge, Commissioner Jack Jedwab of Official Languages of Canada SECTION 4 – LANGUAGE EDUCATION: OVERVIEW AND CHALLENGES 12 THE PRIME MINISTER OF A BILINGUAL COUNTRY MUST BE BILINGUAL 44 THE EVOLUTION OF FRENCH LANGUAGE Jean-Philippe Warren TERMINOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION FROM CONFEDERATION THROUGH TO THE SECTION 2 – MINORITY VOICES: THE EVOLUTION AND PRESENT DEFENSE OF MINORITY LANGUAGE COMMUNITIES Richard Slevinsky 17 50 YEARS AFTER FIRST OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, THE STATUS OF FRENCH IN CANADA IS RECEDING 48 CAUGHT IN A TIMELOOP: 50 YEARS OF Jean Johnson REPEATED CHALLENGES FOR -
Language Rights and Quebec Bill 101
Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law Volume 10 Issue 2 Article 11 1978 Language Rights and Quebec Bill 101 Clifford Savren Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil Part of the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Clifford Savren, Language Rights and Quebec Bill 101, 10 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 543 (1978) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol10/iss2/11 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals at Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. 1978] Language Rights and Quebec Bill 101 INTRODUCTION N THE WORDS of Maclean's, Canada's news magazine: "On November 15, 1976, Canada entered a new era. In the year since, the unthinkable has suddenly become normal and the impossible sud- denly conceivable."' The Quebec provincial elections of November 1976 brought to power a party whose primary goal is the separation of the Province from the rest of Canada and the establishment of Quebec as a sovereign independent state. 2 The election victory of the Parti Qu~b~cois under the leadership of Ren6 Lvesque has forced Cana- dians across the political spectrum to face some difficult questions regarding the essence of Canadian identity and the feasibility of for- mulae which more effectively could accomodate the unique character of Quebec, the only Canadian province with a predominantly French- speaking population.' 1759 brought the defeat by the British of the 74,000 French in- habitants of Quebec. -
Loan Verb Integration in Michif
journal of language contact 12 (2019) 27-51 brill.com/jlc Loan Verb Integration in Michif Anton Antonov inalco-crlao, paris [email protected] Abstract This paper looks at the different ways French (and English) loan verbs are being inte- grated in Michif, a mixed language (the noun system is French, the verbal one is Cree) based upon two dictionaries of the language. The detailed study of the available data has shown that loan verbs are almost exclusively assigned to the vai class, i.e. a class of verbs whose single core argument is animate. This seems natural enough given that the overwhelming majority of them do have an animate core participant in the donor language as well. Still, quite a few of them can be transitive. This is accounted for by claiming that vai is the most ‘neutral’ inflectional class of Cree as far as morphology and argument structure are concerned as verbs in this class can be syntactically both intransitive and transitive. Finally, all of the loan verbs examined have Cree equivalents and so the claim that they were borrowed because of the lack of a corresponding Cree verb in the language is difficult to accept at face value. Keywords loan verbs – valency – transitivity – animacy – direct/inverse – hierarchical agreement – Algonquian – Cree – Michif 1 Introduction This paper deals with French and English loan verbs in Michif, and in particu- lar the ways in which they have been integrated into the almost exclusively Cree (i.e. Algonquian) verbal system of that language. It is especially con- cerned with the ways in which the argument structure of the original verb has been mapped onto the existing valency patterns. -
Canada Du FCFA
FCFA du Canada du FCFA 2nd Edition 2nd Canada Community Profile Profile Community of Acadian Francophone and and 2nd Edition Canada Canada 2e édition Profil des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada 2e édition FCFA du Canada www.fcfa.ca : Web Site and International Trade International and et du Commerce international international Commerce du et Department of Foreign Affairs Foreign of Department Ministère des Affaires étrangères Affaires des Ministère [email protected] : Courriel (613) 241-6046 (613) : Télécopieur (613) 241-7600 (613) : Téléphone Heritage canadien Canadian Patrimoine Ottawa (Ontario) K1N 5Z4 K1N (Ontario) Ottawa 450, rue Rideau, bureau 300 bureau Rideau, rue 450, possible grâce à l’appui financier du : : du financier l’appui à grâce possible et acadienne (FCFA) du Canada Canada du (FCFA) acadienne et La publication de ce profil a été rendue rendue été a profil ce de publication La La Fédération des communautés francophones francophones communautés des Fédération La Dépôt légal - Bibliothèque nationale du Canada du nationale Bibliothèque - légal Dépôt 2-922742-21-0 : ISBN © Mars 2004 Mars © Corporate Printers Ltd. Printers Corporate : Impression GLS dezign Inc. dezign GLS : graphique Conception Joelle Dubois, Isabelle Lefebvre, Micheline Lévesque (mise à jour) à (mise Lévesque Micheline Lefebvre, Isabelle Dubois, Joelle Michel Bédard, Karine Lamarre (première édition), Tina Desabrais, Tina édition), (première Lamarre Karine Bédard, Michel : production la à Appui Micheline Doiron (première édition), Robin