Language In Canada

Language in Canada provides an up-to-date account of the linguistic and cultural situation in Canada, primarily from a sociolinguistic perspective. The strong central theme connecting language with group and identity will offer insights into the current linguistic and cultural tension in Canada. The book provides comprehensive accounts of the original 'charter' languages, French and English, as well as the aboriginal and immigrant varieties which now contribute to the overall picture. It explains how they came into contact - and sometimes into conflict - and looks at the many ways in which they weave themselves through and around the Canadian social fabric. The public policy issues, particularly official bilingualism and educational policy and language, are also given extensive coverage. Non-specialists as well as linguists will find in this volume, a companion to Language in Australia, Language in the USA and Language in the British Isles, an indispensable guide and reference to the linguistic heritage of Canada.

"From the time of its inception in Canada, multiculturalism has generated varied reactions, none more starkly than between French and English Canadians. In this groundbreaking new work, Eve Haque examines the Government of Canada's attempt to forge a national policy of unity based on 'multiculturalism within a bilingual framework, ' a formulation that emerged out of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963-70). Uncovering how the policies of bilingualism and multiculturalism are inextricably linked, Haque investigates the ways in which they operate together as part of our contemporary national narrative to favour the language and culture of Canada's two 'founding nations' at the expense of other groups. Haque uses previously overlooked archival material, including transcripts of royal commission hearings, memos, and reports, to reveal the conflicts underlying the emergence of this ostensibly seamless policy. By integrating two important areas of scholarly concern -- the evolution and articulation of language rights in Canada, and the history of multiculturalism in the country, Haque provides powerful insight into ongoing asymmetries between Canada's various cultural and linguistic groups."--Publisher's website.

What do English-speaking Canadians sound like and why? Can you tell the difference between a Canadian and an American? A Canadian and an Englishman? If so, how? Linguistically speaking is Canada a colony of Britain or a satellite of the United States? Is there a Canadian language? Speaking Canadian English, first published in 1971, in a non-technical way, describes English as it is spoken in Canada – its vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, grammar, spelling, slang. This title comments on the history of Canadian English – how it came to sound the way it does – and attempts to predict what will happen to it in the future. This book will be of interest to students of linguistics.

This book's purpose is to present an overview of the accomplishments of the Canadian model of official bilingualism based upon the co-existence of English-speaking & French-speaking Canadians and upon a partnership between federal & provincial governments in serving citizens' needs & interests. It outlines some historical background to these events but concentrates on the recent period & implications for contemporary Canadian life. Chapter 1 describes the context of language change, federalism as a product of demography & geography, the historical origins of the English- & French-speaking populations, the current distribution of official language groups across the country, & the context for policy making. Chapter 2 outlines the objectives pursued by the federal & provincial governments for official languages in Canada & the actions of the federal government to improve the status & use of official languages in federal institutions, to support the development of minority communities & to promote English & French throughout Canadian society. Chapter 3 reviews the major shifts in provincial policies & programs for official language minorities. Chapter 4 is a balance sheet showing the results of 3 decades of sustained effort to the English & French equal status.

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Didactics - English - Applied Geography, grade: 2,0, RWTH Aachen University (Anglistik), course: Variety in English, language: English, abstract: Since its colonisation by Europeans the history of Canada has always been affected by the rivalry between two ethnic groups - the British and the French. This rivalry has slowly faded into a dualism which is still prominent in Canada. This dualism can be found in both Canada's population and culture as well as in the fact that Canada has two official languages, French and English. This bilingualism of Canada will be the subject of this paper. I will not focus on the development of English in Canada in terms of a linguistic analysis though but will analyze the causes for this bilingualism instead. Furthermore I am going to analyze how both the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Quebec - the only province that has a French speaking majority in the Canadian federation - have dealt with the existence of two major language groups. In a first step I am going to give a general overview over Canada, including its geography, a brief look onto the composition of the Canadian population and the political system of Canada (2.1). The analysis of the political system is important to fully grasp the different levels of competency in Canada which will play a significant role in regard to legislation and jurisdiction of language laws in the Canadian federation and its provinces. Section 2.2 will deal with the history of Canada in relation to language contact. Starting with the early European colonisation (2.2.1) I am then going to analyze the period of British rule in Canada (2.2.2) before I am going to focus onto the time period starting with the foundation of the Dominion of Canada and Canada's independence until today (2.2.3). Section 3 concentrates on the Canadian population in detail. While section 3.1 focuses on the Canadian population by ethnic origin, sectio

The English Language in Canada examines the current status, history and principal features of Canadian English, focusing on the 'standard' variety heard across the country today. The discussion of the status of Canadian English considers the number and distribution of its speakers, its relation to French and other Canadian languages and to American English, its status as the expressive medium of English Canadian culture and its treatment in previous research. The review of its history concentrates on the historical roots and patterns of English-speaking settlement that established Canadian English and influenced its character in each region of Canada. The analysis of its principal features compares the vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar of Canadian English to standard British and American English. Subsequent chapters examine variation and change in the vocabulary and pronunciation of Canadian English, while a final chapter briefly considers the future of Canadian English.

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: C, University of Cologne (Philosophy Faculty), course: English Worldwide, 12 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: „The flag is the symbol of the nation’s unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion.”said Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, thereby lowering the Canadian Red Ensign and raising the new maple leaf flag 1 . Defining the flag as a symbol of the nation’s unity, Bourget touches upon a question of unity not easy to answer in context of a country like Canada. As a multinational and multicultural country, Canada’s search for unity with regard to the language of it’s citizens is not easy to make out as a question of unity in most cases is a question of identity as well. Whenever we focus on a nation’s unity, we will have to focus on aspects defining the nation, chiefly it’s language enabling communication between it’s citizens and the identity resulting from the use of a language. This work will put a focus on the the language used in Canada and search for a Canadian identity. It will provide some historical facts and will then focus on the official language(s) spoken in Canada, their differences and similarities to US and UK English. Furthermore the problems resulting from Canada’s bilingualism will be portrayed and it will be asked if and how Canadians experience their English as a separate entity: The English Language in Canada.