Here, we speak Italian: Canada's linguistic geography

English and French are the two most widely spoken mother tongues in Canada (approximately 85% of the population in 1991 speak one or the other). They are also the country's official languages. The Official Languages Act, adopted in 1969, gave these languages equal status, rights and privileges. For example, in areas which are defined as bilingual, a citizen can receive the services he or she requires in either one of the official languages. The other languages are usually recognized as non-official or heritage languages. They have no special legal status even though different government programs encourage their continuing use by subsidizing language schools, festivals, local newspapers and other such things.

After looking at the various maps in this module and by learning where the different linguistic groups are located, you will gain a better understanding of Canada's linguistic reality. Let's define the groups for you now:

 

You will see that the dominant groups are concentrated in specific locations: the francophones are mostly located in Quebec, whereas, the anglophones can be found throughout the rest of the country. On the other hand, in Quebec, the anglophones are a minority: they represent 10% of the province's population, whereas, in other parts of Canada, francophones are a minority, accounting for approximately 5% of the population. You will also learn that linguistic diversity is largely an urban phenomenon: 80% of all allophones live in large urban centres - those of more than 100 000 people. You will also see the large parts of Canada where Aboriginal groups are important, and will learn that a small portion of individuals in these groups speak neither English nor French. This phenomenon is also a reality in big ethnic communities of large urban centers - many immigrants have never learned either official language.

At the end of the module, you will have a good idea of the complexity of the linguistic mosaic of this country. If you are interested in knowing more about the subject, we invite you to consult the glossary and bibliography at the end of the module. There you will find our concept definitions as well as some useful references.

To prepare the maps, we used the 1991 Census mother tongue data, which is shown for each of the 290 Census Divisions. It is always mapped as percentage values. Darker shades of colour are always used for high percentage values, light for low values.

Highlights
Anglophones
Anglophone minorities
Francophones
Francophone minorities
English-French bilingualism
Non-official languages
Aboriginal linguistic families
Glossary