MOTHER TONGUE AND ITS IMPACTS ON SOCIAL LIFE IN CANADA

Mother Tongue And Its Impacts On Social Life In Canada

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Canada is a country that has two official languages, namely English and French. However, the status of English and French as Canada's official languages ​​does not mean that they are widely spoken throughout the country or that every Canadian is bilingual. The fact is that most Canadians speak English. According to statistics Canada (2006) that about 60% of the Canadian population the mother tongue is English. Meanwhile, according to statistics Canada (2006) about 22% of Canadians use French as their mother tongue. The majority of the French-speaking population in Canada live in the province of Quebec. Apart from English and French, in Canada there are several other languages ​​that are largely affected by immigration, namely Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic and Aboriginal.

In Canada as a whole most language shifts are towards English, in the province of Quebec both English and French are converged languages. In the Montreal metropolitan area where more than 80% of immigrants to Quebec and about half of the language shift are towards French. According to Holmes (2013) that demographic factors are also relevant in calculating the speed of language shift, language shift tends to last longer in rural areas than in urban areas. In addition, in Canada there are native Canadian languages ​​including Cree, Inuktitut, Ojibwe, Innu, Dene Suline, Anishinini, Mi'kmaq, Dakota / Sioux, Atikamekw and others with a number of speakers below 5,000. However, the small number of people who use the language does not make the language death because the official language of minority groups in many provinces and regions has the right to be taught in their language.

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Impacts on social life

The social impacts felt by the Canadian people as a bilingual country are:

• English and French have the same status in the Canadian Parliament, in federal courts and in all federal states.
• Everyone has the right to be tried criminally in English or French.
• Canadians must be able to speak English and French.
• Nearly 98% of Canadians speak English or French or both.
• The public will encounter road signs, TV and radio, product packaging, and billboards, etc. using two languages, namely English, French or both.
• There are 2 versions of their national anthem, Ooo Canada, namely the English and French versions.
• People sometimes use two languages ​​interchangeably, for example in Montreal Canada.

Thus, Canada as a destination country for immigration in the world has a variety of languages ​​and cultures. Canada recognizes English and French as official languages. English and French are designated as official languages ​​in Canada through the Official Language Act (English: Official Language Act, French: Loi sur les langues officielles) signed in 1969. However, this does not make the language of minorities to be language death because of the formal regulation like school, they are have a right to be taught in their minority language.

 

References:

https://id.traasgpu.com/bahasa-di-kanada/

http://www.canadaseek.com/fakta-unik-mengenai-bahasa-di-kanada/

https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_POPU_1504_0771--the-dynamics-of-language-shift-in.htm

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kompasiana.com/amp/radiguna/canada-1-negara-2-bahasa_550031df813311791bfa7327

Holmes, J. (2013). Introduction to sociolinguistics. Routledge.