Most spoken languages in Canada
Canada is a modern country that attracts people from all over
the globe for its well-preserved environment, safety and good quality of life.
Canada boasts a multicultural society, with people from across the globe,
living together, despite the cultural differences that come with being a
culturally diverse country.
The number of languages in a country where people of different
cultures mingle freely will be in plenty. The languages evolve constantly by
borrowing words from each other, resulting in new slang and new users. The
languages of Canada are as diverse as the population that speaks it and hence,
Canada gives you another reason why it is a country many chose to travel to or
to start a new life.
It is natural to find yourself asking one, or all, of the
following questions; which is the most spoken language in Canada? Does Canada
have an official language? Does Canadian English exist? What are the languages
of Canada?
We have answered these questions and more! Read on to discover
what Canada has on offer for the aspiring linguist within you.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF CANADA:
The most practiced and widely spread languages of Canada are
English and French. These are the two languages that have the prestigious title
of being the official languages of the Canadian Government. Every branch of
Government and the literature published officially are either in English or
French. The most spoken language in Canada is English, over 50% regard it as
their first and only language with Canadian French coming in second with over
23% of the population using it as their first language, according to statistics Canada.
WHAT
IS CANADIAN FRENCH?
There is a variety of French that is unique
within the borders of Canada. Looking deeper into the various dialects and
types of French in Canada, you begin to realize French in Canada varies as you
travel across the country.
From the oldest variety of Metis French,
language spoken in Canada by the aboriginals of the First Nations Metis people,
to the most popular Quebec French, there are subtle differences to the French
practiced in France and other francophone nations. Quebec French is often
passed as Canadian French as
Quebec is the de-facto home of the majority French-speaking Canadians. The
differences arise in the form of varied vocabulary as Canadian French continues
to use several words and phrases that no longer exist in traditional French.
Variations are also observed in pronunciation and grammar, with Canadian French
taking a more casual approach to personal pronouns (‘tu’, ‘on’) instead of
‘vous’ and ‘nous’.
So, the next question is does Canadian English
exist and the simple answer is yes!
SO,
WHAT MAKES CANADIAN ENGLISH DIFFERENT?
English too has subtle differences in Canada,
when compared to the English practiced by their counterparts in America and the
UK. Canadian English is
a combination of American and British English with the addition of some
features that are unique to Canadian English. Some words such as ‘recognize’ or
‘realize’ are spelled the American way with ‘-ize’ and not ‘-ise’ as spelled in
British English. While words like ‘colour’ and ‘centre’ are spelled the British
way rather than ‘color’ or ‘center’ as in American English. There are
differences in the language syntax as well, which makes Canadian English unique
yet similar. These differences can be found in punctuation as well as the
process of hyphenation.
OTHER
LANGUAGES THAT ARE SPOKEN IN CANADA
As people moved to Canada from across the
globe, over the centuries, they brought with them their culture and language
too. Historically, Canada has had constant waves of migrants moving to the
country to build a better life for themselves. This has led to the introduction
of several languages in Canada, which fall under the umbrella of migrant or
foreign languages. These languages continue to thrive as newer generations of
once migrant families continue to live in Canada. According to
the 2016 Census, 43.9% of Toronto residents had a mother tongue
other than English or French.
As far as foreign languages are concerned,
Chinese Mandarin is the most spoken language in Canada, with Cantonese, another
branch of the Chinese language, coming in second. Punjabi, popular amongst the
migrants from the Indian subcontinent has the third greatest number of
speakers, along with Tagalog, which has its presence in the Philippines as well
as the USA. There are other languages emerging in Canada, with Urdu, Tamil,
German and Arabic speakers increasing. Italian and Spanish are also in the mix
of languages in Canada.
DEMOGRAPHICS OF CANADA:
The Canadian demographics paint a colorful picture as the
population consists of people from all across the globe. With a population of
over 37 million in the latest census, it is believed that 32.3% of Canadians
consider their ethnic origin to be Canadian with several groups such as English
(18.3%), Scottish (13.9%), French (13.6%), Irish (13.4%), German (9.6%) and
Chinese (5.1%) forming the majority of the Canadian society.
The growth rate of Aboriginal
Canadians is on the rise as well. The latest
figures show that Canada’s population of Aboriginal people is witnessing an
increase in birth rates. Numbers estimate the average aboriginal birth rate to
be twice that of the national birth rate for the whole of Canada.
The Aboriginals speak ethnic tongues, and it is estimated there
are about 11 Aboriginal languages in Canada, with people belonging to the first
nations, Metis and Inuit. Some of the surviving indigenous languages of Canada
include Cree, Inuktitut, Ojibwa, Innu, (Montagnais-Naskapi), Dene,
Anishinini (Oji-Cree), Mi’kmaq, Dakota/Sioux, Atikamekw, and
Blackfoot.
The Aboriginals, however, make-up only 4-6% of the total
population. Along with the groups mentioned above, there is a significant
presence of people of Indian origin as well as other countries from the Indian
subcontinent.
CONCLUSION:
There are over 200 languages spoken in the Canada, with some
more widespread than others. The pluralistic society of Canada is filled with
people of various origins and this is reflected in the linguistic makeup of the
country as well. Canada is a modern linguistic treasure chest, offering the
avid language enthusiast plenty of opportunities to immerse oneself in a
linguistic wonderland.
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