What language is spoken in Canada: English or French?

Canada is a state in North America, which unites various cultures and languages. On its territory, the country ranks second after Russia.

The urgency of the issue in the modern world

Every year, not thousands, but hundreds of thousands of travelers come here. Some of them want to get acquainted with local culture and traditions, and someone needs to visit relatives. There are also those who decided to move here permanently.

What language is spoken in Canada? The answer to this question, as a rule, is of interest to each of the above categories.

It so happened that English and French have an official status in the country. Although it should be noted that the majority of the population use only one of these languages for communication.

The variety of dialects of a large northern country

"In Canada they speak English," many will say right away. And then they will think: "And maybe not, there seems to be a French, too, is popular." Strictly speaking, that's the whole point. The country is huge, it is inhabited by absolutely different people, which means there is nothing surprising in the fact that there can be several languages.

Residents of many regions of Canada use mainly English, representing a mixture of American and British pronunciation. Often everyday words from the British dialect may not be understandable for an American. And some terms are pronounced by the English-speaking population with an inherent American accent. In the provinces of the Atlantic coast in the speech used several types of accents of English . Linguists believe that this is connected historically. In the past, fishing and hunting communities in this region led a separate life and had little or no connection with other settlements.

In Montreal and Vancouver, where many migrants from China live, you can often hear a Chinese conversation. Canadians who speak fluent English are exempt from French exams. Despite this, most people study it independently because of the need for business communication or for personal reasons. In Canada, many foreign languages take precedence in the study. Especially popular are Spanish and German. It turns out that to unequivocally answer the question of what language is spoken in Canada is even more complicated than was originally intended.

Features of local bilingualism

To date, the number of French-speaking Canadians has exceeded seven million people, which is almost a quarter of the total population. A special place is occupied by the province of Quebec, where the French language is preferred, and whose inhabitants have long been trying to give it the status of the main language. And this desire is so great that recently, more often at the houses of local residents, you can notice a slightly changed flag of the country, combining Canadian and French.

The French-speaking regions also include the northeastern lands of Lake Ontario, a locality near the city of Winnipeg and part of the metropolitan area near Ottawa. That is, it turns out that in Canada many people speak in French, an impressive part of the country's population.

Bilingualism in Canada dates back to the time of historical ties between England and France, which fought for the colonization of these places. Both languages were simply necessary for traders to develop market relations. Interestingly, bilingualism is more common in those provinces where French-speaking residents live. And it is interesting that all Canadians should speak spoken English, but English-speaking citizens do not need to learn French.

Rules for expatriates

"What language is spoken in Canada?" What to study first? "- these questions are most important for those who decided to move to Canada for permanent residence. And not for nothing, because after being there, you will need to not only communicate with the local population, but also work, providing in a material sense yourself and your family members.

Officially, in Canada bilingualism is recognized, but only more than 15% can communicate in two languages. The government makes every effort to develop bilingualism in the country.

• Office work is conducted in two languages.
• State employees and media employees should be able to speak in state languages.
• Many English-speaking Canadians prefer to choose schools for their children, where the teaching of subjects is conducted in English and French.

The majority of migrants, arriving for permanent residence in the French-speaking areas of Canada, may encounter when communicating with a misunderstanding. That classic French, which is studied in Russia, differs significantly from the local one.

This language barrier in the beginning is difficult to overcome without knowledge of English. Many people have to learn French again. And for this all conditions are created. The further development of bilingualism has great prospects and gives more opportunities.

It turns out that the question of what language is spoken in Canada, in principle, is not entirely correct. It would be more correct to ask about the languages that one needs to master in order to feel comfortable in this country. Yes, yes, that's right, initially in the plural, otherwise it just will not work.