5. Language Knowledge and Use
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Summary:
Young Anglophones have made considerable strides in the extent to which they know French, although one-quarter of Quebec Anglophones are unable to speak the language. Nearly one-third of Anglophones do not feel that they were provided with a good opportunity to learn a second language in the school system. An important majority of Anglophones believe that they can live in the English language. The majority of Anglophones use their language in various public contexts, although this tends to vary along generational lines, particularly in the area of commercial exchanges and communication with government. More than one out of five Anglophones uses French most of the time at work, and the extent of its use varies along regional lines, as nearly one out three Anglophones outside Montréal use mainly French at work.
A. Bilingualism
As confirmed by numerous surveys, Anglophone Quebecers are significant supporters of bilingualism. Some eight out of ten young Anglophone Quebecers believe that knowledge of two official languages is an economic asset to Canada, and 95 percent agree that English-French bilingualism improves job opportunities. Young Anglophones have made considerable strides in the extent to which they know the French language. In 2001, about two-thirds of Anglophones reported having knowledge of French, representing a jump of 6 percent over the level five years earlier. Moreover, the acquisition of French comes at an early age, since 60 percent of Anglophones between the age of five and nine report know both languages, compared with approximately 50 percent in 1996.
While knowledge of both English and French continuously rises in the Anglophone population, there remain segments within the community that do not know French. Among those Anglophones between the ages of 30 and 59, the 2001 census reveals that about one out of four do not know the French language. In some instances, such unilingual Anglophones may have received instruction in the French language but failed to retain the language beyond the age of 30. In a survey conducted by GPC-Canadian Heritage (2002), 30 percent of Quebec Anglophones disagreed that their elementary/secondary education provided them with a good opportunity to learn a second language.
The vast majority of non-immigrants surveyed by the CROP-Missisquoi Institute (2000) declared that they did receive some instruction in the French language, but 44 percent felt that the quality of such instruction did not prepare them to succeed in Quebec. Among mother-tongue-English immigrants, 30 percent indicated that they did not receive French instruction, and 32 percent declared that such instruction was inadequate preparation for success in the province. There was an important variation in the views held by people over the age of 65, and those who were between 18 and 24. In the latter case, some two-thirds were satisfied with the extent and quality of French instruction, whereas less than 30 percent of seniors felt that way.
B. Language of Public Use
While a majority of Quebec Anglophones know the French language, less is known about how often and under what circumstances the language is used. When asked, the vast majority (82 percent) of Quebec Anglophones believe that they can live in English “within one hour of their home” (GPC-Canadian Heritage, 2002). A study conducted by the Conseil de la langue Française (1999) on the language of public use reveals that more than 90 percent of Quebec Anglophones consume media and cultural products in the English language. The study also shows that in the Montréal region most Anglophones conduct their business in the English language. However, as Table 10 shows, there are generational differences in the extent to which the French language is used by Anglophones in the area of commercial activity.
| Table 10 – Use of English among Anglophones Engaged in Various Activities, by Age Group, Montréal Metropolitan Region, 1999 | |||
| Ages 18-29 (%) | Ages 30-64 (%) | Age 65 and over (%) | |
| Shopping centre | 55.8 | 54.4 | 78.1 |
| Small business | 55.4 | 54.9 | 77.6 |
| Bank | 64.4 | 70.3 | 85.2 |
| Newspaper | 90.7 | 93.9 | 98.1 |
| Television | 95.8 | 97.2 | 97.3 |
| Cinema | 98.9 | 98.6 | 99.0 |
| Government verbal | 54.8 | 57.5 | 84.4 |
| Government forms | 74.1 | 77.3 | 91.1 |
| Source: Paul Béland, Le français, langue d’usage public au Québec en 1997 : rapport de recherche (Québec, QC: Government of Quebec, Conseil de la langue française, 1999). | |||
C. Anglophones at Work
Language use in the workplace is considered an important dimension of a community’s capacity to function in its primary language. It is regarded as a significant indicator of the prospects for language retention and is perhaps the most important element in assessing the language of public use. Using an official language in the workplace is considered critical towards integration into the marketplace and is a key element in enhancing mobility. For this reason, many Quebec analysts of the language situation are preoccupied by the extent to which non-Francophones use the French language in the workplace. Much attention was once paid to the extent to which Montréal Francophones used English in the workplace, but since the 1980s greater attention is directed towards the language used by all non-Francophones.
Over one-fifth of Quebec Anglophones use the French language a majority of the time in their place of employment. There is a significant difference in the extent to which Quebecers work in French on the Island of Montréal compared with elsewhere in the province. In Montréal, three-quarters of Anglophones use mostly English at work, and another 10 percent report using both languages equally.
Outside Montréal, 30 percent of Anglophones use French most of the time at work. The use of French by Anglophones in the workplace varies across regions. In the Québec City region, nearly two-thirds of mother-tongue Anglophones use mostly French in the workplace. In Sherbrooke, 37 percent of the Anglophone population use French most often at work, as is the case for 30 percent of the Anglophone population residing on Montréal’s South Shore.
