Quebec Seeks to Ease Divisiveness

[veblen at uwm.edu]

Yes -- and let's not forget that a substantial infrastructure of language laws
has done wonders in consolidating the place of French in Quebec, particularly
in the Montreal region where it was most threatened by the status of English as
the language of work and by the anglicization of immigrants. Of those recent
immigrants to Montreal (since 1986) who adopt either English or French as their
language spoken in the home (linguistic transfer), the vast majority now choose
French. This constitutes a sea change from the past and, among a series of
factors, augurs well for the future of French.

Marc Levine
Director, Center for Canadian-American Policy Studies
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee



Quoting Joshua Fishman <joshuaafishman at yahoo.com>:

> It can, and does, last infinitely long in many
> cases. I think your schadenfreude is showing! JAF
>
>
> --- Survey Coordinator Brazil
> <survey_coord_brazil at sil.org> wrote:
> > It's neat to see an article that eloquently
> > states what I've observed, too.
> > I was in Montreal, Quebec, and Ottawa a couple
> > of years ago, and I found the
> > English speakers of my mother-in-law's age
> > quite anti-French.  The rest of
> > the world was just getting on with the business
> > of getting along with life.
> > However, this congeniality might prove to be
> > French's undoing.  How long can
> > societal bilingualism last?  Isn't it kind of
> > hard to sustain for more than
> > 3 generations?
> >
> > Stan Anonby
> >
>
>
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