Canada is a multinational state, which is actively visited by tourists from all over the world. Historically, Canada has two officially recognized languages - English and French. The overwhelming majority of the country's inhabitants use only one of the languages in their daily life.
Canada is a land of linguistic diversity
Most regions of Canada use English as their primary language, one of the two official languages. Its Canadian version is essentially a mixture of British and American pronunciation. Quite often, you can hear common British words that not every American will understand. Certain terms are pronounced by English-speaking Canadians with a characteristic American accent.
There are several types of English accents in circulation in the Atlantic region of the country. Linguists attribute this to the fact that in the past, fishing and hunting communities in this part of Canada were quite isolated, and transport and communication were not ubiquitous.
Rural residents of the Atlantic coast of Canada use specific slang in everyday life and not everyone understands the terminology.
Residents of Canada who are fluent in English do not take French exams. However, many Canadians learn French on their own, which is often due to personal motives and the need for professional communication. There are ample opportunities in Canada for learning many foreign languages, of which German and Spanish are the most popular.
In Vancouver and Montreal, where people from China are numerous, you can often hear Chinese speech.
Features of Canadian bilingualism
The province of Quebec stands apart in Canada, whose residents prefer French and have been seeking recognition as its main language for a long time. There are, however, communities where French is spoken throughout Canada. These are, for example, the lands north and east of Lake Ontario, the vicinity of the city of Winnipeg and even part of the metropolitan region immediately adjacent to Ottawa.
The French-speaking population of Canada today is more than seven million people, which is almost a quarter of the total population of the country.
The peculiarities of linguistic bilingualism adopted in Canada are explained by the circumstances of the historical development and relations between England and France, which initially fought for dominance in the region. Both European languages were very convenient from the point of view of commercial considerations that guided industrialists and traders.
Interestingly, bilingualism is widespread primarily in those regions of Canada where the French-speaking population lives. Residents of the country are required to speak spoken English, but those who belong to the so-called Anglo-Canadians do not need to additionally master French.
