[fire_i]

Bodah Bodah:

Someone correct if Im wrong, but I believe its illegal to teach kids english until they reach the age of 16 in Quebec. Some Francophones are really starting to complain about this.

Apparently I'll be the one to correct you - I'm 16 and I've been following advanced English classes for 5 years now. Add 3 years of regular English before that, too.

On a side note, while, back when I was in elementary school, English were taught to 4th graders and up only, I believe it's now taught to everyone all the way through, from grade 1 to grade 12.

[danikyvor]

I support bilingulism but unfortunately if you don't use it, you lose it. I took french from grade 4 up to grade 12 and was okay in it, but you know, unless you're around the language all the time you lose it...

I can read french, but I can't speak it.

[danikyvor]

Scape Scape:

Knoss Knoss:

Here's what I think provincial offical languages should be:

BC -- English and Cantonese
Alberta -- English, Dene, German
Sask -- English, Ukrainian
Man -- English, Michif (Metis)
Ont -- English, French
Que -- French (drop 101)
NB -- French, English
NS -- Gaelic, English
NF -- Gaelic, English
Nunavut -- Inuit, English
NWt -- multi -linguial
Yukon -- same as NWT

BC needs Mandarin, Punjabi and French as well (Haitians). Gaelic should be encouraged in Cape Breton, the north shore as well as the rock but it's a dead language.

I don't know if many people know this, but it's making news here in Scotland...they're sending gaelic teachers from the colleges up in the highlands to Cape Breton and Nova Scotia to help bring gaelic back into the school curriculums...which I think is FANTASTIC. One of my friends works at the Gaelic college up in Inverness and he thinks it's a great great thing.

[Confused]

Bilingualism is great.

[kenmore]

Once again the two official languages are French and English -- it this country -- all those other languages are great and I am supportive of people keeping their language at home ... but in business in Canada
its French or English --- officially ---- and since I believe 1936 the Government put both on the money ---
In Quebec if you have English speaking parents you can go to a English school but if one parent is French you send your child to a French School... rightly so... I think that they have every right to protect their language... They dont care if we dont speak it in other Provinces... they dont force it .. but the Government is bilingual..
I am proud to say I had one French parent and one Irish parent...
I am proud of our country and I am proud of our history....

[CanadianRod]

I Support Bilingualisim 100%. Not only because i am an example of this but by the fact that it shows that Canada is not ignorant about other cultures. Those who dont think this are pretty narrow minded. To save money come on! Yeah i find that one week answer. Heres a plus for thoses that know more that one language...the fact that you learn another language actually helps your brain develope better and helps against certain things like elzeimers.

[Wally_Sconce]

I don't support bilingualism, because why stop at 2 languages? I think Canada should be a multilingual country, not just bilingual.

Multilingual puts everything into better perspective.......do we need to provide government services in every language? NO! do we need every language on our groceries? NO! Do we need to force every child to learn every language? NO!

So why is all this neccessary for french? Why is their fear of losing their cultural language any different than mine? Who died and made them boss?

[Confused]

Uh.. you won't lose English.. English is 'the' language of the world. (for business, etc..) Québec has always played a critical role in our country, we can't just 'toss' French out the window. That's just not good policy.

[BartSimpson]

Nr., stütze ich nicht Bilingualism. Eine Volk, eine Nation, eine Sprache.

[Bodah]

Aging_Redneck Aging_Redneck:

I don't support bilingualism, because why stop at 2 languages? I think Canada should be a multilingual country, not just bilingual.

That's what I've been saying, one of the mantra's you'll hear spouted in support of bilingualism is to show respect for the founding people of this country.... well what about the native population ?
If anyone should count shouldn it be them ? Apparently not. Come native people rise up and write the office of official languages please and complain please, you have a right to work in the government in your langauge.

Aging_Redneck Aging_Redneck:

So why is all this neccessary for french? Why is their fear of losing their cultural language any different than mine?

Nah its because their still pissed of how they were treated by some english people back in the 1970's, when will they get over it ? dont hold your breath. Some of them are still not over 1759 yet. so maybe awhile

Aging_Redneck Aging_Redneck:

Who died and made them boss?

Pierre Trudeau

[CanadianRod]

"Nah its because their still pissed of how they were treated by some english people back in the 1970's, when will they get over it ? dont hold your breath. Some of them are still not over 1759 yet. so maybe awhile"


Close but no sigar! I suppose you are Talking about the Deportation of the Acadians?

[CanadianRod]

I don't know if many people know this, but it's making news here in Scotland...they're sending gaelic teachers from the colleges up in the highlands to Cape Breton and Nova Scotia to help bring gaelic back into the school curriculums...which I think is FANTASTIC. One of my friends works at the Gaelic college up in Inverness and he thinks it's a great great thing.[/quote]

Hey i am French but i love the ideal of bringing Gaelic back to Cape Breton even the rest of NS.

[Virgil]

I don't mind the idea of provincial government multilinguisme as presented by Knoss, though I disagree with his languages. I think that the Federal government should be bilingual (English and French) but that Indians and Inuit should be able to address issues with the federal government in their own languages (that is to say, the chiefs, bands, and councils, as well as individual cases, since English would be one of at least two languages in each province, not the provinces or territories).

In Alberta: English, too much diversity in indigenous languages in the region to be considered, not enough of any other people in the region.

In British Columbia: English, Cantonese, possibility of Indigenous language in future.

In Saskatchewan: English, Cree, (most francophones are Metis, and any Metis who speaks Metchif also speaks Cree).

In Manitoba: English, Cree,

In Ontario: English, French, possibility of Indigenous language in future.

In Quebec: English, French, Cree, (Cree simply because of Hydro Quebec, English because the proportion of anglophones to francophones in Quebec is nearly equal to francophones to anglophones in Ontario).

In New Brunswick/ Nouveau Brunswick: English, French.

In Nova Scotia: English, possibility of Gallic in future.

In New Found Land: English, possibility of Gallic in future.

In North West Territories: English, Inuit (not sure of the exact name for the dominant Inuit language of the area).

In Nunavut: English, Inuit.

In Yukon: English, Inuit.


Hope the suggestions are appreciated. Just to comment on my reasoning for so many indigenous languages while leaving out immigrants of similar population counts. It is simply because indigenous languages are mostly all nearing extinction and in the interest of preserving the languages it might be best to permit all legal aspects of public life in those languages to their respective regions. It makes no sense to have a Cree learn English to open a gas station in Norway House.

[Wally_Sconce]

Virgil Virgil:

...

In Alberta: English, too much diversity in indigenous languages in the region to be considered, not enough of any other people in the region.

....

I think you might be underestimating how multilingual Alberta can be. I know of full emersion schools for french, or spanish, and even dutch. And, thats only the one that I know of, I'm sure there are more.

I grew up in a small town in BC, and we had nothing to be offered. Yet, Alberta is able to offer full imersion to many students just by covering the major cities in Alberta.......

......In constrast, a vancouver french school doesn't help someone that lives in Kelowna BC. The mountains create too much of a barrier in BC.

[Virgil]

Aging_Redneck Aging_Redneck:

Virgil Virgil:

...

In Alberta: English, too much diversity in indigenous languages in the region to be considered, not enough of any other people in the region.

....

I think you might be underestimating how multilingual Alberta can be. I know of full emersion schools for french, or spanish, and even dutch. And, thats only the one that I know of, I'm sure there are more.

I grew up in a small town in BC, and we had nothing to be offered. Yet, Alberta is able to offer full imersion to many students just by covering the major cities in Alberta.......

......In constrast, a vancouver french school doesn't help someone that lives in Kelowna BC. The mountains create too much of a barrier in BC.

I think the extreme multilinguisme is the problem with making more than one official language in Alberta, there would be too many languages government officials would need to learn. The only really common language in Alberta is English, and though there are many French speakers and even Ukrainian and Russian speakers, most of these people are also fluent in English and therefore no real need exists for a multilingual government.