For those who are planning to study abroad, or to live in Canada, will surely wonder what are the languages spoken by Canadians? If you are planning to go to Canada, do not miss this information! In this article, Le Immigration Group will answer all questions regarding major languages of Canadian.
Which language do Canadians speak?
Canada was founded in 1867, is a young country, and is attracting a large number of people from all over the world to study and live in Canada. This has contributed to the diversity in culture and language. So, in a multicultural country like this, what are the major languages of Canada?
Canada’s primary language
Statistically, Canadians speak over 200 languages. However, the main languages of Canadians are French and English, which are recognized in Canada’s constitution.
English
English is the most popular language in the world. About 60% of Canadians are fluent in English. Therefore, when you come to work, study or settle in this country, you can confidently communicate with anyone.
Though there are differences in pronunciation, the grammar of Canadian English and British English are almost the same.
For this reason, most international students use English to communicate and study. Plus, Canada has a large number of international tourists coming to visit every year.
What language do Canadians speak? English-speaking Canadians accounts for 60% of the population
French
The second language to communicate with Canada is French. According to statistics, about 20% of the population speak this language.
French is spoken mainly in Quebec and some areas in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, etc.
French-speaking Canadians account for 20% of the population
According to statistics, 17.4% of the population uses both English and French at the same time, in which Quebec is the highest. According to the Canadian education system, children in this country must learn both English and French from primary school. Therefore, the percentage of Canadians who can speak these 2 languages is increasing higher and higher.
After learning about what are major languages in Canada, let’s refer to the historical origins of language diversity!
The Origins of Language Diversity in Canada
According to 2011 data, Canada’s population is about 33.5 million people, with more than 200 languages including English, French and Aboriginal languages. Canada is a multilingual country because of immigrants from many countries around the world.
This country is influenced by England and France from culture, music, art, … to language. This has made Canada a multicultural country, and is encouraged by the government to develop this multiculturalism as a unique character of the country.
What language does a Canadian speak? Where did the origin come from?
Since 1969, the English and French languages have spread widely throughout Canada. About 60% of the people of this country are using English as their mother tongue. And 22% of the population are using French. More than 17% of Canada’s population is bilingual.
Differences in the way Canadians use the language
Do people use languages differently in Canada?
Toronto
Toronto, the province of Ontario, is the largest city in Canada. Currently, even though Canada is a bilingual country (mainly French and English), 1 in every 20 people in Toronto does not know English.
As reported by Social Planning Toronto, there are more than 132,700 Toronto residents who cannot speak either official language. They make up 20.5% of the total 648,970 non-English and non-French speakers across Canada.
In addition, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the percentage of people who do not speak French and English ranks second after the York Region (5.6%), Peel (4%), Hamilton (1.8%) and the Durham region ( 0.8%).
According to the report, residents of Toronto who do not speak one of the two official languages will use their mother tongue: Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Persian, Korean, Vietnamese, Tamil, and Vietnamese, Portuguese, Italian…
What are the differences in their language usages?
Vancouver
In Vancouver, people speak Punjabi, Cantonese, Tagalog, Mandarin, etc. frequently at home.
The capital city of Ottawa
In the capital city of Ottawa, people mainly speak Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin and Chinese.
Gatineau
In Gatineau, people often use languages such as: Portuguese, Arabic and some other dialects.
Calgary
In Calgary, Punjabi, Tagalog and other dialects are widely spoken.
In Edmonton
In Edmonton, the most commonly spoken languages at home are Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, and Cantonese.
Which language to study in Canada?
Canadian official languages are recognized as English and French, but English is still the most widely spoken language in the country. Because most schools choose English to teac, except for some areas like Quebec, Montreal, Eastern Ontario will use French as the mother tongue.
If you are planning to study abroad or live in this country, then English is the language that you need to learn. However, if you have a background in French, you can still choose to study programs from French-speaking schools or bilingual training.
Which language should I learn to study and immigrate to Canada?
In addition to the 2 main languages of Canada, English and French, people are also using many other mother tongues. Thanks to that, the Canadian languages contribute to a colorful and unique culture. We hope this information helps you to gain more useful knowledge, and not to be surprised when coming to Canada. Should you want more advice on studying abroad or related inquiries, please contact Le Immigration Group right away!
