Multilingualism and the Decline of French in Quebec

Using census data from 2001, 2006 and 2011, the authors contest the view that the French language is retreating in Quebec. They argue that the apparent decline of French in Quebec is linked to a rise in multilingualism, especially of multilingualism in which French is one of the spoken languages. They find that inter-linguistic marriages, along with a rise in the proportion of individuals whose language at home is different from their language at work, distort statistics considerably. They argue that the level of usage of the French language is therefore considerably underestimated and the often discussed downward trend is absent.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

Vol. 41

no. 5

420-431

2020

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