Language Attitudes and Self‐Reports of French‐English Language Usage in Quebec

The author examined the impact of the 1976 Quebec language law in favour of French (the Charter of the French Language, also known as Bill 101) on self-reports of language use in cross-cultural encounters between Francophones and Anglophones in Montreal. A sociolinguistic survey was completed by Francophone and Anglophone university students three months after the promulgation of Bill 101. Results showed that whereas Francophones were in total agreement with Bill 101, Anglophones were in complete disagreement with this legislation. The author found that although Anglophones disagreed with Bill 101, they reported being more likely to use French in conversation with Francophones than they had been in the past prior to the passage of the language legislation. Francophones reported they were as likely to maintain French when conversing with Anglophones as they had been in the past. However, the author noted discrepancies between respondents' self-reports of language use and their reported experiences with the language behaviour of outgroup interlocutors. He concludes that results suggest that motivational and normative factors combine in complex ways to affect self-reports of language use in multilingual settings.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

Vol. 4

no. 2-3

163-179

1983

en