Depending on the area of Canada you go to, you can see that one language or another is used. Therefore, in this article we talk about the official and foreign languages that are used in this country, as well as the parts in which each one predominates.
Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.
Article Index
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- 3.1.
- 3.2.
Official languages
The two official languages at the national level in Canada, as stated in its constitution, are English and French. However, although all official documents are written in both languages, each one is used in different areas, as only 18% of the population is bilingual.
The only province in which French is the only official language is Quebec. Besides this, there are also quite a few Francophones in specific parts of Ontario, Manitoba, and New Brunswick (the only officially bilingual territory). In Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon it is a co-official language.
In the rest of the territory, English predominates, which is the majority language of the country. In this table you can see the number of people that each mother tongue gathers:
Language | Percentage | Millions of people |
English | 58% | 19 |
French | 22% | 7,2 |
Other | 20% | 7 |
Also, there is a third language that is official in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Nunavik: Inuit. This is the native language used by the Eskimo Indians to communicate.
Dialects
In the case of French, we find different dialects, which correspond to the areas in which this language is used:
- Quebec French
- Acadian French
- French Métis
- Frances from Newfoundland
- French Brayón
With the exception of Quebec French and Acadia, the rest are used in small towns, so the number of speakers is considerably low.
Other languages
In addition to the languages already mentioned, in Canada we find more than 200 languages different that have been coming to the country through immigration. The five most widespread are the following:
Language | Percentage | Number of people |
Punjabi | 1,3% | 460.000 |
Chino | 1,28% | 441.000 |
Spanish | 1,24% | 439.000 |
Italian | 1,23% | 438.000 |
German | 1,23% | 430.000 |
Depending on which city we are in, the percentage of people who speak a foreign language as their first language is higher or lower. For example, in Toronto it is 32% of the population and in Montreal 16%.
On the other hand, in much of the country language courses are offered so that adult immigrants can improve their English or French. In the case of English, this program is called Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC). It is offered in a Delivery to Italy takes one or two business days.
Questions from users
What languages are spoken in Vancouver? And in Alberta?
In Vancouver, the predominant language is English, but it coexists with numerous languages such as Spanish or Chinese. The same is the case in Alberta.
Is there a possibility to do a language exchange in Canada?
Yes, there are many companies that specialize in organizing language exchanges in Canada or facilitating travel to this country to learn languages. In Spain, there are even scholarships to study for an academic year in Canada.
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