Accommodation among the anglophone minority in Quebec to official language policy: A shift in traditional patterns of language contact

Abstract

The processes that were associated with the movement of anglophone settlers into Quebec produced a concentration between the core areas of French and English Canada. Such a situation helped to foster an attitude among the anglos that they were an extension of English‐speaking Canada. This attitude was reflected in the patterns of language contact between the two ethnic groups. It was one of no contact and interaction or francophone accommodation to English. During the 1970s two laws were passed that were designed to protect the French language from this erosive process. It can be demonstrated through census data analyses and field research that the pattern of language usage among the youngest anglophones is altering in favour of French. Younger anglophones have greater ability to speak French and use it more frequently at work and among friends than do older anglophones. Their capabilities for and attitudes toward greater participation within Quebec society and the interaction with francophones have increased and improved. The cultural zone of transition between French and English‐speaking areas appears to be integrating. If this continues to develop, the zone may attain political as well as cultural significance as a linkage between French and English Canada.