In October, Census Canada released a report that showed that the dominance of both English and French as official languages in the country has declined significantly.
The data showed that the number of Canadians who spoke another language at home was on the rise, in particular Punjabi, Chinese, Spanish and Philippines-based Tagalog.
While some considered these figures as a manifestation of great Canadian multiculturalism, others quickly painted it as an alarming linguistic drift that demands immediate attention.
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois responded with promises of “robust “ language reforms in the province while others saw the trend as further proof that Canada’s days as a predominantly white, English-speaking society are numbered.
According to the census data, the number of Canadians who reported speaking two or more languages at home was 17.5 per cent in 2011, up from 14.2 per cent five years ago. Yet, although the numbers are on the rise, it means that the average Canadian is still only able to speak one or maybe two languages.
But with the country increasingly diversifying, is it necessarily a bad thing that Canada’s linguistic landscape has shifted to reflect it? More important, why are we surprised that immigrants are increasingly choosing to hold onto their respective cultures and tongues? Have we hit a new benchmark of multiculturalism or has our little melting pot finally become a bit too hot for some to handle?
With the diversity of new Canadian families and the dawn of the information age, the country’s cultural colours might as well be fluorescent compared to the shades of grey they were just a few decades ago.
The Internet has allowed us to effortlessly peer into and interact with cultures across the globe, while the speed and efficiency at which we can freely roam the planet has never been greater. The global village is not only very real, it’s shrinking, and way faster than many expected.
We may not exactly be jumping on the idea of a society full of polyglots, but others around the world sure seem to be.
In Europe, many university programs require students to spend at least one semester studying in another country, known as the Erasmus Program.
These intercultural exchanges require students to study a second and sometimes even a third language, both in and outside the classroom.
The result is a European Union where people not only understand neighbouring cultures, they also have the ability to discuss them in their own tongues.
Maybe instead of trying to build up what’s left of our linguistic defences, it’s time for Canadians to get with the program and dust off the old “Tagalog 101” textbook. We may officially be a bilingual country, but it’s definitely not a bilingual world out there.
Canadians, especially young Canadians, should be striving to learn as many languages as possible, rather than retreating at the sight of a cryptic character, or heaven forbid, a foreign verb that needs a little conjugation.
If we do not embrace our linguistic multiculturalism and instead chose to fight it, we will ultimately be left behind in a new world where the ability to communicate is everything and those who can’t keep up inevitably get shut out.