Knowledge of French, 1996

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Abstract

This map shows the percentage of the Canadian population with knowledge of French. In the 1996 Census, knowledge of French was determined by a question about the ability to conduct a conversation in one or both languages. It should be noted that this question measured language knowledge rather than actual use of language.

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Despite the decline in the proportion of persons with French as a mother tongue or home language, the proportion of French speakers remained fairly stable (around 32%) between 1951 and 1996. The number of persons able to conduct a conversation in French nearly doubled during this period, rising from 4.5 million to 8.9 million. In Quebec, as well as in the other provinces and territories, except Saskatchewan, the proportion and number of persons in the population who know French has grown continuously since 1961 (Figure 1 below).

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Figure 1. Population with Knowledge of French, Provinces and Territories, 1996

Persons who know French are concentrated in Quebec. In 1996, some 75% of them lived in that province. However, since 1961 the concentration has declined. The decline is attributed to the increase in bilingualism among non-Francophones and has occurred despite the marked increase in the number of French speakers in the Quebec population. Over twenty-five years-that is, between 1971 and 1996-the proportion of the population outside Quebec able to speak French among people with a mother tongue other than French rose from 4% to 7%. The popularity of second-language programmes (immersion or regular courses) in English-language schools has contributed to this increase.

In all provinces, except Saskatchewan, an increase was observed in the number and proportion of persons able to conduct a conversation in French between 1991 and 1996.

The text for Official Languages is based on the following publication:

Marmen, Louise and Jean-Pierre Corbeil. Languages in Canada: 1996 Census. New Canadian Perspectives Series. Ottawa: Canadian Heritage, and Statistics Canada, 1999. Catalogue number: CH3-2-8/1999.

To properly interpret this map, please consult the text Data and Mapping Notes.