Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 354

Part of Session 104: Microlinguistics and language planning (Other abstracts in this session)

On the role of contextual, acquisition and educational factors in the use of local sociolinguistic norms: Canadian and Quebecois perspectives on French

Authors: Howard, Martin
Submitted by: Howard, Martin (University College Cork, Ireland)

This paper aims to explore the relationship between Canada's official language and educational policies and the adoption of sociolinguistic norms among Anglophone and allophone speakers in various contexts, namely an educational context outside Quebec, a naturalistic one within Quebec, as well as in non-educational contexts outside Quebec. While Quebecois French has traditionally carried low linguistic prestige in attitudinal terms, there has been a turnabout in recent years, with an increasing trend to look within in the quest to identify standard linguistic norms, as opposed to looking towards metropolitan or international French varieties (see Oakes 2007). In tandem with such developments, both Canada and Quebec have long histories of language policies which, while divergent in many regards, aim to promote use of French within their respective constituencies. For example, federal policy serves to protect language rights of minority speakers of Canada's two official languages, as well as encouraging initiatives to develop French proficiency among its dominant Anglophone population, with the overall aim of promoting bilingualism in increasing numbers of speakers (see Howard 2007).

While such macro-policy approaches foreground project initiatives in promoting bilingualism across ever-increasing population numbers, this paper aims to explore the relationship between language experiences and characteristics of French language usage among Canada's Anglophone and allophone population in relation for example to access to linguistic resources, sociolinguistic and pedagogical norms, relative proficiency levels and opportunities for input engagement and interaction. The paper therefore adopts a micro-level approach to the use of French within a Canadian and Quebecois context by collating findings from a range of studies carried out in different geographical locations, namely in a minority context outside Quebec and a French-dominant context within Quebec. For example, while the French language curriculum at provincial level in Ontario promotes Quebecois standard linguistic norms as the pedagogical norm within its schools, findings suggest that this is not necessarily the case, pointing to a gap between language policy, experience and use (see Mougeon et al. 2009).

The paper will explore issues behind such divergence in relation to pedagogic attitudes, educational input, language contact, acquisition issues as well as other social and socio-psychological factors such as identity and proficiency levels which taken together seem to constrain acquisition and use of sociolingustic variants. The paper will conclude by looking at the challenges that such issues pose for bridging the gap between macro-policy at a federal, provincial and educational level, and practice at micro-level both in relation to the pedagogical treatment of sociolinguistic norms and the speaker's experience of using French in a Canadian context.

References:

Howard, M 2007 'Language in Canada: a brief overview' in M Howard (ed) Language Issues in Canada: Multidisciplinary Perspectives Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press 1-23

Mougeon, R, K Rehner & T Nadasdi 2009 The Sociolinguistic Competence of Immersion Students Bristol / Toronto: Multilingual Matters

Oakes, L 2007 'Whose French? Language attitudes, linguistic insecurity and standardisation in Quebec' in M Howard (ed) Language Issues in Canada: Multidisciplinary Perspectives 64-85

Sociolinguistics Symposium 19

Programme: accepted abstracts

On the role of contextual, acquisition and educational factors in the use of local sociolinguistic norms: Canadian and Quebecois perspectives on French