Canada is a progressive nation that draws visitors from all over the world thanks to its pristine natural landscapes, low crime rate, and high standard of living. Canada is proud of its multicultural society, where people of all backgrounds coexist despite the inevitable misunderstandings arising from various ethnicities and languages.
For this reason, a country with high cultural diversity will have many languages spoken within its borders. Languages constantly grow by borrowing terms from each other, resulting in new slang and new users.
We know we will hear English and French during our time in Canada. To what extent, though, should we broaden our linguistic focus? Of course, there are! The five most frequent languages in Canada are listed below. Precisely what do you anticipate finding on the list?
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English
Most Canadians probably won’t be too shocked to learn that English is the most widely spoken language in the country. About 20% of Canadians in 2017 reported English as their first language. Given that English is one of Canada’s two official languages and is spoken by over 60% of the population, its widespread use is hardly surprising.
English and French versions of the public transit system’s guidebook will be available. All public signage, all government documents, and the manual are subject to this rule. This year, on the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, the passage of the Official Languages Act, which guarantees all Canadian citizens and permanent residents the right to communicate with and receive services from the federal government in either French or English, regardless of which language they choose as their official language.
French
Our second language on the list is French, which probably won’t shock you, but the gap between the number of people who speak English and French is far more comprehensive than we had imagined. There are over 7.5 million people who speak French as their native tongue. Twenty per cent of the world’s populace falls under this category.
In Canada, an astounding 98% of the population can hold a conversation in either English or French (or both), demonstrating the country’s linguistic diversity and cultural richness (or both).
In the Canadian province of Quebec, where 77% of the population speaks French as their mother tongue, you’ll find the highest concentration of French speakers anywhere in the world. Recent years have seen a 20% increase in the number of students enrolling in French immersion programs; however, it is conceivable that this is not the most significant cause for concern over the dwindling population of French-speaking Canadians. How would you define the nature of truth to quote Oprah?
Mandarin
Somewhere over 610,000 Canadians can count Mandarin as their first language. This amounts to around 8% of the total population. A language is considered an immigrant language in Canada if it is often used to refer to a language from one of the 23 linguistic families recognised there. Calgary, Ottawa-Gatineau, and Vancouver are the most populated Canadian cities. Thus it stands to reason that you’ll find Mandarin speakers there.
You have every right to believe that the Chinese food in a region where Mandarin is the primary language will be excellent. John Cena, the biggest name in professional wrestling, recently visited the city of Vancouver and ate at his favourite restaurant, which happens to be located there. It appeared as though Cena agreed with this assessment. Look at how well he can express himself in Mandarin; this is his demonstration.
Cantonese
Previously, Cantonese was the most widely spoken variety of Chinese in Canada, but in recent years, Mandarin has claimed the crown. Cantonese was previously in charge. However, it’s not by a substantial margin! About 594,000 people (7.7 per cent of the total population) consider Cantonese their mother tongue and identify with that designation.
Once again, most of Canada’s Cantonese speakers live in the country’s major urban centres. As the number of immigrants from Hong Kong and Guangdong has dropped dramatically in recent decades, Mandarin Chinese has probably surpassed Cantonese as the dominant language in China. And that’s perhaps why Mandarin has exceeded all other languages as Earth’s most widely spoken tongue.
Punjabi
Approximately 7% of Canada’s population speaks Punjabi as a native language. This equates to about 544,000 individuals. People who speak Punjabi as their native tongue in Canada tend to live in the major metropolitan areas of Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. Newly, Punjabi has been recognised by the Canadian government as a third official language, joining English and French.
Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi has sparked interest in the potential for Punjabi to join English and French as Canada’s third official language because of its massive viewership and the positive attention it has brought to the beautiful language of Punjabi. Because more Canadians are curious about the possibility of a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast in Punjabi, the show’s popularity within the Punjabi-speaking community has grown.
Conclusion
It should not surprise that Canada is home to such a wide array of languages, given its long and storied history as an immigrant magnet. According to estimates, one in five Canadians does not speak English or French as their native language at home. Recent censuses have shown that the number of people who can communicate well in Tagalog, a language spoken in the Philippines, has increased by 35%.
We would be acting irresponsibly if we ignored the more than 60 indigenous languages spoken in Canada, divided among 12 distinct language families. Among the Algonquian languages, Cree, Ojibway, and Innu have the most significant number of native speakers. The Algonquian language family includes Cree, Ojibwe, and Innu.
Because of this, Canada is home to a wide variety of languages, including the official languages of English and French.