Introduction

Canada, a vast country with a scattered population of more than twentyseven million, is home to speakers of many languages, including Amerindian communities and large urban immigrant communities from diverse language backgrounds. But English and French, the two official languages, are predominant. The shared history of these two languages dates from the period of early European settlement, and their current distribution reflects both that initial settlement and subsequent internal migrations. English – the native tongue of some seventeen million Canadians (62%) – is the majority language in most regions outside the province of Quebec, and is the language of a significant minority community of almost 670,000 in Quebec (approximately 10%). French is the language of just under 25% of Canadians, including 82%, or more than five and a half million, of Quebec's population of some seven million. It is preeminent in all aspects of public life in that province, and has long been and remains by far the second most important language outside Quebec in political, cultural and business communication across Canada. In 1969 English and French were accorded the shared status of official languages in Canada's federal government institutions and Parliament, guaranteeing Canadians throughout the country access to federal government services in both languages. Provincial governments, however, with only one exception, officially function in the majority language of their population: English in eight of the provinces and the territories, and French in Quebec.