In the Lesson Document there are Vocabulary lists for this reading. With your partners, identify the part of speech and write a definition for each word you were assigned. Then create an example sentence using that word. Some of the words have been done for you. After you have completed the vocabulary that you were assigned, read all the definitions that the other students wrote. Ask if you have any questions.
Next, read this short article about bilingualism in Canada.
Canada is officially a bilingual country. Does that mean that everyone in Canada can speak two languages? Of course not. So why is it called that?
Bilingualism refers to the ability to use two languages. In Canada, that means that every federal government office offers services in both English and French, the two official languages. All federal government forms, papers and websites can be accessed in both languages. Telephone services are available in both languages. Whenever communicating with the federal government, and in whatever form, English speakers can request assistance in English, and French speakers can request help in French.
On the other hand, most of the provinces of Canada do not have official bilingualism. The two provincial governments that do have it are New Brunswick and Manitoba. While the majority of the other provinces do not explicitly have an official language, English is used almost exclusively.
At the other end of the bilingualism spectrum is Quebec, which has a French- speaking population of approximately 80%. There, French has been the official language of the province since 1974. The language laws of Quebec stipulate that French must be used on all public signage, regardless of the nature of the business or what the first language of the owners is. Other languages may also be used, but they must be significantly less visible: smaller in size and placed below the French words.
In the end, the purpose of federal bilingualism is simply to provide fairness to people of both predominant language groups, but only when dealing with the federal government. There is no particular mandate for expanding the language skills of all Canadian citizens.
When you are done reading, discuss the following questions with your partners.
- How many languages can you speak? Are you bilingual?
- Why do you want to be bilingual?
- Have you heard people speaking any languages other than English since you have been in Canada? What are they?
- Can you think of any other countries that are officially bilingual?
- Do you think it is or is not a good idea for a country to be bilingual? Why do you think this?
Exercise
Please click the Exercise link to continue and do Exercise 2.