Positive attitudes are not enough: Minority language survival in the Canadian Prairies

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Positive attitudes are not enough Minority
language survival in the Canadian Prairies

• Jaya Nagpal Elena Nicoladis
• University of Alberta

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Why care about Minority language survival?

• Visible expression of peoples ethnicity
• Parent-child relationships in immigrant families
• Cognitive benefits
• Economic benefits

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Canadian context
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Multiculturalism within a bilingual framework

• External services to people in both French and
  English
• Balanced participation of English-speaking and
  French-speaking people in public services
• Freedom of choice in the language at work

5
Attitudes towards Minority groups and Minority
Languages

• Acceptance of multiculturalism and high tolerance
  for diverse cultural groups
• Parents in immigrant families hold positive
  attitudes about Minority language retention.

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Language shift

• 1st generation Learn English but prefer to use
  ML at home
• 2nd generation Bilinguals, more fluent in
  English and prefer to speak English
• 3rd generation More fluent in English and use
  English at home

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Factors that prevent language shift

• Family and people in the close social network
• Media
• Motivation to learn a Minority Langauge
• Community organizations

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Context of this study

• Edmonton, Canada
• French is the second most commonly spoken
  minority language 7.7
• South Asians 1.9

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Resources for learning French

• Five elementary schools and 2 high schools aimed
  at teaching native French children
• French immersion program in 15 schools
• French language university programs
• One French day-care center
• Several French day-homes
• Part-time preschool programs in French

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Participants

• 34 French-speaking families
• Average age of children 3.5 years
• Canadian citizens
• Same mother tongue for parents 45.5
• 31 South Asian immigrant families
• Average age of children 4.3 years
• Canadian citizens (62.3), Immigrants (35.5)
• Same mother tongue for parents 100

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Research questions

• Attitudes towards maintaining the ML
• Language use at home
• Choice of language of media for children
• Involvement in activities in the minority
  language outside of home.

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Language Fluency
French ML English Both
Mothers 60.0 14.3 25.7
Fathers 36.4 51.5 22.1
SA
Mothers 77.4 0 22.6
Fathers 64.5 0 35.5
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Expectations for language use

• What language you want that your children should
  speak with their children?
• What language do you think that your children
  will speak with their children?
• What language do you think your children will
  speak as adults?

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Expectations for language use

• What language you want that your children should
  speak with their children?
• What language do you think that your children
  will speak with their children?
• What language do you think your children will
  speak as adults?

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Expectations for Language retention

• Parents in both groups wanted their children to
  retain their ML
• Parents in SA families were less hopeful than
  their French counterparts that they will be able
  to maintain their ML

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Expectations about language use
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Language choice of parents

• In both groups parents prefer to talk to their
  children in their ML

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Language choice of parents
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Language choice of parents

• In both groups parents prefer to talk to their
  children in their ML
• French
• Most parents talk to each other in the ML
• SA
• Most parents talk to each other in the ML

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Language choice of children

• In both groups most children talk to their
  parents in the ML
• More children in SA families use English when
  talking to their parents

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Language choice of children
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Language choice of children

• In both groups most children talk to their
  parents in the ML
• More children in SA families use English when
  talking to their parents
• In French children talk to their siblings in ML
  but in SA families children talk to their
  siblings in English

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Language of media for children
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Results

• Both groups had positive attitudes about ML
  survival
• South Asians are less hopeful of retaining their
  ML
• Perceived utility of a language
• Support for a language in the outside community
• Experience

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Results Cont..

• In SA families parents switch to English while
  talking to their children
• Children show a preference for English in SA
  families
• More exposure to ML media in French than in SA
  families
• More exposure to ML activities in French families

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Suggestions for retaining ML

• Motivating parents to make efforts to retain the
  ML
• Providing media in ML
• School boards can contract a person or agency for
  ML education as per the community needs
• Setting up day-cares and day-homes in ML
• Informal organizations for promotion of ML

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Expectations about language use
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Choice of language of parents
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Choice of language of children