Canadian French - A Short Presentation

The term "Canadian French" refers to all the varieties of the French language spoken in Canada (mainly in Quebec). Originally similar to the 'pure' language spoken in France, Canadian French began to diverge from standard French in the 18th century.

The French language spoken in Canada nowadays can be divided into five main dialects:

- Quebec French is the most widely used and, as the name suggests, it is spoken in Quebec. It also comprises the dialects used by the francophone communities in Western Canada, New England, Ontario and Labrador.

- Acadian French is spoken mainly in the Canadian Maritimes and many linguists consider it to be the ancestor of Cajun French

- Métis French is used by people living in North Dakota and Manitoba and it coexists with the mixed language Michif

- Bonaventure County French is phonologically close to Acadian French and it is spoken in the Beauce-Appalaches and Madawaska areas

- Newfoundland French is the least widely spread dialect of Canadian French and it is on the verge of extinction

In comparison with French, Canadian French is less clearly articulated and it does not thrive as much on intonation. Also, during the last couple of years, linguists have noticed a tendency of the speakers of Canadian French to drop the accents and the diacritics used in standard French.
The English influence is rather visible in the language spoken in the French part of Canada nowadays; English words are borrowed on a regular basis and they become part of the everyday vocabulary.

Canadian French is the mother tongue of over seven million Canadians. This number is constantly rising as more immigrants from different parts of the world (especially the Eastern European countries and Asia) arrive in Canada each year. Canada is a popular country as far as immigration is concerned because it provides numerous employment opportunities for its population, it has rather low taxes and free medical care system.

Ioana Mihailas is a linguist for Lingo24 Translation Agency UK, a provider of high quality language translation service

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