French or English? | Le7.info

As my Canadian adventure draws to a close, it seems important to me to talk about an important issue in Canada, and in Moncton: that of language. Historically, Moncton is located in Acadia, which was alternately colonized by the French and the British until it was wiped off the map after the Acadians were exiled and conquered by the British in 1755. However, the French-speaking people of Acadia endured with their culture and customs. How, then, to explain the survival of the Akkadians and their language in a minority situation? By ethnolinguistic vitality. It is the ability of a minority ethnolinguistic group (here, French speakers in an English region) to preserve and pass on their language and culture to future generations. This vitality depends on several criteria: the desire of the community for cultural preservation, the institutions and policies it has put in place.

For Moncton, the Official Languages ​​Act of 1969 helped establish official bilingualism. Citizens have the right to access commercial, institutional and government services in the language of their choice. However, simple laws are not enough to ensure the vitality of the minority community. It is necessary for the latter to have institutions to protect it. This is called organizational integrity. Therefore, in Moncton, there are various French institutions to protect the rights of French-speaking Canadians: the Hospital, the Aberdeen Cultural Center, Radio-Canada Acadie, the Société Acadian du Nouveau-Brunswick or the Université de Moncton. I was able to study this semester.

But how do we understand this need to preserve the vitality of an ethnic language in Canada? Quite simply, to avoid the risk of one culture being assimilated or disappearing in favor of another in a majority situation, here English. This is especially so in the context of globalization and the important place of English in the international economy. While we already have a very strong culture in the region (accepting Anglo-American culture: for example, listening to American artists instead of Acadian artists), the issue of Francophone vitality in Canada continues to grow.

Express resume
A native of Poitiers, I am currently a student of Literature and Political Science. Having done an internship in the editorial office at 7, I am more than happy to bring my stone to the building and evolve in the magazine. I hope you will travel with me especially during my Erasmus in Canada!

I like : Sport in all its forms, understanding documentaries, Mollet bookshop in Bordeaux, travel, geopolitics.

I do not like : Opportunists, cooking, exam pressure, injuries, climatoseptics.