French language in Canada

{{Short description|none}}  {{about|the historical and sociological aspects of the French language in Canada|the variety of the French language in Canada|Canadian French}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Use Canadian English|date=March 2019}} [[Canadian French|French]] is the mother tongue of approximately 7.8 million Canadians (19.6 percent of the Canadian population, second to [[Canadian English|English]] at 54.9 percent) according to the [[2021 Canadian census]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Language&TABID=1|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census – Canada [Country] and Canada [Country] |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=3 October 2017}}</ref> Under the 1969 ''[[Official Languages Act (Canada)|Official Languages Act]]'', French is recognized as an official language of Canada alongside English and both have equal status at the [[Government of Canada|federal government level]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/O-3.01/page-1.html|title=Official Languages Act – 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.)|work=Act current to July 11th, 2010|publisher=Department of Justice|access-date=15 August 2010|archive-date=5 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105194649/http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/O-3.01/page-1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Most native [[Francophones]] in Canada live in [[Quebec]], the only province where French is the majority and the sole official language.<ref>[http://www.olf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.html OLF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822062739/http://www.olf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.html |date=22 August 2021 }}</ref> In 2016, 29.8 percent of Canadians reported being able to conduct a conversation in French; this number drops to 10.3 percent of Canadians when excluding Quebec, since most of Canada outside this territory is [[Anglophone]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016011/98-200-x2016011-eng.cfm|title=Census in Brief: English, French and official language minorities in Canada|first=Statistics Canada|last=Government of Canada|date=2 August 2017|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>

In Quebec, 85 percent of residents are native francophones and 95 percent speak French as their first or second language.<ref name=statcan2016qc>{{Cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=24&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=quebec&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Language&TABID=1|title=Census Profile, 2016 Census|date=2 August 2017|website=Statistics Canada|access-date=3 October 2017}}</ref> About one million native francophones live in other provinces, most notably the neighbouring province of [[New Brunswick#Language|New Brunswick]], where about a third of its residents are francophones; New Brunswick is Canada's only officially [[bilingual]] province. There is also a large community [[Franco-Ontarians|in Ontario]], mainly concentrated in Quebec-bordering regions to the east of [[Ottawa]] and in [[Northeastern Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-642-x/2010001/article/section2-eng.htm|title=Section 2 Evolution of the population by mother tongue and first official language spoken|website=www150.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref> Elsewhere in Canada, there are pockets of smaller francophone communities throughout including [[Franco-Manitoban|in Manitoba]] (notably the [[St. Boniface, Winnipeg|St. Boniface]] neighbourhood),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/300599/st-boniface-offers-french-an-oasis-in-western-canadas-prairie-desert/|title=St. Boniface offers French an oasis in western Canada’s Prairie desert | Globalnews.ca|website=Global News}}</ref> [[Franco-Albertans|Alberta]], [[Fransaskois|Saskatchewan]], and the [[The Maritimes|Maritime]] provinces of [[Nova Scotia#Language|Nova Scotia]] and [[Prince Edward Island#Language|Prince Edward Island]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/official-languages-bilingualism/publications/facts-canadian-francophonie.html|title=Some facts on the Canadian Francophonie|first=Canadian|last=Heritage|date=30 May 2024|website=www.canada.ca}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-555/T402-eng.cfm?Lang=E&T=402&GH=4&SC=1&S=99&O=A|title=Population by language spoken most often at home and age groups, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories – 20% sample data|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=19 March 2019}}</ref>

The language is mainly spoken by [[French Canadians|Canadians of French descent]] (most notably the [[Québécois people|Québécois]] and the [[Acadians]], with varying dialects), a legacy of the [[New France|French colonization]] of America, and these communities maintain a distinct society and culture from the mainly anglophone rest of Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://guides.loc.gov/quebec/francophone-studies/americas-caribbean|title=Research Guides: Québec: French Culture, First Nations & Folk Music: Americas & the Caribbean|first=Erika Hope|last=Spencer|website=guides.loc.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Neal |first=Brian |date=December 1995 |title=DISTINCT SOCIETY: ORIGINS, INTERPRETATIONS, IMPLICATIONS |url=https://publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp408-e.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Outside of Quebec, where otherwise English is the de facto working language, francophone minority communities retain the right to French-language primary and secondary education as guaranteed by [[Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|Section 23 of the ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'']]. They also, in most territories, retain official rights for provincial level French-language services and institutions through constitutional provisions (Manitoba and New Brunswick) or statutory provisions in the legal system ([[Alberta]], Ontario, [[Saskatchewan]], [[Northwest Territories]], [[Nunavut]], and [[Yukon]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ojen.ca/en/charter-french-language-rights/|title=What have you learned about how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms contributes to protecting French language rights?|date=31 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/language_rights/provinces_territories|title=Official languages in the provinces and territories|first=Web Experience|last=Toolkit|date=23 March 2014|website=www.clo-ocol.gc.ca|access-date=4 March 2019|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123014212/https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/language_rights/provinces_territories|url-status=dead}}</ref> French speakers in Canada have been the subject of [[linguistic discrimination]] and have historically faced subjugation through laws such as [[Regulation 17]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The National Question in Canada: Quebec|author=Rhoda E. Howard|year=1991|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/new-controversies-arise-over-french-language-in-canada-/6542656.html|title=New Controversies Arise Over French Language in Canada|first=Agence|last=France-Presse|date=23 April 2022|website=Voice of America}}</ref> This has led to sometimes uneasy relations with the anglophone Canadian majority.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://universityaffairs.ca/features/french-language-universities-in-minority-settings-a-litmus-test-for-canadian-diversity/|title=French-language universities in minority settings: a litmus test for Canadian diversity - University Affairs}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewalrus.ca/is-quebec-a-traitor-to-canadas-francophone-minorities/|title=Is Quebec a Traitor to Canada’s Francophone Minorities? | The Walrus|date=24 September 2024}}</ref>

==History and evolution== === 16th century === In 1524, the Florentine navigator [[Giovanni da Verrazzano]], working for Italian bankers in France, explored the American coast from [[Spanish Florida|Florida]] to [[Cape Breton Island]]. In 1529, Verrazzano mapped a part of the coastal region of the North American continent under the name Nova Gallia ([[New France]]). In 1534, King [[Francis I of France]] sent [[Jacques Cartier]] to explore previously unfamiliar lands. Cartier found the [[Gulf of Saint Lawrence]], sealed an alliance with the local people and obtained passage to go farther. During his second expedition (1535–1536), Cartier came upon the [[Saint Lawrence River]], a path into the heart of the continent. However, Cartier failed to establish a permanent colony in the area, and war in Europe kept France from further colonization through the end of the 16th century.<ref name="Atlas Universalis 1996 p.57">Atlas Universalis (1996), Tome 2, p. 57</ref><ref>Atlas Universalis (1996), Tome 5, p. 23</ref>

===17th century=== At the beginning of the 17th century, French settlements and private companies were established in the area that is now eastern Canada. In 1605, [[Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons|Pierre Dugua]] with [[Samuel de Champlain]] founded [[Port-Royal (Acadia)|Port Royal]] ([[Acadia]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pierre Dugua de Mons |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pierre-du-gua-de-monts |access-date=8 December 2023 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |language=en}}</ref> and in 1608, Champlain founded [[Quebec City]]. In 1642, the foundation of Ville Marie, the settlement that would eventually become [[Montreal]], completed the occupation of the territory.

In 1634, Quebec contained 200 settlers who were principally involved in the fur trade. The trade was profit-making and the city was on the point of becoming more than a mere temporary trading post.

In 1635, [[Jesuits]] founded the secondary school of Quebec for the education of children. In 1645, the Compagnie des Habitants was created, uniting the political and economic leaders of the colony. French was the language of all the non-native people.

In 1685, the revocation of the [[Edict of Nantes]] by [[Louis XIV]] (1654–1715), which had legalized freedom of religion of the [[Reformed Church]], caused the emigration from France of 300,000 [[Huguenots]] (French Calvinists) to other countries of Europe and to North America.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 4, pp. 837–838</ref>

===18th century=== With the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] in 1713, the British began their domination of eastern North America, some parts of which had been controlled by the French. The British took mainland [[Nova Scotia]] in 1713. Present-day [[Maine]] fell to the British during [[Father Rale's War]], while present-day [[New Brunswick]] fell after [[Father Le Loutre's War]]. In 1755 the majority of the French-speaking inhabitants of Nova Scotia were deported to the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. After 1758, they were deported to England and France. The [[Treaty of Paris (1763)]] completed the British takeover, removing France from Canadian territory, except for [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] at the entrance of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

The French language was relegated to second rank as far as trade and state communications were concerned. Out of necessity, the educated class learned the English language and became progressively bilingual, but the great majority of the French-speaking inhabitants continued to speak only French, and their population increased. Anglicization of the French population failed, and it became obvious that coexistence was required. In 1774, [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] passed the [[Quebec Act]], restoring French civil laws and abrogating the [[Test Act]], which had been used to suppress Catholicism.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 4, pp. 838–839</ref>

===Canada as a federal state=== In 1791, Parliament repealed the Quebec Act and gave the king authority to divide the Canadian colony into two new provinces: [[Upper Canada]], which later became Ontario, and [[Lower Canada]], which became Quebec. In 1867, three colonies of British North America agreed to form a federal state, which was named [[Canada]]. It was composed of four provinces: * [[Ontario]], formerly Upper Canada * [[Quebec]], formerly Lower Canada * [[Nova Scotia]] * [[New Brunswick]], former Acadian territory

In Quebec, French became again the official language; until then it was the [[vernacular language]] but with no legal status.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 4, pp. 840–842</ref><ref>Atlas Universalis (1996) Tome 19, pp. 397–404</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bourhis |first1=Richard Y. |last2=Lepicq |first2=Dominique |date=1993 |chapter=Québécois French and language issues in Quebec |title=Trends in Romance Linguistics and Philology. |volume=5: Bilingualism and Linguistic Conflict in Romance |editor-first1=Rebecca |editor-last1=Posner |editor-first2=John N. |editor-last2=Green |publisher=Mouton De Gruyter |location=New York |isbn=311011724X}}</ref>

==Dialects and varieties== {{main|Canadian French}} {{refimprove|date=June 2020|section}}

As a consequence of geographical seclusion and as a result of British conquest, the French language in Canada presents three different but related main dialects.{{specify|date=June 2024}} They share certain features that distinguish them from European French.

All of these dialects mix, to varying degrees, elements from regional languages and folk dialects spoken in France at the time of colonization. For instance, the origins of [[Quebec French]] lie in 17th- and 18th-century Parisian French, influenced by folk dialects of the early [[French language|modern period]] and other [[Oïl languages|regional languages]] (such as [[Norman language|Norman]], [[Picard language|Picard]] and [[Poitevin (language)|Poitevin]]-[[Saintongeais dialect|Saintongeais]]) that French colonists had brought to [[New France]]. The three dialects can also be historically and geographically associated with three of the five former colonies of [[New France]] – [[Canada, New France|Canada]], [[Acadia]] and [[Colony of Newfoundland|Terre-Neuve (Newfoundland)]] – which were settled by people from different regions of France.<ref name="Wade1975">{{cite journal|first=Mason|last=Wade|title=Commentary: Québécois and Acadien|journal=[[Journal of Canadian Studies]]|date=May 1974|volume=9|issue=2|pages=47–53|doi=10.3138/jcs.9.2.47|url=https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/jcs.9.2.47?journalCode=jcs |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In addition, there is a [[mixed language]] known as [[Michif]], which is based on [[Cree language|Cree]] and French. It is spoken by [[Métis]] communities in [[Manitoba]] and [[Saskatchewan]] as well as within adjacent areas of the United States.

Immigration after World War II has brought francophone immigrants from around the world, and with them other [[French dialects]].

==Francophones across Canada== '''Francophone Canadians''' or '''French-speaking Canadians''' are citizens of [[Canada]] who speak [[Canadian French|French]], and sometimes refers only to those who speak it as their first language. In 2021, 10,669,575 people in Canada or 29.2% of the total population spoke French, including 7,651,360 people or 20.8% who declared French as their mother tongue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000011124&HEADERlist=,15,13,18,12,16,14,17&SearchText=Canada|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population|date=1 February 2023|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|publisher=Statistics Canada}}</ref><ref>All statistics on the number of [[Francophones]] in this article include speakers of [[mother tongue]] French, and also those who have, along with French, another mother tongue.</ref>

=== Distribution === [[File:Bilinguisme au Canada-fr.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|alt=Map of Canada with English speakers and French speakers at a percentage|Approximately 98 percent of Canadians can speak either or [[Official bilingualism in Canada|both English and French]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=2006 Census: The Evolving Linguistic Portrait, 2006 Census: Highlights |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-555/p1-eng.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429013140/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-555/p1-eng.cfm |archive-date=29 April 2011 |access-date=12 October 2010 |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]], {{Text|Dated 2006}}}}</ref>]] Six million French-speaking Canadians reside in [[Quebec]], where they constitute the main linguistic group, and another one million reside in other Canadian regions. The largest portion of [[Francophones]] outside Quebec live in [[Ontario]], followed by [[New Brunswick]], but they can be found in all provinces and territories.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Carte des communautés francophones et acadiennes – FCFA|url=https://carte.immigrationfrancophone.ca/|access-date=27 December 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> The presence of French in Canada comes mainly from [[New France|French colonization in America]] that occurred in the 16th to 18th centuries.

Francophones in Canada are not all of [[French Canadian]] or [[French people|French]] descent, particularly in the English-speaking provinces of Ontario and [[Western Canada]]. A few Canadians of French Canadian or French origin are also not Francophone.

Unlike Francophones in Quebec, who generally identify simply as Québécois, Francophones outside Quebec generally identify as Francophone Canadians (e.g. [[Franco-Ontarians]], [[Franco-Manitobans]], etc.), the exception being [[Acadians]], who constitute their own cultural group and live in [[Acadia (region)|Acadia]], in the [[Maritime provinces]]. [[New Brunswick]] is Canada's only officially-bilingual province.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Official Languages – OCOLNB – CLONB|url=https://officiallanguages.nb.ca/content/history-of-official-languages/|access-date=27 December 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> All three territories (the [[Yukon]], the [[Northwest Territories]], and [[Nunavut]]) include French among their official languages.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Toolkit|first=Web Experience|date=28 December 2016|title=The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut adopts the Official Languages Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act|url=https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/timeline-event/the-legislative-assembly-of-nunavut-adopts-the-official-languages-act-and-the-inuit|access-date=27 December 2021|website=www.clo-ocol.gc.ca|archive-date=9 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709082057/https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/timeline-event/the-legislative-assembly-of-nunavut-adopts-the-official-languages-act-and-the-inuit|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Languages Overview {{!}} Office of the Official Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories|url=https://olc-nt.ca/languages/overview/|access-date=27 December 2021|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Toolkit|first=Web Experience|date=20 December 2016|title=Yukon adopts its Languages Act|url=https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/timeline-event/yukon-adopts-its-languages-act|access-date=27 December 2021|website=www.clo-ocol.gc.ca|archive-date=9 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709071424/https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/timeline-event/yukon-adopts-its-languages-act|url-status=dead}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" |+Number of francophones by province and territory in Canada (2016) |- ! Province/territory ! Group name ! Principal regions ! French as mother tongue ! Percentage |- | style="text-align: left;" | [[Quebec]] | [[French-speaking Quebecer|Québécois]] | [[List of regions of Quebec|Regions of Quebec]] | 8,214,000 | 85% |- | style="text-align: left;" |[[Ontario]] |[[Franco-Ontarians]] |[[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]] / [[Northeastern Ontario]], [[Ottawa]] / [[Eastern Ontario]], and a number of [[List of francophone communities in Ontario|Francophone communities throughout Ontario]] | 561,160 | 4.4% |- | style="text-align: left;" |[[New Brunswick]] |[[Acadians]] & [[Brayon]]s |[[Madawaska County, New Brunswick|Madawaska County]], [[Restigouche County, New Brunswick|Restigouche County]], [[Gloucester County, New Brunswick|Gloucester County]], [[Kent County, New Brunswick|Kent County]], [[Westmorland County, New Brunswick|Westmorland County]] | 234,410 | 31.6% |- | style="text-align: left;" |[[Alberta]] |[[Franco-Albertans]] |[[Edmonton Capital Region|Edmonton]] ([[Bonnie Doon, Edmonton|Bonnie Doon]]), [[Calgary]], [[St. Paul, Alberta|St. Paul]], [[Bonnyville, AB|Bonnyville]], [[Lac La Biche County|Lac la Biche]], [[Peace River Country|Peace River]], [[Falher]] | 81,085 | 2.2% |- | style="text-align: left;" |[[British Columbia]] |[[Franco-Columbians]] |[[Greater Vancouver]] ([[Maillardville]]), [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]] | 70,755 | 1.6% |- | style="text-align: left;" |[[Manitoba]] |[[Franco-Manitobans]] |[[Winnipeg]] ([[St. Boniface, Manitoba|St. Boniface]], [[St. Vital]], [[St. Norbert, Winnipeg|St. Norbert]]), [[Eastman Region]], [[Pembina Valley Region]], [[Central Plains Region]] | 47,680 | 3.8% |- | style="text-align: left;" | [[Nova Scotia]] | [[Acadians]] | [[Digby County, Nova Scotia|Digby County]], [[Richmond County, Nova Scotia|Richmond County]], [[Inverness County, Nova Scotia|Inverness County]], [[Yarmouth County]] | 34,585 | 3.8% |- | style="text-align: left;" | [[Saskatchewan]] | [[Fransaskois]] | [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]], [[Saskatoon]], [[Gravelbourg]], [[Albertville, Saskatchewan|Albertville]], [[Zenon Park, Saskatchewan|Zénon-Park]], [[St. Isidore-de-Bellevue, Saskatchewan|St. Isidore-de-Bellevue]], [[Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan|Willow Bunch]] | 18,935 | 1.9% |- | style="text-align: left;" | [[Prince Edward Island]] | [[Acadians]] | [[Prince County, Prince Edward Island|Prince County]] ([[Lot 15, Prince Edward Island|Evangeline Region]]) | 5,685 | 4.1% |- | style="text-align: left;" | [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] | [[Franco-Newfoundlanders]] | [[Port au Port Peninsula]] | 3,015 | 0.6% |- | style="text-align: left;" |[[Yukon]] |[[Franco-Yukonnais]] |[[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]], [[Dawson City]] | 1,630 | 4.8% |- | style="text-align: left;" | [[Northwest Territories]] | [[Franco-Ténois]] | [[Yellowknife]], [[Hay River, Northwest Territories|Hay River]], [[Inuvik]], [[Fort Smith, Northwest Territories|Fort Smith]] | 1,175 | 2.9% |- | style="text-align: left;" | [[Nunavut]] | [[Franco-Nunavois]] | [[Iqaluit]] | 616<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Francophones of Nunavut (Franco-Nunavois) |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/francophones-of-nunavut-franco-nunavois |access-date=14 August 2020}}</ref> | 1.4% |}

=== Quebec === {{main|Quebec French}} [[File:Arret.jpg|right|thumb|A Quebec French stop sign]] [[File:WIKITONGUES- Maxime speaking Québecois French.webm|thumb|A [[Québécois French]] speaker, recorded in [[Slovenia]]]] [[Quebec]] is the only province whose sole official language is French. As of 2011, 71.2 percent of Québécois people are first language francophones.<ref name="www12.statcan.ca">[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/lang/provs.cfm Profile of languages in Canada: Provinces and territories] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018184119/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/lang/provs.cfm |date=18 October 2015 }}. Retrieved 3 May 2011.</ref> About 95 percent of Quebecers speak French.<ref name=statcan2016qc /> However, many of the services the provincial government provides are available in English for the sizeable [[English-speaking Quebecer|anglophone]] population of the province (notably in [[Montreal]]).{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}} For native French speakers, Quebec French is noticeably different in pronunciation and vocabulary from the [[French language|French]] of [[France]], sometimes called ''Metropolitan French'', but they are easily mutually intelligible in their formal varieties, and after moderate exposure, in most of their informal ones as well. The differences are primarily due to changes that have occurred in Quebec French and [[Parisian French]] since the 18th century, when Britain gained possession of Canada.

Different regions of Quebec have their own varieties: [[Gaspé Peninsula]], [[Côte-Nord]], [[Quebec City]], [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]], [[Outaouais (region)|Outaouais]], and [[Abitibi-Témiscamingue]] have differences in pronunciation as well as in vocabulary. For example, depending on one's region, the ordinary word for "kettle" can be {{lang|fr|bouilloire, bombe,}} or {{lang|fr|canard}}.

In Quebec, the French language is of paramount importance. For example, the [[stop sign]]s on the roads are written {{lang|fr|ARRÊT}} (which has the literal meaning of "stop" in French), even if other French-speaking countries, like [[France]], use ''STOP''. On a similar note, movies originally made in other languages than French (mostly movies originally made in English) are more literally named in Quebec than they are in France (e.g. The movie ''[[The Love Guru]]'' is called {{lang|fr|Love Gourou}} in France, but in Quebec it is called {{lang|fr|Le Gourou de l'amour}}).

===The Maritimes===

[[File:The Acadians.png|thumb|left|150px|Present-day Acadian communities]]

The colonists living in what are now the provinces of [[New Brunswick]] and [[Nova Scotia]] were principally constituted of [[Bretons]], [[Normans]], and [[Basques]]. Conquered by the British, they suffered [[Expulsion of the Acadians|massive deportations]] to the [[United States]] and [[France]]. Others went into exile to [[Canada (New France)|Canada]] or to nearby islands. Those who stayed were persecuted. At the end of the 18th century, more liberal measures granted new lands to those who had stayed, and measures were taken to promote the return of numerous exiled people from Canada and [[Miquelon]]. The number of Acadians rose rapidly, to the point of gaining representation in the [[Legislative Assembly]].

French is one of the official languages, with English, of the province of [[New Brunswick]]. Apart from [[Quebec]], this is the only other Canadian province that recognizes French as an official language. Approximately one-third of New Brunswickers are francophone,<ref name="www12.statcan.ca"/> by far the largest [[Acadian]] population in Canada.

The Acadian community is concentrated in primarily rural areas along the border with Quebec and the eastern coast of the province. Francophones in the [[Madawaska County, New Brunswick|Madawaska]] area may also be identified as [[Brayon]], although sociologists have disputed whether the Brayons represent a distinct francophone community, a subgroup of the Acadians or an extraprovincial community of [[Québécois people]]. The only major Acadian population centre is [[Moncton]], home to the main campus of the [[Université de Moncton]]. Francophones are, however, in the minority in Moncton.

In addition to New Brunswick, Acadian French has speakers in portions of mainland Quebec and in the Atlantic provinces of [[Nova Scotia]], [[Prince Edward Island]], and [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]. In these provinces, the percentage of francophones is much smaller than in New Brunswick. In some communities, French is an [[endangered language]].

Linguists do not agree about the origin of Acadian French. Acadian French is influenced by the ''[[langues d'oïl]]''. The dialect contains, among other features, the [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] ''r'' and the pronunciation of the final syllable in the plural form of the verb in the third person. Acadia is the only place outside [[Jersey]] (a [[Channel Islands|Channel Island]] close to mainland Normandy) where [[Jèrriais]] speakers can be found.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996), Thésaurus A-C, p. 24</ref>

===Ontario=== [[File:Wrong Way Reculez.jpg|thumb|Bilingual street sign in Ottawa]] French is the native language of over 500,000 persons in [[Ontario]], representing 4.7 percent of the province's population. They are concentrated primarily in the [[Eastern Ontario]] and [[Northeastern Ontario]] regions, near the border with [[Quebec]], although they are also present in smaller numbers throughout the province. Francophone Ontarians form part of a larger cultural group known as [[Franco-Ontarian]]s, of whom only 60 percent still speak the language at home. The city of [[Ottawa]] counts the greatest number of Franco-Ontarians in the province. Franco-Ontarians are originally from a first wave of immigration from [[France]], from a second wave from Quebec. The third wave comes from Quebec, but also from Haiti, Morocco, and Africa.

The province has no official language defined in law, although it is a largely English-speaking province. Ontario law requires that the provincial [[Legislative Assembly]] operate in both English and French (individuals can speak in the Assembly in the official language of their choice), and requires that all provincial statutes and bills be made available in both English and French. Furthermore, under the ''[[French Language Services Act (Ontario)|French Language Services Act]]'', individuals are entitled to communicate with the head or central office of any provincial government department or agency in French, as well as to receive all government services in French in 25 designated areas in the province, selected according to minority population criteria. The provincial government of Ontario's website is bilingual. Residents of [[Ottawa]], [[Toronto]], [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]], [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]] and [[Timmins]] can receive services from their municipal government in the official language of their choice.

There are also several French-speaking communities on military bases in Ontario, such as the one at [[CFB Trenton]]. These communities have been founded by francophone Canadians in the [[Canadian Forces]] who live together in military residences.<ref>{{cite web|last=Statistiques Canada|title=Population dont le français est la langue parlée le plus souvent à la maison, Canada, Provinces, territoires et Canada moins le Québec, 1996 à 2006 |url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/ |access-date=4 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=David Block |title=Globalization and language teaching |year=2002 |publisher=Taylor and Francis Group |author2=Heller Monica}}</ref>

The term [[Franco-Ontarian]] accepts two interpretations. According to the first one, it includes all French speakers of Ontario, wherever they come from. According to second one, it includes all [[French Canadians]] born in Ontario, whatever their level of French is.<ref>Atlas Universalis (1996), Thésaurus K-M, p. 2638</ref> The use of French among Franco-Ontarians is in decline due to the omnipresence of the English language in a lot of fields.

===Newfoundland=== The island was discovered by European powers by [[John Cabot]] in 1497. [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] was annexed by England in 1583. It is the first British possession in [[North America]].

In 1610, the Frenchmen became established in the [[peninsula of Avalon]] and went to war against the Englishmen. In 1713, the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] acknowledged the sovereignty of Great Britain.

The origin of [[Franco-Newfoundlanders]] is double: the first ones to arrive are especially of [[Breton people|Breton]] origin, attracted by the fishing possibilities. Then, from the 19th century, the Acadians who came from the [[Cape Breton Island]] and from the [[Magdalen Islands]], an archipelago of nine small islands belonging to Quebec, become established.

Up to the middle of the 20th century, Breton fishers, who had Breton as their mother tongue, but who had been educated in French came to settle. This Breton presence can explain differences between the Newfoundland French and the Acadian French.

In the 1970s, the French language appears in the school of Cape St. George in the form of a bilingual education. In the 1980s, classes of French for native French speakers are organized there.<ref name="Atlas Universalis 1996 p.57" /><ref>Atlas Universalis (1996), Tome 4, pp. 840–842</ref>

===Western Canada=== Manitoba also has a significant [[Franco-Manitoban]] community, centred especially in the [[St. Boniface, Manitoba|St. Boniface]] area of [[Winnipeg, Manitoba|Winnipeg]], but also in numerous surrounding towns. The provincial government of [[Manitoba]] boasts the only bilingual website of the Prairies; the Canadian constitution makes French an official language in Manitoba for the legislature and courts. Saskatchewan also has a [[Fransaskois]] community, as does Alberta with its [[Franco-Albertan]]s, and British Columbia hosts the [[Franco-Columbian]]s.

[[Michif]], a dialect of French originating in Western Canada, is a unique [[mixed language]] derived from [[Cree language|Cree]] and French. It is spoken by a small number of [[Metis (people)|Métis]] living mostly in [[Manitoba]] and in [[North Dakota]].

===Northern Canada=== French is an official language in each of the three northern territories: [[Yukon]], the [[Northwest Territories]], and [[Nunavut]]. Francophones in Yukon are called [[Franco-Yukonnais]], those from the Northwest Territories, [[Franco-Ténois]] (from the French acronym for the Northwest Territories, ''TN-O'' or {{lang|fr|Territoires du Nord-Ouest}}), and those in Nunavut, [[Franco-Nunavois]].

==French-speaking communities in Canada outside Quebec== {{Div col}} * [[Franco-Ontarian]]s (or ''Ontarois'') * [[Acadian]]s (in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island * [[Franco-Manitoban]]s * [[Fransaskois]] (in Saskatchewan) * [[Franco-Albertan]]s * [[Franco-Columbian]]s * [[Franco-Terreneuviens]] * [[Franco-Ténois]] (in the Northwest Territories) * [[Franco-Yukonnais|Franco-Yukon(n)ais]] (in Yukon) * Franco-Nunavois (in Nunavut) {{Div col end}}

==Flags of French Canada== <gallery class="center"> Flag of Québec.svg|[[Québécois people|Québécois]] Flag of Acadia.svg|[[Acadians|Acadiens]] Flag of the Franco Albertains.svg|[[Franco-Albertan]]s Flag of the Fransaskois.svg|[[Fransaskois]] Flag of the Franco-Colombiens.svg|[[Franco-Columbian]]s Flag of the Franco-Manitobains.svg|[[Franco-Manitobain]]s Franco-Ontarian flag.svg|[[Franco-Ontarian#Franco-Ontarian flag|Franco-Ontarien]]s Flag of the Franco-Yukonnais.svg|[[Franco-Yukonnais]] Flag of the Franco-Nunavois.svg|[[Franco-Nunavois]] Flag of the FrancoTenois.svg|[[Franco-Ténois]] Flag of Franco-Terreneuviens.svg|[[Franco-Terreneuviens]] </gallery>

==See also== {{Div col}} *[[American French]] *[[Anti-Quebec sentiment]] *[[Charter of the French Language]] *[[Chiac]] *[[French colonization of the Americas]] *[[French language in the United States]] *[[French phonology]] *[[Influence of French on English]] *[[Joual]] *[[Languages of Canada]] *[[M��tis French]] *[[Office québécois de la langue française]] *[[Official bilingualism in Canada]] *[[Quebec French lexicon]] *[[Two Solitudes (Canadian society)|French Canada]] *[[French Canadian]] *[[Geographical distribution of French speakers]] *[[Varieties of French]] *[[Francization]] {{Div col end}}

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930030644/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1SEC820953 "French language: Canadian French today"] ''[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]''. Toronto: Hurtig Publishers. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060503131926/http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/French+Canadian-english/ Canadian French – English Dictionary] * [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/lang/contents.cfm 2001 Census: Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809064758/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/lang/contents.cfm |date=9 August 2007 }} * [http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ Office québécois de la langue française] * [http://www.granddictionnaire.com/ Grand dictionnaire terminologique] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20001017131736/http://www.geocities.com/philipsfo/hostie/glossaire/glossaire.html Salon Québécois Internet's Largest Canadian French Glossary] * [https://carte.fcfa.ca/ Carte des communautés francophones et acadiennes]

[[Category:French language in Canada| ]] [[Category:French diaspora in Canada|Language]]