The variety of different languages that are spoken across Canada reflects Canada’s long-standing tradition and its colonial origins. From a legal perspective, Canada is a bilingual nation, with French and English being recognized as the country’s official languages. Hence, we see a lot of Canadian French translation services appearing to offer their services. 

However, there is also a variety of non-official languages spoken throughout Canada, from German to Spanish as well as Punjabi and Chinese. This does not include the many indigenous languages spoken throughout the country, especially in northern regions of Canada.

English And French

English, as well as French, are the two official languages of Canada as well as being employed in Canada’s public institutions of the federal government. 

What this means in essence is that the public can communicate with and receive services from federal government institutions either in English or French and those federal employees can choose between working in the preferred language in designated bilingual areas.

The federal government in Canada is dedicated to advancing the equality and respect for those who speak English as well as French languages in Canadian society. It also assists in the development of English and French minorities in linguistics.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms clarifies the rights of languages within Canada along with the Official Languages Act specifying the obligations of Canadian government institutions at the federal level.

With time, we also saw the emergence of professional french translation services in the region catering to the needs of the people.  

Historical Background of English Language in Canada 

While the English language was spoken in Canada before the 19th century, there weren’t sufficient speakers or significant aspects of the language for it to be thought of as something apart from British English. 

Between 1825 and 1846, over half a million people were brought to Canada straight from Britain In 1871. More than 2 million people living in Canada declared their home country of the British Isles as their land. 

The new Canadians brought with them the same English they learned from their grandparents in their native country but it had little similarities to the language that is commonly referred to as Standard British English or simply Standard English.

However, the kind of English that was introduced into Canada in the first half of the 19th century was far from typical. There was a variety of English that was typically specific to the region where the speakers were from and included Ireland, Yorkshire, and Devon. 

Other Languages Spoken in Canada

As with the United States, Canada is growing into a melting pot of various cultures, ethnicities, and languages. The statistics from Canada show that, while the majority of people in Canada use English and French at home, one in six of them claimed to speak a language other than English and French. 

The survey also indicates that the fastest-growing group of languages in Canada are those used throughout Asia or in the Middle East.

Below, we’ve listed the top 20 Canadian spoken languages, which are the ones that are spoken in homes by people living in Canada and the total amount of speakers, as well as their percentage of people they are:

  • English 20,584,775 (67.1%)
  • French 6,608,125 (19.1%)
  • Chinese 790,035 (2.6%)
  • Punjabi 500,000 (1.0%)
  • Spanish 209,955 (0.7%)
  • Italian 170,330 (0.6%)
  • Dutch 159,440 (0.6%)
  • Ukrainian 148,090 (0.5%)
  • German 128,350 (0.4%)

It is important to mention that among these languages, Spanish and German have captivated the attention of the masses in recent years. Hence, we have seen that a lot of people, especially students, prefer to opt for Spanish and German in their universities. 

Moreover, businesses are also offering multilingual websites with a special focus given on German and Spanish. Consequently, we are seeing professional German translation services and professional Spanish translation services appearing at the forefront of the professional language service providers. 

Aboriginal Languages of Canada

In the last century or more, about 10 of Canada’s once-thriving Aboriginal languages have been wiped out at the very least, and twelve are at risk. In 1996, only three of the fifty indigenous Aboriginal languages–Cree Inuktitut and Ojibway had large enough numbers to consider them safe from extinction over the long term. 

This is not surprising when you look at the present situation. Out of the 800,000 who claimed to have an Aboriginal identity or ethnicity only one quarter claimed the Aboriginal dialect as their primary language, and even fewer used the language in their homes.

Fifty Aboriginal languages of Canada are part of 11 major families of languages which include 10 First Nation language families and Inuktitut. Certain families are considered to be large and sturdy, while others are weak.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the languages spoken in Canada. 

Canada is a multicultural country with numerous languages being spoken. And that is what makes the country a special place. Moreover, the phenomena of languages have enabled the rise of translation services such as Canadian French translation services. This has helped bridge the gap between people belonging to different communities.

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