Language integration: results of an inter generational analysis

Abstract

The two decades between 1971 and 1991 witnessed remarkable changes in the source countries for immigration to Canada, adding to the ethnic diversity of the nation. Traditional Euro­ pean sources of immigrants gave way to more newcomers from Asian and Latin American coun­ tries, with many coming from China, Hong Kong, India and the Caribbean. In addition, there was a significant change in the choice of marriage partners, with an increasing tendency of Canadians to choose mates who differ from themselves across many social dimensions. This paper sheds light on the process of language integration in the context of these changing social phenomena. The passing of languages to the next generation is analysed for the major non-official language groups in Canada. Languages of early immigration to Canada have a low tendency to be passed to the children as mother tongue, and the children often have little knowledge of these languages. For example, an analysis of children with at least one German mother tongue parent shows that 10% have German mother tongue and 23% speak German well enough to conduct a conversation. On the other hand, languages of recent immigrants are often passed to the children as mother tongue. Fully 70% of the children with at least one Chinese mother tongue parent have the same mother tongue and 82% can speak Chinese well enough to conduct a conversation. Rates of exogamy and language continuity are combined to show the close relationship between these two phenomena. Rates of exogamy are high and language persistence is low for languages such as German, Ukrainian and Dutch which are associated with early immigration to Canada. By contrast, rates of exogamy are low and language persistence is high for languages of recent immi­ gration such as Chinese, Punjabi and Spanish. The nature of exogamy is also quite different for recent immigrant groups. The mixed unions of older immigrant groups are much more likely to involve an English mother tongue spouse. The general pattern of difference between language groups even holds when exogamous and endogamous couples are analysed separately. Children of mixed parentage, like those that have parents with similar linguistic backgrounds, involving a Punjabi, Chinese, or Spanish mother tongue parent, are more likely to have the heritage language as mother tongue and are more likely to know the heritage language.