Language
In terms of mother language (first language learned), the 2006 census reported that in the Greater Montreal Area, 66.5% spoke French as a first language, followed by English at 13.2%, while 0.8% spoke both as a first language. The remaining 22.5% of Montreal-area residents are allophones, speaking languages including Italian (3.5%), Arabic (3.1%), Spanish (2.6%), Creole (1.3%), Chinese (1.2%), Greek (1.2%), Portuguese (0.8%), Romanian (0.7%), Vietnamese (0.7%), and Russian (0.5%). In terms of additional languages spoken, a unique feature of Montreal among Canadian cities, noted by Statistics Canada, is the working knowledge of both French and English possessed by most of its residents.
| 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French | 71.2% | 72.1% | 70.5% | |
| English | 19.4% | 18.5% | 18.5% | |
| Other language | 13.4% | 13.1% | 14.6% | |
| Note that percentages add up to more than 100% because some people speak two or more languages at home. |
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| Language | Greater Montreal | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | 65.8% | 79.7% | 22.0% |
| English | 13.2% | 9.0% | 58.6% |
| Arabic | 3.9% | 2.1% | 1.1% |
| Spanish | 3.1% | 1.8% | 1.3% |
| Italian | 3.1% | 1.6% | 1.3% |
| Creole | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.2% |
| Greek | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Chinese | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Portuguese | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Romanian | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Vietnamese | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Russian | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Farsi | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Tagalog | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| Armenian | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Polish | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Tamil | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Punjabi | 0.3% | 0.2% | 1.4% |
| German | 0.3% | 0.2% | 1.3% |
| Bengali | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Cantonese | 0.3% | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Urdu | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Mandarin | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of Montreal
Famous quotes containing the word language:
“The language of excitement is at best picturesque merely. You must be calm before you can utter oracles.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“You can’t write about people out of textbooks, and you can’t use jargon. You have to speak clearly and simply and purely in a language that a six-year-old child can understand; and yet have the meanings and the overtones of language, and the implications, that appeal to the highest intelligence.”
—Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980)
“After all, when you come right down to it, how many people speak the same language even when they speak the same language?”
—Russell Hoban (b. 1925)