Languages By Mother Tongue
| First language | Population (2011) | % of total population (2011) | Population (2006) | % of total population (2006) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single language responses | 32,481,635 | 98.1% | 30,848,270 | 98.7% | |
| Official languages | 25,913,955 | 78.2% | 24,700,425 | 79.1% | |
| English | 18,858,980 | 56.9% | 17,882,775 | 57.2% | |
| French | 7,054,975 | 21.3% | 6,817,650 | 21.8% | |
| Non-official languages | 6,567,680 | 19.8% | 6,147,840 | 19.7% | |
| Panjabi (Punjabi) | 430,705 | 1.3% | 367,505 | 1.2% | |
| Chinese, n.o.s. | 425,210 | 1.3% | 456,705 | 1.5% | |
| Spanish | 410,670 | 1.2% | 345,345 | 1.1% | |
| German | 409,200 | 1.2% | 450,570 | 1.4% | |
| Italian | 407,485 | 1.2% | 455,040 | 1.5% | |
| Cantonese | 372,460 | 1.1% | 361,450 | 1.2% | |
| Arabic | 327,870 | 1% | 261,640 | 0.8% | |
| Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) | 327,445 | 1% | 235,615 | 0.8% | |
| Mandarin | 248,705 | 0.8% | 170,950 | 0.5% | |
| Portuguese | 211,335 | 0.6% | 219,275 | 0.7% | |
| Polish | 191,645 | 0.6% | 211,175 | 0.7% | |
| Urdu | 172,800 | 0.5% | 145,805 | 0.5% | |
| Persian (Farsi) | 170,045 | 0.5% | 134,080 | 0.4% | |
| Russian | 164,330 | 0.5% | 133,580 | 0.4% | |
| Vietnamese | 144,880 | 0.4% | 141,625 | 0.5% | |
| Korean | 137,925 | 0.4% | 125,570 | 0.4% | |
| Tamil | 131,265 | 0.4% | 115,880 | 0.4% | |
| Ukrainian | 111,540 | 0.3% | 134,500 | 0.4% | |
| Dutch | 110,490 | 0.3% | 128,900 | 0.4% | |
| Greek | 108,925 | 0.3% | 117,285 | 0.4% | |
| Gujarati | 91,450 | 0.3% | 81,465 | 0.3% | |
| Hindi | 90,545 | 0.3% | 78,240 | 0.3% | |
| Romanian | 90,300 | 0.3% | 78,495 | 0.3% | |
| Cree, n.o.s. | 77,900 | 0.2% | 78,855 | 0.3% | In the 2006 Census, this language was referred to simply as 'Cree'. |
| Hungarian | 67,920 | 0.2% | 73,335 | 0.2% | |
| Creoles | 61,725 | 0.2% | 53,515 | 0.2% | |
| Bengali | 59,370 | 0.2% | 45,685 | 0.1% | |
| Serbian | 56,420 | 0.2% | 51,665 | 0.2% | |
| Croatian | 49,730 | 0.2% | 55,330 | 0.2% | |
| Japanese | 39,985 | 0.1% | 40,200 | 0.1% | |
| Inuktitut | 33,500 | 0.1% | 32,015 | 0.1% | In the 2006 Census, this language was referred to as 'Inuktitut, n.i.e.'. |
| Somali | 31,380 | 0.09% | 27,320 | 0.09% | |
| Armenian | 29,795 | 0.09% | 30,130 | 0.1% | |
| Turkish | 29,640 | 0.09% | 24,745 | 0.08% | |
| Albanian | 23,820 | 0.07% | N/A | N/A | |
| Czech | 23,585 | 0.07% | 24,450 | 0.08% | |
| Khmer (Cambodian) | 19,440 | 0.06% | 19,105 | 0.06% | |
| Bulgarian | 19,050 | 0.06% | 16,790 | 0.05% | |
| Hebrew | 18,450 | 0.06% | 17,635 | 0.06% | |
| Amharic | 18,020 | 0.05% | 14,555 | 0.05% | |
| Ilocano | 17,915 | 0.05% | 13,450 | 0.04% | |
| Ojibway | 17,625 | 0.05% | 24,190 | 0.08% | |
| Slovak | 17,580 | 0.05% | 18,820 | 0.06% | |
| Finnish | 17,415 | 0.05% | 21,030 | 0.07% | |
| Macedonian | 17,245 | 0.05% | 18,435 | 0.06% | |
| Semitic languages, n.i.e. | 16,970 | 0.05% | N/A | N/A | |
| Bisayan languages | 16,240 | 0.05% | 11,240 | 0.04% | |
| Malayalam | 16,080 | 0.05% | 11,925 | 0.04% | |
| Yiddish | 15,205 | 0.05% | 16,295 | 0.05% | |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | 14,185 | 0.04% | 10,180 | 0.03% | |
| Danish | 14,145 | 0.04% | 18,735 | 0.06% | |
| Niger–Congo languages, n.i.e. | 14,075 | 0.04% | N/A | N/A | |
| Lao | 12,970 | 0.04% | 13,940 | 0.04% | |
| Akan (Twi) | 12,680 | 0.04% | 12,780 | 0.04% | |
| Pashto | 12,465 | 0.04% | 9,025 | 0.03% | |
| Bosnian | 11,685 | 0.04% | 12,790 | 0.04% | |
| Sindhi | 11,330 | 0.03% | 10,355 | 0.03% | |
| Dene | 11,215 | 0.03% | 9,745 | 0.03% | |
| Oromo | 11,140 | 0.03% | N/A | N/A | |
| Malay | 10,910 | 0.03% | 9,490 | 0.03% | |
| Innu/Montagnais | 10,785 | 0.03% | 10,975 | 0.04% | In the 2006 Census, this language was referred to as 'Montagnais-Naskapi'. |
| Slovenian | 10,775 | 0.03% | 13,135 | 0.04% | |
| Tigrigna | 10,220 | 0.03% | 7,105 | 0.02% | |
| Serbo-Croatian | 10,155 | 0.03% | 12,510 | 0.04% | |
| Swahili | 10,090 | 0.03% | 7,935 | 0.03% | |
| Oji-Cree | 9,835 | 0.03% | 11,690 | 0.04% | |
| Kurdish | 9,805 | 0.03% | 7,660 | 0.02% | |
| Taiwanese | 9,635 | 0.03% | 9,620 | 0.03% | |
| Telugu | 9,315 | 0.03% | 6,625 | 0.02% | |
| African languages, n.i.e. | 9,125 | 0.03% | N/A | N/A | |
| Afrikaans | 8,770 | 0.03% | N/A | N/A | |
| Nepali | 8,480 | 0.03% | N/A | N/A | |
| Thai | 7,935 | 0.02% | N/A | N/A | |
| Mi'kmaq | 7,635 | 0.02% | 7,365 | 0.02% | |
| Swedish | 7,350 | 0.02% | 8,220 | 0.03% | |
| Lithuanian | 7,245 | 0.02% | 8,335 | 0.03% | |
| Bantu languages, n.i.e. | 7,150 | 0.02% | N/A | N/A | |
| Estonian | 6,385 | 0.02% | 8,240 | 0.03% | |
| Maltese | 6,220 | 0.02% | 6,405 | 0.02% | |
| Latvian | 6,200 | 0.02% | 7,000 | 0.02% | |
| Fukien | 5,925 | 0.02% | N/A | N/A | |
| Berber languages (Kabyle) | 5,855 | 0.02% | N/A | N/A | |
| Marathi | 5,830 | 0.02% | N/A | N/A | |
| Atikamekw | 5,820 | 0.02% | 5,250 | 0.02% | |
| Norwegian | 5,800 | 0.02% | 7,225 | 0.02% | |
| Indo-Iranian languages, n.i.e. | 5,255 | 0.02% | N/A | N/A | |
| Hakka | 5,115 | 0.02% | N/A | N/A | |
| Flemish | 4,690 | 0.01% | 5,660 | 0.02% | |
| Tibetan languages | 4,640 | 0.01% | N/A | N/A | |
| Sino-Tibetan languages, n.i.e. | 4,360 | 0.01% | N/A | N/A | |
| Rundi (Kirundi) | 3,975 | 0.01% | N/A | N/A | |
| Rwanda (Kinyarwanda) | 3,895 | 0.01% | N/A | N/A | |
| Sign languages, n.i.e. | 3,815 | 0.01% | N/A | N/A | |
| Slavic languages, n.i.e. | 3,630 | 0.01% | N/A | N/A | |
| Lingala | 3,085 | 0.009% | N/A | N/A | |
| Stoney | 3,050 | 0.009% | N/A | N/A | |
| Burmese | 2,985 | 0.009% | N/A | N/A | |
| Shanghainese | 2,920 | 0.009% | N/A | N/A | |
| Siouan languages (Dakota/Sioux) | N/A | N/A | 5,585 | 0.02% | |
| Blackfoot | N/A | N/A | 3,085 | 0.01% | |
| Frisian | N/A | N/A | 2,890 | 0.009% | |
| Dogrib | N/A | N/A | 2,020 | 0.006% | |
| Algonquin | N/A | N/A | 1,920 | 0.006% | |
| South Slave | N/A | N/A | 1,605 | 0.005% | |
| Carrier | N/A | N/A | 1,560 | 0.005% | |
| Gitksan | N/A | N/A | 1,180 | 0.004% | |
| Chilcotin | N/A | N/A | 1,070 | 0.003% | |
| North Slave (Hare) | N/A | N/A | 1,065 | 0.003% | |
| Shuswap | N/A | N/A | 935 | 0.003% | |
| Nisga’a | N/A | N/A | 680 | 0.002% | |
| Malecite | N/A | N/A | 535 | 0.002% | |
| Chipewyan | N/A | N/A | 525 | 0.002% | |
| Inuinnaqtun | N/A | N/A | 365 | 0.001% | |
| Kutchin-Gwich’in (Loucheux) | N/A | N/A | 360 | 0.001% | |
| Mohawk | N/A | N/A | 290 | 0.0009% | |
| Tlingit | N/A | N/A | 80 | 0.0003% | |
| Other languages | 77,890 | 0.2% | 172,650 | 0.6% | |
| Multiple language responses | 639,540 | 1.9% | 392,760 | 1.3% | |
| English and French | 144,685 | 0.4% | 98,630 | 0.3% | |
| English and a non-official language | 396,330 | 1.2% | 240,005 | 0.8% | |
| French and a non-official language | 74,430 | 0.2% | 43,335 | 0.1% | |
| English, French, and a non-official language | 24,095 | 0.07% | 10,790 | 0.03% | |
| Total | 33,121,175 | 100% | 31,241,030 | 100% | |
n.i.e. = not included elsewhere n.o.s. = not otherwise specified |
Read more about this topic: Languages Of Canada
Famous quotes containing the words languages, mother and/or tongue:
“Wealth is so much the greatest good that Fortune has to bestow that in the Latin and English languages it has usurped her name.”
—William Lamb Melbourne, 2nd Viscount (17791848)
“Mothers often are too easily intimidated by their childrens negative reactions...When the child cries or is unhappy, the mother reads this as meaning that she is a failure. This is why it is so important for a mother to know...that the process of growing up involves by definition things that her child is not going to like. Her job is not to create a bed of roses, but to help him learn how to pick his way through the thorns.”
—Elaine Heffner (20th century)
“The master, the swabber, the boatswain and I,
The gunner and his mate,
Loved Mall, Meg, and Marian and Margery,
But none of us cared for Kate;
For she had a tongue with a tang,
Would cry to a sailor, Go hang!
She loved not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a tailor might scratch her whereer she did itch:
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang.”
—William Shakespeare (15641616)