Previous standard - Language
Status
This standard was replaced by a new departmental standard on January 19, 2009.
Definition
Language applies to the linguistic skills of a person, particularly his or her ability to use different languages in different circumstances, such as at home, at school, at work or in social situations. It also applies to the ability of a person to use Canada's official languages and Canada's First Nations' languages.
The core language variables (most often used in classifying the population by linguistic skills) relate to mother tongue, language spoken at home and knowledge of official (and non-official) languages. From the point of view of linguistic studies it is desirable to collect information for all three but constraints of cost or respondent burden may limit inquiries to one. In such cases, the use of the mother tongue variable is preferable. This variable is used by the majority of clients and it is directly related to legislated requirements as set out in Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which makes direct reference to citizens of Canada "...whose first language learned and still understood is that of the English or French linguistic minority."
Variables
Mother tongue
Mother tongue, refers to the first language a person learned at home in childhood and still understands. Some respondents may declare that they learned two or more languages simultaneously. This can be accommodated by providing for multiple reporting for official languages only.
Classification(s)
Note: Recommended groupings for aggregated outputs might be based upon English and French and the 10 to 15 languages reported with the highest incidence for any given geographic area.
Non-official language
Non-official language refers to the language(s) spoken by a person (other than English or French) well enough to conduct a conversation.
Classification(s)
Note: Recommended groupings for aggregated outputs might be based upon English and French and the 10 to 15 languages reported with the highest incidence for any given geographic area.
Language spoken at home
Language spoken at home refers to the language a person speaks most often at home.
Classification(s)
Note: Recommended groupings for aggregated outputs might be based upon English and French and the 10 to 15 languages reported with the highest incidence for any given geographic area.
Official language
Definition
Official language refers to the ability of a person to conduct a conversation in English only, in French only, in both English and French or in neither English nor French.
Classification(s)
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