Searching for just a few words should be enough to get started. If you need to make more complex queries, use the tips below to guide you.
Issue title: 1997 Siena Group Seminar
Article type: Research Article
Authors: Harrison, Brian R.; 1
Affiliations: Statistics Canada, Demography Division, Room 1710 Main Building, Ottawa K1A 0T6, Canada
Note: [1] Paper prepared for 1997 Siena Group Meeting, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The author is grateful to Réjean Lachapelle, Director, Demography Division for comments on a draft of this paper and to Doug Norris, Director, Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division for presenting the paper at the Siena Group Meeting.
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 European sources of immigrants gave way to more newcomers from Asian and Latin American countries, 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 immigration 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.
DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1997-14306
Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 289-303, 1997
IOS Press, Inc.
6751 Tepper Drive
Clifton, VA 20124
USA
Tel: +1 703 830 6300
Fax: +1 703 830 2300
sales@iospress.com
For editorial issues, like the status of your submitted paper or proposals, write to editorial@iospress.nl
IOS Press
Nieuwe Hemweg 6B
1013 BG Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 688 3355
Fax: +31 20 687 0091
info@iospress.nl
For editorial issues, permissions, book requests, submissions and proceedings, contact the Amsterdam office info@iospress.nl
Inspirees International (China Office)
Ciyunsi Beili 207(CapitaLand), Bld 1, 7-901
100025, Beijing
China
Free service line: 400 661 8717
Fax: +86 10 8446 7947
china@iospress.cn
For editorial issues, like the status of your submitted paper or proposals, write to editorial@iospress.nl
如果您在出版方面需要帮助或有任何建, 件至: editorial@iospress.nl