In fact, in connection with the
decisions already taken (based on the indicators already published and the Surveys already
carried out, ensuring the proper functioning of the event) the following works constituted
the main items on the agenda at the session: Indicateurs de la situation linguistique
au Québec (1992 Edition); the Indicateurs de la langue du travail au Québec (1994
Edition) and the Rapport du Comité interministériel sur la situation de la langue de
travail, 1996. From this point of departure we were able to decide which indicators to
bring up to date, which to reject and which new indicators to develop (based on research
already completed and on upcoming research). Apart from the critiques thus provided, all
equally relevant, a large number of proposals were also put forward, which will
undoubtedly enable us to carry out a more complete and more scientific Survey than before.
3.1.2. Setting up of two working groups
Besides
consulting the experts via a brain-storming session, two teams of experienced researchers
in the field and in connected fields were also set up to orientate the work on the
question of the quality and mastery of French of behaviour and attitudes of the different
language groups.
The
consultation begun at the end of autumn 2002 was to be finished by March 2003 so that this
could be taken into consideration in the work programme for 2003-2004 about which we shall
have more to say below.
The working
group on the behaviour and attitudes of the different language groups had been given the
mandate to propose five-year programmes of research that would provide reliable monitoring
of the behaviour and attitudes of the different language groups in Quebec.This, among
other things, would make it clear what the axes of the research under the new mandate
issued by the law had to be. This would determine the lines of research which could form
part of the next five-year research programme.
The working
group on the quality and mastery of French had received a similar mandate to the preceding
group, that of proposing a way of assessing the quality and mastery of the language which
would enable reliable monitoring to be carried out on the Quebec situation. However, the
objectives pursued by this last group differed from the other, given the subject of the
investigation and the often antagonistic positions that this subject provoked. Also, it
had to document and take stock of the various positions relative to the quality and
mastery of the French used, uncover points of convergence among the different positions
observed, determine the orientations that ought to underlie the work in this field and
single out the research domains that form part of the next five-year research programme on
quality of and mastery in the language.
The
presentation of conclusions arrived at by the two groups is a task that goes beyond the
bounds of this article. However, we have to say that the main conclusions have been
included in the working plan for the year 2003-2004 and will be in the subsequent years,
so that they will be briefly touched upon when looking at the selected subject areas.
3.2.
Working schedule
From this
point of departure a programme of work or schedule was worked out for the year 2003-2004
with the avowed objective of proceeding, in the first place, to bring up to date the main
indicators already published to then be in a better position to determine the indicators
needed to be developed to complete the Survey, as a part of future work schedules. In
fact, all the indicators presented to the experts found to be relevant have been written
into the work schedules for the current year, a work schedule which in any case has been
ratified by the Quebec Language Situation Monitoring Committee. This planning obviously
went beyond the capacities of production of the Office's research team; there also had to
be collaboration from various different partners who were approached and who all agreed to
take part.
The working
schedule therefore included ten different focal areas, all of lesser or greater
importance, at least for the purposes of the current year. Indeed, it is quite possible
that for a given subject area, there might be few indicators to bring up to date, but
which in the next work schedules, there would be much more development to be done.
The great
majority of the projects planned for the current year will obviously have to do with the
areas of language and population and language and immigration. The recent publication of
the 2001 census data explains in very large part the investment in these particular areas.
In the case of the language and population focus, for example, the indicators relating to
demographic-linguistic factors will be brought up to date (mother tongue, language spoken
in the home, knowledge of French and English, main (official) language spoken) as will
those relating to certain associated phenomena, such as linguistic transfer, fertility and
inter-provincial migration. Having said that, there are obviously other important topics
on the agenda for other years, for example, to mention but one: the change in the
demographic weight of francophones in certain territories, the impact of exogamy (marrying
out of the community) and the effect on linguistic behaviour in the home.
The language
and immigration area includes both the new census data and the administrative data. In
this context, the main demographic-linguistic variables previously under scrutiny will be
given special treatment, as will certain associated phenomena. Among other aspects, the
period of immigration will be a weighty variable of considerable importance. As for the
administrative data, they will allow us to take a different and certainly more reliable
look at this focus area, more especially the data on knowledge of French and English.
Following this updating process, several themes emerge, for instance, the resulting
immigration or the «retention» phenomenon, the language choice of the immigrants and the
consequences of concentrations of immigrants.
The language
and education focus covers a vast domain, since it relates to the linguistic situation
proper in all the levels of education from nursery school to the universities. Besides
evaluating the direct effect that the law has had on attendance of English-medium primary
and secondary schools, it will also enable us to estimate how many students who could have
attended English-medium schools in fact opted to study in French. The data relating to
colleges attended will make it possible, in turn, to gauge number of secondary school
students who change the language of instruction when they go to college: information on
university attendance will enable us to arrive at figures on the access there is, by
language group, to university degree programmes and the gaining of university degrees.
Subsequent to this updating of our information, in all probability many other projects
will be proposed, for example looking at the illiteracy rate and school drop-out figures
by language group and the language of instruction used in ongoing or tertiary education.
The language
and work focus has been given considerable attention over the years. The list of
indicators to bring up to date in this domain is therefore very long, referring to a large
number of data from the census (active population, profession, economic sector, etc.) and
numerous pieces of diachronic research. Furthermore the 2001 census included a new
question in its questionnaire «In this job what language does this person use most often
(regularly)», a question which seems very promising, especially in determining the
language spoken in a given territory. Beyond that, many research projects were also
suggested at the brain-storming session, projects which one day or another in the future
are likely to attract our attention, especially the idea of reformulating questions
relating to the language at the workplace to adapt them to the realities of the
present-day work market.
The language
and IT focus is by far the least developed as regards the current year. It will be limited
to data from recent questionnaires administered in small and medium-sized companies. That
being so, we will need to seek to develop this area of interest over the course of the
next years, notably in determining the constituent elements of the so-called high tech
sectors and seeking to explain what it is that favours the use of English in information
technology.
The language
and earnings area currently boasts only a few indicators that have been developed and
which can be brought up to date. However, this is an important domain to investigate,
looking at the benefits tied to bilinguism and those that go with trilinguism, a
phenomenon which is likely to grow. And it will be important not to stop there, but to
extend these economic approaches to other categories and to other workers and, as far as
is possible, even to non-workers.
The language
and culture area covers, for its part, the very wide field of cultural practices, either
in the press, on television, on radio, publishing and cinema. Over the course of the
current year we need to use the existing data and bring up to date the different
indicators already in existence, to be able to organise research providing greater insight
into and understanding of the Quebec people and their language in general and the
different cultural communities in particular.
The attitudes
and behaviour of language groups approach should first of all go for the development of
instrumentation in collection. What is more, we shall be working during this current year
towards the production and testing of appropriate questionnaires aimed at addressing the
most meaningful questions regarding identity, questions which will then be included in a
general questionnaire will not reach its final form until various associated sub-projects
are carried out.
The tasks set
the working group on the quality and mastery of the French language have been given the
go-ahead to give the spoken language priority. Also, the most principal studies carried
out in this domain will be on the oral language of readers of novels, and on the spoken
French of future teachers. Having said that, it is important to mention that in this
domain, there is everything to do before we can really evaluate the quality and the
mastery of French and that, accordingly, we are aware that the evaluation that is going to
be carried out for the next Survey will be very limited.
3.3. Diffusion strategies
The working
schedule for the next year, an ambitious one, especially in the area where we have the
objective of making known our ongoing work by instalments. Indeed, it is important to add
in closing, that the Monitoring Committee intends not to have to wait for the producing of
the Report required by law before publicising updated indicators or newly developed
indicators, plus the associated research. Instead small articles will be published as we
go along on the Internet. We can mention here that the first of these will be on language
and population and is scheduled for the end of autumn.
4. Conclusion
Based on the
plan which we have put forward here, it is clear that, for the moment, the approach taken
by the OQLF is to bring up to date a large number of indicators and, indeed, to develop
many others to thus arrive at the most complete diagnosis possible of the linguistic
situation in Quebec as and when the next Survey is completed. At all events, it is
important to mention that we are also mulling over the idea of developing some synthetic
indicators. Such a project, however, would take many months if not years, since it would
first be necessary to clearly articulate the conceptual elements involved, as well as the
underlying methodological problems. In short, despite all the interest that there might be
in this project, we see the need for the time to develop such indicators and assure
ourselves of their reliability when rendering account as required by law.
5. Bibliography
Comité
interministériel sur la situation de la langue française: Le français langue
commune. Enjeu de la société québécoise. Quebec: Ministry of Culture and
Communications, 1996.
Commission des
états généraux sur la situation et lavenir de la langue française au Québec: Le
français, une langue pour tout le monde. Une nouvelle approche stratégique et citoyenne.
Quebec: Commission des états généraux sur la situation et lavenir de la
langue française au Québec, 2001.
Conseil de la
langue française: Indicateurs de la langue du travail au Québec, 1994 edition.
Quebec: Conseil de langue française, 1994.
Conseil de la
langue française: Indicateurs de la situation linguistique au Québec, 1992
edition. Quebec: Conseil de langue française, 1992.
GEORGEAULT,
Pierre: «Les indicateurs dusage du français au Québec. Réflexion sur leur
élaboration». Revue daménagement linguistique, no. 105, winter 2003, p.
349-362.
Pierre
Bouchard
Director of the Research Service secretary to the Committee for the monitoring of the
language situation
Quebec office of the French Language
Pierre.Bouchard@oqlf.gouv.qc.ca
Telephone: (514) 873-8277 |