Être bilingue à Sudbury (Ontario)étude sur le contact des langues et lareprésentation des identités

Abstract

In this article, we follow the theoretical sociolinguistics procedures used by Milroy, Heller and Mougeon on the choice of language in situations of bilingualism. Fieldwork among five bilingual francophone families in Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury (Ontario) enabled us to know the social factors that influence their choice of language in different situations of everyday life. In addition, these families represent two subgroups of the Franco-Ontarian minority population described by Duquette: on the one hand, an elite that promotes a normative French language and the traditional values of both the French culture and, on the other hand, the bilingual speakers for whom the English language offers attractive economic and cultural resources. Differences among Francophones weaken the vitality of their community, while English is required as a lingua franca, despite the historical struggles to achieve a certain level of education, to get jobs or to access a French sociocultural development in Ontario.