"Bonjour, hi": The Influence and Threat of English for the French Language and Identity in Quebec

Canada is unique among North American countries in the fact that it has two official languages: English and French. Yet, out of the ten provinces within Canada, Quebec is the only province to speak French as a majority language. As Quebec shares borders with the rest of Canada and the United States, where English is spoken in the majority, the English language still has an influence in Quebec, even forty-one years after French has been declared an official language of the province. This thesis explores immigration, globalization and popular culture as key influences that the English language has in Quebec, where it still has a strong presence in Quebec today as the two languages coexist and often converge in daily life. Remaining a minority language, English doesn’t always bring with it peace to Quebec, because the language is seen by some Quebecers as posing a threat not only to the French language in Quebec, but also to the Quebecer identity, in which the French language plays a central role. As of recently, the threat of the English language has been brought to light by the “Bonjour, hi” debate in Quebec, which I analyze to show the implications of the debate for the minority populations living in the French-speaking province.