Canada has two official languages - English and French - but there
are numerous native tongues as well. Tensions between the two main
groups play a prominent part in the politics of Canada, but the native
languages are more or less ignored except in the country's most remote
areas, particularly in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, where
Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit, is spoken widely. The Inuit are
the only native population with their own-language TV channel; the only
group afforded comparable attention are the Montagnais - Montagnais-Naskapi
translations appear in northern Québec and Labrador official
publications.
In a brief glossary such as this there is no space to get to grips with
the complexities of aboriginal languages, and very few travellers would
have any need of them anyway - most natives (including those in Québec)
have a good knowledge of English, especially if they deal with tourists
in any capacity. If you plan to be spending much time in French-speaking
Canada, consider investing in the Rough Guide to French (Penguin), a
pocket-guide in a handy A-Z format.
French words and phrases
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French in Québec
Québec's official language differs from its European source in much the
same way North American English differs from British English. Yet while
the Québécois French vocabulary, grammar and syntax may not constitute a
separate language, the speech
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