ABSTRACT
Supp.)] explicitly denaturalises one-to-one relationships between languages and cultures. Nevertheless, the notion of ‘two solitudes’ has been used to describe a Canadian divide based not only on language, but also on culture (e.g. Heller 1999, 143). Thus, it is possible that Canada’s language policies are implemented within distinct ‘linguistic cultures’. Indeed, the distinction between English speakers and French speakers is arguably reinforced by the fact that the majority of Canada’s population claims to have English as a first language (57%), whereas only 21.2% claim to speak French as a first language and 87% of this population lives in the province of Quebec. In Quebec, the population is governed by an additional language policy, the Charter of the French Language (R.S.Q. c. C-11; henceforth, ‘Charter’), which is known in English as ‘Bill 101’; this is in place to protect and promote French in the province. Within these arguably distinct populations, beliefs and understandings about languages (i.e. ‘language ideologies’) may circulate through different mediums (i.e. English and French) and may affect the uptake of language policies.
