This project addresses the question as to whether there is an actual threat to French language and culture posed by the existence of a large English-speaking majority. Particular emphasis will be placed on the French-speaking community of Quebec.

With the Quebec referendum just passed, I had the opportunity to see the issues debated over an extended and fairly recent period. The newness and the closeness of my information provided me with an excellent vantage point from which to view what is and has been a hotly debated question in Quebec since the conquest.

Many French-speaking Quebecers claim that there is a threat to the French language and point to recent demographic studies which show that, out of a total population of some 6 million people, 2 million of them are Montrealers. Of these, Francophones form a bare majority and, by the turn of the century they will, in fact be a minority (48%). The problem exists in the fact that Montreal is a large, multicultural centre, where immigrants are quickly replacing native French-speakers. The French-speakers, as they move up the socio-economic ladder, are buying houses in the suburbs

The Nationalist Societe St-Jean Baptiste argues that proximity to the rest of Canada and to the United States is leading Franco-Quebecois to turn to the English media at the expense of the locally produced French programming. They feel that this influence will weaken the dominance of French in everyday life.

On the face of it, it is hard to agree with their position, especially in view of the following:

5. Across Canada, a person may demand service and information from the Federal government in either French or English.

Some common words found in the essay are:
French English, Montreal French, Metro Montreal, Quebec's Anglophones, Franco-Quebecois English, English Canada, Quebec Quebec, French-speakers French-speakers, HEC Haute, Language Culture, french language, threat french, threat french language, language french, entirely french, french language culture, language culture, la langue francaise, langue francaise, de la, native french-speakers, l'office de, l'office de la, 50 employees, companies 50 employees,
Approximate Word count = 1467
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)