Questions for Canadians!

Native Korean   Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:15 am GMT
Canada has two official languages(English and French), so it's a bilingual country de jure.

1. How is one's first language decided in Canada?
a) follow his or her parents' first language
b) the region he/she grew up
c) the school he/she went to
d) some other factors

2. In Quebec(where Francophones are dominant), are there any English-based public schools for Anglophones?

3. In other parts of Canada(where Anglophones are dominant), are there any French-based public schools for Francophones?

4. Do Francophones in Canada generally speak English well?

5. Do Anglophones in Canada generally speak French well?
Native Korean   Wed Aug 08, 2007 4:12 am GMT
I've never posted the same thread, though I might have seen the similar question to #1.

Anyway, aren't Catholic schools private? I was asking for public schools(government-run schools).

Apparently, there are English public schools in Quebec and French public schools in Ontario considering Josh's answers. =)
Robin   Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:34 am GMT
I just wanted to say that you can learn a lot about the Canadian Psyche by watching 'South Park'.

So, what sort of name is 'Lalonde' anyway? That does not sound very Anglo-Saxon to me?

Cheerio
Robin   Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:37 am GMT
What does the name "Lalonde" mean?

Our official family cyber-historian Eric Lalonde says:
Lalonde is a parish of the lower Seine of the Rouen arrondissement. "Londe" means forest, thus "de la Londe" means "of the forest." There is a Lalonde forest in France and, in fact, the Canadian Army regiments of Maisonneuve and Mont-Royal took part in a battle there as part of the liberation of France in late August and early September 1944. This area is not far from the town Rouen where Jean comes from.


Why Lalonde and LaLonde?
Eric explains:
"The spelling of the Lalonde name has been with only one capital L here in Quebec. It appears that the second capital L has been added in the US. I have only heard of Lalondes with two capital L's from the US. I guess if we searched the records in Michigan where the Lalondes first went to the US we might find where the change happened. It probably was some recording clerk who changed the spelling on a birth certificate and it continued from there."

http://web.uvic.ca/~lalonde/history/
Native Korean   Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:01 am GMT
1. Josh, are you a Francophone then?

2. Do Canadians or Americans generally know their ancestry?
Most Asian Americans and Asian Canadians know where they are REALLY from.
Can European descendants identify their roots?


P.S. I'm sorry that my second question is not related to language.
If my question is not appropriate for this forum, can you suggest me any websites that I can ask such questions?