The role of ethnic minorities in present day Quebec is clearly one of the important topics which many researchers and social players of diverse political and cultural allegiances have addressed and still continue to address. The study which follows, attempts to show the importance which is given to French by certain non-francophone youths attending French schools and colleges in the regions of Montreal and Hull. The analysis of socio-linguistic attitudes and behaviours of these youths, as well as their vision of the future with respect to the French or English reality is especially needed, as school aged youth are the ones who will soon become important actors in a Quebec which is becoming more and more multicultural. This kind of analysis is also important because it allows for a better understanding of the causal factors underlying these attitudes and behaviours. It is therefore the achievement of these objectives with which the following study is concerned.

No description available.

This qualitative inquiry describes the linguistic perspectives of eighteen grade six students at Ecole Duncan, a multiethnic primary school (grades K-6) located in Park Extension, an inner-city neighbourhood of Montreal. Employing standard tools of ethnographic enquiry, such as interviews and participant observation, I examined the childrens' perception of the interplay of language and identity, and rooted the inquiry within the theoretical framework of social constructivist learning. The key element of the lived experiences of these children that surface in the data is that their perceptions and experiences are largely determined by a sense of belonging and opportunities to participate in the life of their communities. I conceptualize students' language learning as a social practice, and identity as being socially constructed, contradictory, and subject to change over time. Rampton's concepts of expertise, affiliation and inheritance are used in the theoretical framework. The major assumption of this study is that social factors influence children's identities, which has a reciprocal effect upon their language learning. This inquiry has implications for policy makers, educators and families.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.