Canada as a trilingual nation

[EvolvedSaurian]

What if, in addition to English and French, Canada had a third official language?

Gaelic, spoken by many of the Scottish and Irish settlers, was the third most spoken language in Canada in the mid-1800s (At least according to Wikipedia). After its peak, it has largely died out, seemingly attributable to three reasons, Gaelic being voted against for government usage, English being the prestige language and large numbers of Anglophones interspersed throughout areas of Irish and Scottish settlement.

Now, I can see a way to do this. Irish and Highlander settlement being more concentrated in Newfoundland and the Maritimes, especially Nova Scotia. Would it be plausible for Gaelic to be declared the or an official language in these provinces, if demographics are more favorable?

How might Canada function as a trilingual country? Would there be a separatist movement in the Atlantic provinces based on language, as in Quebec?

Any other ideas?

 

[Dan1988]

Problem: English and French had been spoken for century/ies before (Irish/Scottish) Gaelic, and many of the Gaelic-speakers were newcomers. In addition, the total amount of Gaelic speakers (compared to French - both Québec, Acadian, and derivatives) is small. I could see it at the provincial level (and even then I doubt it), but that's it.

 

[Doctor What]

Interesting idea.

As for separatist movements in the Atlantic provinces, that might be tricky, as the maritime provinces were the ones who were pushing for greater union in the first place and Canada heard about the conference and asked to be included in the talks. (Charlottetown Conference)

btw--technically speaking -- Canada *is* a trilingual nation.

Inuktitut is the official language of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and, as such, they can (and do) request that all official government correspondence/websites/etc have an Inuktitut version.

 

[Dan1988]

As for separatist movements in the Atlantic provinces, that might be tricky, as the maritime provinces were the ones who were pushing for greater union in the first place and Canada heard about the conference and asked to be included in the talks. (Charlottetown Conference)

In that case, it could work.

As for the Province of Canada wanting to get involved: have a storm (i.e., a hurricane/tropical storm) delay the delegation from going to Charlottetown, and pretty much you have a "Maritime Union" separate from the Province of Canada. Next question: where to place the capital?

btw--technically speaking -- Canada *is* a trilingual nation.

Inuktitut is the official language of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and, as such, they can (and do) request that all official government correspondence/websites/etc have an Inuktitut version.

I, for one, am not surprised. But what about the provinces? Inuktitut is not the official language in any province.

 

[Doctor What]

I, for one, am not surprised. But what about the provinces? Inuktitut is not the official language in any province.

Actually it has 'official recognition' in the extreme part of Northern Quebec but--yeah -- not on the provincial level. Still...

If the storm delayed the Canadian delegates, won't they just have another one a few weeks/months later or whatever?

 

[Dan1988]

Actually it has 'official recognition' in the extreme part of Northern Quebec but--yeah -- not on the provincial level. Still...

Well, unless it's given recognition in all 10 provinces and the Yukon, then Canada is - for the most part - still a bilingual nation.

If the storm delayed the Canadian delegates, won't they just have another one a few weeks/months later or whatever?

Not if the work was already done before the delegation eventually arrives (especially if it's a bad storm, such as a hurricane). By then, all they would be party to would just be the partying and that's it.

 

[Doctor What]

Not if the work was already done before the delegation eventually arrives (especially if it's a bad storm, such as a hurricane). By then, all they would be party to would just be the partying and that's it.

Nothing to do except look at the dancing bears and the bearded ladies...

(There was a circus going on in Charlottetown the week all the negotiations occurred -- the circus got more attention than the negotiations. )

 

[EvolvedSaurian]

Interesting idea.

As for separatist movements in the Atlantic provinces, that might be tricky, as the maritime provinces were the ones who were pushing for greater union in the first place and Canada heard about the conference and asked to be included in the talks. (Charlottetown Conference)

Didn't Nova Scotia at least do an about face, with the, IIRC, Anti-Confederal Party? Something like that anyway.

If the storm delayed the Canadian delegates, won't they just have another one a few weeks/months later or whatever?

Might you then see the Maritime union inside the Canadian union? That could be interesting.

But to get back on topic, and address Dan's original response, yeah, I figured on a provincial level would be more plausible. Cape Breton Island and western Nova Scotia, as well as Newfoundland's Avalon peninsula were largely populated by speakers of one or the other or both languages. Other immigrants went to Ontario, the Prairies, BC, and I'm sure Quebec as well. If the ones who OTL went to these provinces go to or stay in the Atlantics, at the very least the Gaeltachtai (Gaelic speaking area) would be larger. Would that be enough for at least provincial recognition?

 

[Dan1988]

Nothing to do except look at the dancing bears and the bearded ladies...

(There was a circus going on in Charlottetown the week all the negotiations occurred -- the circus got more attention than the negotiations. )

Now THAT could work! Have John A. look at the bearded ladies whilst the work for a Maritime Union would be done - and thus no Dominion of Canada.

 

[Dan1988]

But to get back on topic, and address Dan's original response, yeah, I figured on a provincial level would be more plausible. Cape Breton Island and western Nova Scotia,

Well actually north(easte)rn Nova Scotia, and a few isolated areas in New Brunswick and PEI at its height.

as well as Newfoundland's Avalon peninsula were largely populated by speakers of one or the other or both languages. Other immigrants went to Ontario, the Prairies, BC, and I'm sure Quebec as well.

The only "biggies" outside of Atlantic Canada was Ontario and the Red River Colony (now Manitoba), where Bungee was spoken. (Now, don't laugh. ). There were some settlements in eastern Québec, though, at its height.

If the ones who OTL went to these provinces go to or stay in the Atlantics, at the very least the Gaeltachtai (Gaelic speaking area) would be larger. Would that be enough for at least provincial recognition?

Umm, given the times, no. French, at the most, would be preferred over Gaelic.

 

[Andrew Hudson]

White man speaks with forked tongue

By all rights there are other claimants for official languages such as Inuit or did thjey have several languages and all the Indian nations. What if the other language was one spoken by first nation Canadians. How could this come about? Isacc Brock lives and Tecumsah survives the battle of the Thames and gains a place in the corridors of power for being a valuable ally of the crown

 

[Dutchie]

I don't see Gaelic recieving official recognition in Canada (pre- or post-Confederation) until it recieved recognition in Great Britain (not too likely). The powers-that-were at the time were English, and they were forming a mostly English dominion (with an awkward bit of French in the middle). The immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, Wales were coming to an Emglish speaking colony, and the expectation would be that they conform. If not, then Canada would have 100 official languages now, as every incoming group of immigrants would expect the same recognition.

Now, if you could get a successful Darien colony joing the Dominion then you'd have a 'native' (not taking into accounts aboriginals here, but from a European perspective) Gaelic-speaking province on par with Quebec whose linguistic rights might require to be respected.

 

[Tyr]

Its nothing to do with the English, its the Scots, Welsh and Irish themselves.
They saw the celtic languages as being 'common' in the worst possible way. My g.grandfather changed the spelling of our surname to something more anglo sounding just to keep up appearances. Nothing enforced or anything.
The big horrible English bogeyman is one of the horrible mistakes of modern histography. The English generally weren't too bothered about Celtic languages; if anything they saw them as quaint and rather interesting. It was the 'Celtic nations' which sought to reduce them.